Luke 20 Bible study

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The Gospel of Luke Chapter 20:1–26 The Authority of Jesus Questioned 20:1–2 Now one day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and the experts in the law with the elders came up and said to him, "Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things? Or who it is who gave you this authority?"

One day, when Jesus was teaching and preaching the gospel message in the temple, the chief priests and scribes came with other members of the Sanhedrin to challenge his authority to teach the people. This challenge was probably provoked by the way in which Jesus appears to have taken charge of the temple itself, driving out the sellers. Matthew tells us that Jesus also began healing the sick and received the children’s praise in God’s temple (Matt. 21:14-15).

20:3–4 He answered them, "I will also ask you a question, and you tell me: John's baptism — was it from heaven or from people?"

Jesus answer reveals that he believed his authority to derive from the same God who had given authority to John. It challenges the religious leaders to realize that they cannot dictate to God, or enclose him in the temple or in their version of Judaism. God had taken the initiative in the ministry of John who announced that God had come to deliver his people. John’s message was one of baptism for repentance, making Israel ready for the Messiah who would be the agent of God’s salvation. Now in the person of Jesus that salvation/deliverance was to be brought to fulfilment.

Only if they recognized that God had been with John could they recognize that Jesus was the one to whom John bore witness (Luke 3:16–17).

20:5 So they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'

The religious leaders realized that Jesus’ public reply presented them with a difficulty, which they discussed among themselves. If they said that John was sent to baptize by God then they would have no excuse for not believing that John was a prophet, and repenting as he had commanded (Luke has already pointed out that the religious leaders had not been baptized by John in Luke 7:29–30).

20:6 But if we say, 'From people,' all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet."

On the other hand, if they said that John’s authority was from men then that would be danger of being stone because the people, for they would be calling John a false-prophet when most of the people were firmly convinced that John was a prophet of the LORD. 20:7 So they replied that they did not know where it came from.

So after their deliberations they told Jesus that they were not sure where John’s authority to baptize came from—a very non-committed answer, through which they both avoided being stoned and avoided confessing Christ’s authority to come from God. 20:8 Then Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by whose authority I do these things."

Since they were not committed, Jesus would not commit himself to them. Overtly, he gives them no answer, for they are not worthy of one. Nevertheless, the following parable represents a powerful statement on the subject of Jesus’ authority as the only son who was sent by the father and the way in which the religious leaders had rejected him.

The Parable of the Tenant Farmers 1 20:9 Then he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey for a long time.

The picture of the vineyard was a familiar picture of Israel from the Old Testament. Israel were his chosen people, his vineyard, and the tenant farmers were the leaders whom God had given them (Isa. 5:1–7) 20:10 When harvest time came, he sent a slave to the tenants so that they would give him his portion of the crop. However, the tenants beat his slave and sent him away empty-handed.

When harvest time came, the time when the tenants would gather the grapes, the owner sent a servant to the tenants to obtain some of the fruit of the vineyard (by way of rent—it was his due, since it was his vineyard). But the tenant farmers attacked and beat the servant and sent him away empty handed. It is interesting to note that this description of the tenant farmers fits Jesus earlier statement about the temple being a ‘den of thieves’—God was being robbed of what was rightfully his!

20:11 So he sent another slave. They beat this one too, treated him outrageously, and sent him away empty-handed.

1

Found also, with some variations, in Matthew 21:33–46; Mark 12:1–12. Although Luke does not mention the fence, winepress or tower, the allusion to Isaiah 5 is still clear. Luke mentions only three servants, whereas Matthew and Mark have many. No doubt Luke is aware that there were more than three prophets. Luke also has the tenants ‘wounding’ rather than killing the final servant, although he is aware that some of the prophets were killed (see Luke 11:47, 51). I do not see Luke choosing allos (others) rather than allos georgos (other husbandmen) as indicating that Luke means the proclamation of the message of the kingdom (which the Jews rejected) would be passed on to the Gentiles, who would hear. Matthew has a much stronger allusion to this idea in Matthew 21:43, which Luke omits.

When the owner sent another servant, they did the same again, beating and insulting him and sending him away with nothing.

20:12 So he sent still a third. They even wounded this one, and threw him out.

The fact that the owner sent yet another servant reveals his patient treatment of his tenants.

Nevertheless, this servant was attacked, wounded and chased away. The religious leaders would have been in no doubt that Jesus was speaking to them of the way in which idolatrous Israel had rebelled against him, and refused to give him the devotion that was rightfully his. When he had sent his servants the prophets to them, they ignored, ridiculed, persecuted and even killed them. Not only was this the case, but it was also well-known that the country’s religious leaders had led the way in this apostasy (Matt. 23:30–35).

20:13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What should I do? I will send my one dear son; perhaps they will respect him.'

By now the picture was clear, and so the direct meaning of what Jesus says next would not be lost on his hearers. In view of the people’s rejection of the prophets, God planned to send his only Son, the one whom he loved most dearly, for of all his servants no one deserved more respect and recognition.

20:14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, 'This is the heir; let's kill him so the inheritance will be ours!'

In his parable, Jesus said that when the tenant farmers saw the owner’s son, the heir to the estate, they conspired to kill him and steal his inheritance. In this way they would throw off all obligations to the rightful land owner. The words are a clear implication that the rejection of Jesus is a direct act of treachery and rebellion against God. 20:15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

As a result of the tenants’ willful rebellion, the son in the parable was dragged out of the vineyard and murdered. The prediction of what the religious leaders would do to Jesus cannot be missed, and may indicate that Jesus knew that they were already plotting to take his life (Luke 19:47).

Jesus warns of the consequences of this rejection. What would the owner of the vineyard— presumably a wealthy and powerful man—do to those who had murdered his only son?

20:16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they said, "May this never happen!"

The answer to the question was no doubt obvious, and it appears from Luke’s presentation that his audience understood this to mean that Jesus was predicting the destruction of Jerusalem (especially since this is not the only occasion Jesus did so).

In context it is likely that by ‘giving the vineyard to others’ the people would have understood foreign subjection of Israel, rather than the proclamation of the kingdom to Gentiles (as some scholars suggest); for this is something which had already formed the nation’s experience (they had

been previously exiled for their rejection of the earlier prophets). From that point of view, what Jesus said fits entirely with the character of God and his actions as previously revealed to Israel. At the idea of another exile, the people cried out "never!"

On the other hand, Matthew inserts a line where Jesus says, ‘the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits’ (Mat 21:43 ESV), indicating that salvation coming to the Gentiles through divine justice and as a result of Israel’s rejection of Christ.

20:17 But Jesus looked straight at them and said, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?

Jesus replies that the rejection of the Messiah by Israel had been foretold by the prophets, citing the example of Psalm 118:22–23 'The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.' Since this rejection was predicted, it would surely come to pass, and so the consequences too would be unavoidable.

20:18 Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed."

In the previous verse the Lord Jesus Christ is comparing himself with the stone in Psalm 118. The image of a stone is used in other scriptures too, to denote the one who is set in place by God to bring salvation (e.g. Isa. 28:16) and to bring the reign of God’s kingdom over all the earth (Dan. 2:35).

The one whom God sent to the people would be ‘a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem’ (Isa 8:14). They stumble by their refusal to believe and obey him, and those who do will endanger themselves. In the day when Jesus Christ shall judge the world in righteousness, the ‘crushing’ or destruction of those who rejected him will be complete and irreversible (Acts 17:31).

20:19 Then the experts in the law and the chief priests wanted to arrest him that very hour, because they realized he had told this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

According to each of Matthew, Mark and Luke’s versions, the religious leaders understood this parable, and it only further enraged them against Jesus. If it were not for the crowds of people who hailed him as a prophet they would have arrested and committed him to be on trial for his life then and there.

A Question of Ownership 20:20 Then they watched him carefully and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They wanted to take advantage of what he might say so that they could deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

From this time on the chief priests and leaders of the Sanhedrin sent out spies who pretending to be honest men followed Jesus in order to catch and deliver Him over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.

20:21 Thus they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly, and show no partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.

On one occasion, they approached Jesus (calling him ‘teacher’) with flattery, saying that they knew that what he taught was the true way of God and that he was righteous and impartial in his dealings with others. Of course, they did not believe this nor care whether it were true or not, they were simply trying to entrap him.

20:22–24 Is it right for us to pay the tribute tax to Caesar or not?" But Jesus perceived their deceit and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?" They said, "Caesar's."

The ‘spies’ ask Jesus publicly if he thought it was right that Jews should pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus knew that they were only asking this question to trick him, and so answers the question subtly. He asks them to give Him a denarius coin, and holding it before them he asked whose face and title were imprinted on the coin. The image was Caesar's, and so the coin belonged to him. It was Caesar who had ordered it to be minted and it was by his authority that it was used as coinage.

20:25 So he said to them, "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

So Jesus tells them to give back to Caesar the things that belonged to him, but he adds that we should give back to God that which is his. All humanity was created by God to bear his image and so our whole beings belong to him; because of this we should give ourselves completely to worship and serve him (Gen. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:22).

20:26 Thus they were unable in the presence of the people to trap him with his own words. And stunned by his answer, they fell silent.

They could not bring an accusation against him as a result of this public speech, and being amazed to the point of speechlessness by his wise answer they said nothing more. © Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett 2015 Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org