31. Which one of the two did what his father wanted?”“The elder one,” they answered.So Jesus said to them, “I tell you: the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you.
32. For John the Baptist came to you showing you the right path to take, and you would not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Even when you saw this, you did not later change your minds and believe him.
33. “Listen to another parable,” Jesus said. “There was once a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he let out the vineyard to tenants and went on a journey.
34. When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent his slaves to the tenants to receive his share of the harvest.
35. The tenants seized his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
36. Again the man sent other slaves, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.
37. Last of all he sent his son to them. ‘Surely they will respect my son,’ he said.
38. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the owner's son. Come on, let's kill him, and we will get his property!’
39. So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40. “Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” Jesus asked.
41. “He will certainly kill those evil men,” they answered, “and let the vineyard out to other tenants, who will give him his share of the harvest at the right time.”
42. Jesus said to them, “Haven't you ever read what the Scriptures say? ‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all. This was done by the Lord; what a wonderful sight it is!’