Gospel of Mark

Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions.

But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions."

They came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders came to him,

and they began saying to him, "By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?"

Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

The baptism of John -- was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me."

They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we should say, 'From heaven;' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

If we should say, 'From men'"--they feared the people, for all held John to really be a prophet.

They answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said to them, "Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things."

He began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the winepress, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country.

When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard.

They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty.