Luke 20

Luke 20:1

E. The Son of Man’s Authority Questioned (20:1-8) 20:1, 2 What a picture! The Master Teacher tirelessly proclaiming the good news in the shadow of the temple, and the leaders of Israel insolently challenging His right to teach. To them Jesus was a rude carpenter of Nazareth. He had little formal education, no academic degrees, no accreditation by an ecclesiastical body. What were His credentials? Who gave Him this authority to teach and preach to others and to cleanse the temple? They wanted to know! 20:3-8 Jesus answered by asking them a question; if they had answered correctly, they would have answered their own question. Was the baptism of John approved by God, or was it merely of human authority? They were caught. If they acknowledged that John preached with divine unction, then why didn’t they obey his message by repenting and receiving the Messiah he proclaimed? But if they said John was just another professional preacher, they would stir up the anger of the masses, who still acknowledged John to be a prophet of God. So they said, We do not know where John got his authority.

Jesus said, Well, in that case, I won’t tell you by whose authority I teach. If they couldn’t tell that much about John, why did they question the authority of One who was greater than John? This passage shows that the great essential in teaching God’s word is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. One who has that enduement can triumph over those whose power is wrapped up in degrees, human titles, and honors. Where did you get your diploma? Who ordained you? The old questions, possibly begotten of jealousy, are still being asked. The successful gospel preacher who has not trodden the theological halls of some distinguished university or elsewhere is challenged on the points of his fitness and the validity of his ordination.

Luke 20:9

F. Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers (20:9-18) 20:9-12 The insistent yearning of the heart of God over the nation of Israel is recounted once again in this parable of the vineyard. God is the certain man who leased the vineyard (Israel) to vinedressers (the leaders of the nationsee Isa_5:1-7). He sent servants to the vinedressers to get some of the fruit for Himself; these servants were the prophets of God, like Isaiah and John the Baptist, who sought to call Israel to repentance and faith. But Israel’s rulers invariably persecuted the prophets. 20:13 Finally God sent His beloved son, with the express thought that they would respect Him (although God knew, of course, that Christ would be rejected). Notice that Christ distinguishes Himself from all others. They were servants; He is the Son. 20:14 True to their past history, the vinedressers determined to get rid of the heir. They wanted exclusive rights as leaders and teachers of the peoplethat the inheritance may be ours. They would not surrender their religious position to Jesus. If they killed Him, their power in Israel would be unchallengedor so they thought. 20:15-17 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. At this point Jesus asked His Jewish hearers what the owner of the vineyard would do to such wicked vinedressers. In Matthew, the chief priests and elders condemned themselves by answering that he would kill them (Mat_21:41). Here the Lord Himself supplied the answer, He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others. This meant that the Christ rejecting Jews would be destroyed, and that God would take others into the place of privilege. The others may refer to the Gentiles or to regenerated Israel of the last days.

The Jews recoiled at such a suggestion. Certainly not! they said. The Lord confirmed the prediction by quoting Psa_118:22. The Jewish builders had rejected Christ, the Stone. They had no place in their plans for Him. But God was determined that He would have the place of preeminence, by making Him the chief cornerstone, a stone which is indispensable and in the place of greatest honor. 20:18 The two comings of Christ are indicated in verse 18. His First Advent is depicted as a stone on the ground; men stumbled at His humiliation and lowliness, and they were broken to pieces for rejecting Him. In the second part of the verse, the stone is seen falling from heaven and grinding unbelievers to powder.

Luke 20:19

G. Rendering to Caesar and to God (20:19-26) 20:19, 20 The chief priests and the scribes realized that Jesus had been speaking against them, so they became more intent to lay hands on Him. They sent spies to trick Him into saying something for which He could be arrested and tried by the Roman governor. These spies first praised Him as one who would be faithful to God at any cost and fearless of manhoping that He would speak against Caesar. 20:21, 22 Then they asked Him if it was right for a Jew to pay taxes to Caesar. If Jesus said no, then they would accuse Him of treason and turn Him over to the Romans for trial. If He said yes, He would alienate the Herodians (and the great mass of the Jews, for that matter). 20:23, 24 Jesus realized the plot against Himself. He asked them for a denarius; perhaps He did not own one Himself. The fact that they possessed and used these coins showed their bondage to a Gentile power. Whose image and inscription does it have? Jesus asked. They admitted it was Caesar’s. 20:25, 26 Then Jesus silenced them with the command, Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. They were seemingly so concerned about Caesar’s interests but they were not nearly so concerned about God’s interests. The money belongs to Caesar, and you belong to God. Let the world have its coins, but let God have His creatures. It is so easy to quibble over minor matters while neglecting the principal things in life. And so easy to discharge our debts to our fellow-men while robbing God of His rightful dues.

Luke 20:27

H. The Sadducees and Their Resurrection Riddle (20:27-44) 20:27 Since the attempt to trap Jesus in a political question failed, some of the Sadducees next came to Him with a theological quibble. They denied the possibility of the bodies of the dead ever being raised again, so they sought by an extreme illustration to make the doctrine of resurrection appear ridiculous. 20:28-33 They reminded Jesus that in the Law of Moses a single man was supposed to marry his brother’s widow in order to carry on the family name and preserve the family property (Deu_25:5). A woman married seven brothers in succession, according to their story. When the seventh died, she was still childless. Then she died also. In the resurrection, whose wife does she become? is what they wanted to know. They thought they were so clever in propounding such an unanswerable problem. 20:34 Jesus answered that the marriage relationship was for this life only; it would not be continued in heaven. He did not say that husbands and wives would not recognize each other in heaven, but their relationship there would be on a completely different basis. 20:35 The expression those who are counted worthy to attain that age does not suggest that any people are personally worthy of heaven: the only worthiness sinners can have is the worthiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those are counted worthy who judge themselves, who vindicate Christ, and who own that all worthiness belongs to Him. The phrase resurrection from the dead refers to a resurrection of believers only. It literally means resurrection out from (Greek ek) the dead ones. The idea of a general resurrection in which all the dead, both saved and unsaved, are raised at one time is not found in the Bible. 20:36 The superiority of the celestial state is further indicated in verse 36. There is no more death; in that respect, men will be equal to the angels. Also they will be manifested as sons of God. Believers are sons of God already, but not to outward observance. In heaven, they will be visibly manifested as sons of God. The fact that they participated in the First Resurrection insures this. We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1Jo_3:2). When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory (Col_3:4). 20:37, 38 To prove the resurrection, Jesus referred to Exo_3:6 where Moses quoted the Lord as calling Himself the God of Abraham, … Isaac, and … Jacob. Now if the Sadducees would just stop to think, they would realize that: (1) God is not the God of the dead but of the living. (2) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all dead. The necessary conclusion is that God must raise them from the dead. The Lord did not say I was the God of Abraham … , but I am. . . . The character of God, as the God of the living, demands the resurrection. 20:39-44 Some of the scribes had to admit the force of the argument. But Jesus was not finished; once again He appealed to God’s word. In Psa_110:1 David called the Messiah his Lord. The Jews generally agreed that the Messiah would be the Son of David. How could He be David’s Lord and David’s Son at the same time? The Lord Jesus Himself was the answer to the question. He was descended from David as Son of Man; yet He was David’s Creator. But they were too blind to see.

Luke 20:45

I. Warning against the Scribes (20:45-47) Then Jesus publicly warned the crowd against the scribes. They wore long robes, affecting piety. They loved to be called by distinguished titles as they walked through the marketplaces. They maneuvered to get places of prominence in the synagogues and at banquets. But they robbed defenseless widows of their life savings, covering up their wickedness by long prayers. Such hypocrisy would be punished all the more severely.