21. Jesus answered them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
22. And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive.”
23. Now after Jesus entered the temple courts, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
24. Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.
25. Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?” They discussed this among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
26. But if we say, ‘From people,’ we fear the crowd, for they all consider John to be a prophet.”
27. So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28. “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
29. The boy answered, ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart and went.
30. The father went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go.
31. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, tax collectors and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!
32. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although you saw this, you did not later change your minds and believe him.
33. “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.
34. When the harvest time was near, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his portion of the crop.
35. But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
36. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way.
37. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’