3 Jesus answered them, “Now let me ask you a question. Tell me,
4 did John's right to baptize come from God or from human beings?”
5 They started to argue among themselves, “What shall we say? If we say, ‘From God,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?’
6 But if we say, ‘From human beings,’ this whole crowd here will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
7 So they answered, “We don't know where it came from.”
8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.”
9 Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was once a man who planted a vineyard, rented it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time.