Luke20

Jesus' authority is challenged by the chief priests and scribes, whom he silences with a counter-question about John's baptism. He then tells the parable of the wicked husbandmen, foretelling his rejection and the transfer of the kingdom. Jesus also deftly answers questions about paying tribute to Caesar and the resurrection, before warning against the hypocrisy of the scribes.

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Jesus's Authority Challenged

And it came to pass, on one of the days, as he was teaching the people in the temple, and preaching the gospel, there came upon him the chief priests and the scribes with the elders;

and they spake, saying unto him, Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

And he answered and said unto them, I also will ask you a question; and tell me:

The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why did ye not believe him?

But if we shall say, From men; all the people will stone us: for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.

And they answered, that they knew not whence it was.

And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers

And he began to speak unto the people this parable: A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country for a long time.

And at the season he sent unto the husbandmen a servant, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.

And he sent yet another servant: and him also they beat, and handled him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

And he sent yet a third: and him also they wounded, and cast him forth.

And the lord of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; it may be they will reverence him.

But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned one with another, saying, This is the heir; let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.

And they cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

He will come and destroy these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

But he looked upon them, and said, What then is this that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner?

Every one that falleth on that stone shall be broken to pieces; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust.

And the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in that very hour; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he spake this parable against them.

Tribute to Caesar

And they watched him, and sent forth spies, who feigned themselves to be righteous, that they might take hold of his speech, so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor.

And they asked him, saying, Teacher, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and acceptest not the person of any, but of a truth teachest the way of God:

Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?

But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them,

Show me a denarius. Whose image and superscription hath it? And they said, Cæsar’s.

And he said unto them, Then render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.

And they were not able to take hold of the saying before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

And there came to him certain of the Sadducees, they that say that there is no resurrection;

and they asked him, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote unto us, that if a man’s brother die, having a wife, and he be childless, his brother should take the wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died childless;

and the second:

and the third took her; and likewise the seven also left no children, and died.

Afterward the woman also died.

In the resurrection therefore whose wife of them shall she be? for the seven had her to wife.

And Jesus said unto them, The sons of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

but they that are accounted worthy to attain to that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

for neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the place concerning the Bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

And certain of the scribes answering said, Teacher, thou hast well said.

For they durst not any more ask him any question.

Whose Son is the Christ?

And he said unto them, How say they that the Christ is David’s son?

For David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.

David therefore calleth him Lord, and how is he his son?

Warning Against the Scribes

And in the hearing of all the people he said unto his disciples,

Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and love salutations in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues, and chief places at feasts;

who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater condemnation.

Study Notes for Luke 20

Verse 1

This scene occurs during the final week of Jesus's ministry in Jerusalem. The chief priests and scribes confront Jesus because his public teaching and actions (like cleansing the Temple) usurped their established religious authority.

Verse 2

The core question is one of *exousia* (authority). The leaders sought a legal or political basis for Jesus’s actions, aiming to force him to claim either divine or revolutionary power, thereby providing grounds for arrest.

Verse 4

Jesus employs a brilliant counter-question, putting the leaders in an impossible dilemma. John the Baptist, whom the leaders rejected, directly testified to Jesus’s authority.

Verse 5

The leaders’ internal debate reveals their motivation: they are not seeking truth, but calculating the political and social risks of their answer.

Verse 9

This parable is a clear allegory drawn from Isaiah 5:1–7, where the vineyard represents Israel. Jesus is speaking directly to the crowd, but the message is aimed squarely at the chief priests and scribes.

Verse 13

The term 'beloved son' distinguishes Jesus from the previous messengers (the prophets). It asserts his unique, divine identity as the heir, whose arrival should have commanded reverence.

Verse 14

The vinedressers' motivation is greed and usurpation of the inheritance. This represents the Jewish leaders’ desire to maintain control over Israel, even if it meant rejecting the Son of God.

Verse 16

The destruction of the tenants and the granting of the vineyard to 'others' is a prophecy of judgment against the unfaithful leaders and the eventual transfer of covenant privileges to the Church (including believing Gentiles).

Verse 17

Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22, identifying himself as the 'stone which the builders rejected.' This emphasizes that his rejection and subsequent exaltation were foretold in Scripture.

Verse 18

This verse warns of two levels of judgment: stumbling over the stone (rejecting Christ) results in brokenness, while the stone falling on someone (final judgment) results in complete destruction.

Verse 19

The religious authorities understood the parable perfectly, recognizing that Jesus accused them of rejecting God’s messengers and planning to murder the Son.

Verse 20

The leaders sent spies who pretended to be morally upright or unbiased. Their goal was to force Jesus into making a treasonous statement against Rome that could be used by the Governor (Pilate).

Verse 22

The question concerns the *tributum capitis* (poll tax), a deeply resented tax paid directly to Rome. A 'yes' answer would alienate the Jewish populace; a 'no' answer was sedition.

Verse 25

Jesus resolves the dilemma by establishing two distinct realms of obligation. Since the coin bears Caesar’s image, it belongs to him; since humanity bears God’s image (Genesis 1:27), ultimate loyalty belongs to God.

Verse 27

The Sadducees were an aristocratic sect who accepted only the Pentateuch (the Law of Moses) and denied doctrines like the resurrection, angels, and spirits.

Verse 28

Their question is based on the law of levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5), which required a brother to marry his deceased brother’s widow to maintain the family line. They use this extreme hypothetical case to ridicule the idea of resurrection.

Verse 34

Jesus corrects their fundamental error: they projected the conditions of the temporary, physical world onto the eternal, resurrected world.

Verse 36

In the resurrection, believers will share an immortal, non-procreative existence, likened to the angels. The purpose of marriage (procreation and continuity) ceases when death is overcome.

Verse 37

Jesus proves the resurrection using the Sadducees’ own accepted text (Exodus 3:6). By referring to the patriarchs in the present tense ('God of Abraham...'), Moses shows that they are not annihilated but are presently alive with God.

Verse 41

Jesus now shifts from defense to offense, challenging the leaders’ understanding of the Messiah's identity, which they typically limited to a political descendant of David.

Verse 42

Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1, a highly recognized Messianic psalm. The question hinges on how David could call his own descendant 'Lord' (Gr. *Kyrios*).

Verse 44

The question forces the leaders to confront the dual nature of the Messiah: he must be both a human descendant of David ('son') and a divine sovereign ('Lord').

Verse 45

Having silenced his antagonists, Jesus gives a public warning to the disciples and the crowd regarding the hypocrisy of the religious elites.

Verse 46

Jesus condemns the scribes for seeking outward status (long robes, greetings) and honorific titles, prioritizing public recognition over genuine humility and service.

Verse 47

To 'devour widows’ houses' means exploiting the vulnerable through legal or financial manipulation, while masking this injustice with ostentatious displays of 'long prayers.' This hypocrisy merits 'greater damnation' (severer judgment).

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Luke20

Jesus's Authority Challenged

Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers

Tribute to Caesar

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

Whose Son is the Christ?

Warning Against the Scribes

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