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Luke 20

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Jesus's Authority Challenged 1–8

1
And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, ​
2
And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? ​
3
And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:
4
The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? ​
5
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not? ​
6
But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.
7
And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.
8
And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers 9–19

9
Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. ​
10
And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
11
And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
12
And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
13
Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. ​
14
But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. ​
15
So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?
16
He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. ​
17
And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? ​
18
Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. ​
19
And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. ​

Tribute to Caesar 20–26

20
And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. ​
21
And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:
22
Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? ​
23
But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?
24
Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.
25
And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. ​
26
And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection 27–40

27
Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him, ​
28
Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. ​
29
There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.
30
And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.
31
And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.
32
Last of all the woman died also.
33
Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.
34
And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: ​
35
But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
36
Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. ​
37
Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ​
38
For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.
39
Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.
40
And after that they durst not ask him any question at all.

Whose Son is the Christ? 41–44

41
And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? ​
42
And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, ​
43
Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
44
David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son? ​

Warning Against the Scribes 45–47

45
Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples, ​
46
Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; ​
47
Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Luke 20

Verse 1

preached the gospel — Euangelizo, to announce good news; Luke uses it of Jesus' teaching in the temple itself. The three groups who 'came upon him' (chief priests, scribes, elders) are the rulers who then ask by what authority he acts (v.2; Matt 21:23).

Verse 2

by what authority — Exousia, the right to act, not only the power. The question has two parts: the deeds ('these things') and the one who gave the right to do them. Moses met a like challenge, 'Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?' (Ex 2:14); the same question stands in Mark 11:28.

Verse 4

The baptism of John — Baptisma here stands for John's whole ministry. 'From heaven' is a reverent name for God. John had 'bare record that this is the Son of God' (John 1:34), so the answer to this question decides the answer to v.2.

Verse 5

reasoned with themselves — Syllogizomai, to reckon together, to deliberate. Their reckoning is of consequences, not of truth: 'From heaven' convicts them of unbelief, and 'Of men' (v.6) endangers them. Matt 21:26 gives the same motive: 'we fear the people'.

Verse 9

planted a vineyard — The vineyard is Israel: 'the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel' (Isa 5:7). Here the weight falls on the georgoi, the land-workers to whom it is let, and on the owner's long absence ('for a long time'). It was told 'to the people', yet v.19 shows it was aimed at the rulers.

Verse 13

my beloved son — Agapetos, the Father's word at the baptism: 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased' (Matt 3:17). The owner's 'What shall I do?' recalls Isa 5:4, 'What could have been done more to my vineyard?' His 'it may be' voices a hope that the Son will be reverenced.

Verse 14

This is the heir — Kleronomos. The tenants recognise the Son and kill him to seize 'the inheritance'. God has 'appointed heir of all things' his Son (Heb 1:2; cf. Ps 2:8). Their 'reasoned' (dialogizomai) matches the rulers' plotting in Luke 19:47.

Verse 16

God forbid — Me genoito, literally a wish that it may not come to pass: the hearers' cry when they grasp the verdict. 'To others' points to the later turning to the Gentiles: 'It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you' (Acts 13:46).

Verse 17

the head of the corner — Christ quotes Ps 118:22. 'Rejected' is apodokimazo, to reject after testing. Peter applies the verse to Jesus before the same rulers: 'This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders' (Acts 4:11; cf. 1 Pet 2:7).

Verse 18

grind him to powder — Likmao, to winnow, to scatter like chaff. The stone that is 'a stone of stumbling' to Israel (Isa 8:14–15) is also the stone that smote the image and left it 'like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors' (Dan 2:34–35). Falling on it breaks; its falling on a man destroys.

Verse 19

sought to lay hands on him — They acted 'the same hour' yet held back, 'feared the people'. Luke had noted that they 'could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him' (19:48). They knew the parable was 'against them', as the Son's death (v.15) was their own plan.

Verse 20

feign themselves just men — Hypokrinomai, to play a part, the root of 'hypocrite'. The spies are enkathetoi, men set in ambush. Their aim is to deliver him to 'the governor' (hegemon), the title of Pilate in Matt 27:2, where the plan is finally carried out.

Verse 22

tribute unto Caesar — Phoros is a tax laid on persons or property. The question is built as a snare with two edges: 'yes' could offend the people, 'no' would be an accusation before the governor. At the trial the charge returned: 'forbidding to give tribute to Caesar' (Luke 23:2).

Verse 25

Render therefore — Apodidomi, to give back what is owed. The coin bore Caesar's 'image and superscription' (v.24), so it is returned to him. Paul states the same debt: 'Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due' (Rom 13:7); the second clause sets God's claim beyond Caesar's (Acts 4:19).

Verse 27

Sadducees — They 'deny that there is any resurrection' (anastasis, a standing up again). Mark 12:18 has 'which say there is no resurrection'. The same party was grieved when the apostles 'preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead' (Acts 4:1–2).

Verse 28

raise up seed — The rule is Deut 25:5, the duty of a brother to a childless widow. It was already practised in Gen 38:8, where Judah told Onan, 'raise up seed to thy brother'. The Sadducees take 'Moses wrote' as their ground because they accepted the books of Moses.

Verse 34

The children of this world — 'World' is aion, an age; 'children' is huioi, sons, those who belong to it. Marrying and being given in marriage mark this present age, as in 'They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage' (Luke 17:27). Verse 35 turns to 'that world'.

Verse 36

equal unto the angels — Isangelos, angel-like. Matt 22:30 puts it, 'as the angels of God in heaven'. The reason given is that 'Neither can they die any more'; marriage serves a world where death takes its toll. They are 'children of God' because they are 'children of the resurrection'.

Verse 37

at the bush — Moses 'shewed' (menyo, disclosed) the resurrection where God spoke from the burning bush: 'I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' (Ex 3:6). Christ argues from the books the Sadducees accepted (Mark 12:26).

Verse 41

Christ is David's son — Christos is 'anointed', the Messiah. That he is David's son is true (Matt 1:1; Isa 11:1, 'a rod out of the stem of Jesse'), and the blind man had so addressed him. The question exposes what is missing in the scribes' teaching: whose son only (Mark 12:35).

Verse 42

The LORD said unto my Lord — Ps 110:1. The first 'LORD' is the divine name; the second is the one David calls 'my Lord'. Mark 12:36 adds that David spoke 'by the Holy Ghost'. Peter reads the same verse of the risen Christ (Acts 2:34–35), and Heb 1:13 of the Son above the angels.

Verse 44

how is he then his son? — The question is answered in Christ's own words: 'I am the root and the offspring of David' (Rev 22:16). He is David's son by descent, 'of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever' (Rom 9:5), and so David's Lord.

Verse 45

in the audience of all the people — The warning is spoken to the disciples while the crowd hears. The longer form is Matt 23, which gives the same marks: 'all their works they do for to be seen of men', and 'greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi' (Matt 23:5, 7).

Verse 46

long robes — Stole, a long gown worn as a mark of dignity. The 'highest seats' (protokathedria) and 'chief rooms' (protoklisia, first couches at table) are the places of honour. Christ had already said, 'Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues' (Luke 11:43; cf. 14:7).

Verse 47

devour widows' houses — Katesthio, to eat down, to consume. 'For a shew' is prophasis, a pretext, as 'pretence' in Mark 12:40. 'Damnation' is krima, a sentence of judgment, 'greater' because abundant; those who teach are judged more strictly (James 3:1).