Mat 21:23-32, Luk 7:29-30, 13:24, 16:16, Joh 6:27, Eph 6:11-13 | ESV | STEP | And when he entered the temple , the chief priests and the 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 ?

23 ^aAnd when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him ^bas he was teaching, and said, ^c“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, ^dfrom where did it come? ^eFrom heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ^f‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ ^gwe are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was ^ha prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 ⁱ“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in ^jthe vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he ^kchanged his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, ^lthe tax collectors and ^mthe prostitutes go into ⁿthe kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you ^oin the way of righteousness, and ^pyou did not believe him, but ^qthe tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward ^rchange your minds and believe him.

Luke 7:29-30

29 ( ^sWhen all the people heard this, and ^tthe tax collectors too, they declared God just, ^{▼▼Greek they justified God} ^vhaving been baptized with ^wthe baptism of John, 30 ^xbut the Pharisees and ^ythe lawyers ^zrejected ^aathe purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

Luke 13:24

24 ^ab“Strive ^acto enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

Luke 16:16

16 ^ad“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then ^aethe good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and ^afeveryone forces his way into it. ^{▼▼Or everyone is forcefully urged into it}

John 6:27

27 ^ahDo not work for the food that perishes, but for ^aithe food that endures to eternal life, which ^ajthe Son of Man will give to you. For on ^akhim God the Father has ^alset his seal.”

Ephesians 6:11-13

11 ^amPut on ^anthe whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against ^aothe schemes of the devil. 12 For ^apwe do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against ^aqthe rulers, against the authorities, against ^arthe cosmic powers over ^asthis present darkness, against ^atthe spiritual forces of evil ^auin the heavenly places. 13 Therefore ^avtake up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in ^awthe evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.