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23 Jesus entered the temple courts,
and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the
people came
to him. “By what authority are you doing these
things?” they asked. “And who
gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I will also
ask
you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I
am
doing these things. 25
John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it
from heaven, or from men?”
They discussed it among themselves and
said, “If we
say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then
why didn’t you believe him?’ 26
But if we say, ‘From men’—we are afraid
of the people, for they all hold that
John was a prophet.”
27 So they answered Jesus, “We
don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am
doing
these things.
29 “ ‘I will
not,’ he answered, but
later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the
other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will,
sir,’ but he did not
go.
31 “Which of the two did what
his
father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “I tell
you the truth, the tax
collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of
you. 32
For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did
not
believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even
after you
saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
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