Luke 20
Jesus is in the temple. He had just come into Jerusalem on a donkey and he wept because of the uncleanness of the hearts of the people there and he then cleansed the temple.
Exodus 12:3-6 describes what the perfect lamb sacrifice is. Keep this in mind while reading this text.
Luke 20:1 NIV
One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him.
He is proclaiming inside the temple that people are sinners and he is going to die for them.
"Jesus last command should be our primary concern." If this sharing with others was so important to Jesus shouldn't it be important to us?
Luke 20:2-8 NIV
"Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?"
They want Jesus to fumble into a trap that will lead to death by his response.
Luke 20:3-8 NIV
He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me: John's baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?" They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet." So they answered, "We don't know where it was from." Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."
Now Christ answered their question with a parable but there is no way for them to hold the parable against him in the way they had hoped his words would make him guilty.
Luke 20:9-10 NIV
He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
Elijah is the first prophet in this parable and the nation of Israel would not recieve him.
Luke 20:11-12 NIV
He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.
Jeremiah and another prophet were also turned away and not recieved.
Luke 20:13 NIV
"Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.'
Now, how many people after three messengers were beat up would then send your son? That’s how much God loves us. He knew that the son would be killed and He sent him anyway. Now remember Christ is telling this story to those who are plotting to kill him. He wants them to have a last chance to repent here as he tells them that they will try to kill him and that there would be a great punishment for that choice.
Luke 20:14-17 NIV
"But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
"What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others."
When the people heard this, they said, "God forbid!" Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written:
"'The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone'?
1 Corinthians 3:11 (NIV)
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Luke 20:18 NIV
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
This is a huge key verse here because we must be broken to be saved. It is true of every Christian today that we have been broken from who we were and we therefore have the ability to grow in faith. If we fall upon Jesus Christ, we will be saved. If however you have to wait until he falls upon you, you will be ground up.
1 Peter 2:4-10 NIV
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame." Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
"The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone," and,
"A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall."
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Whoever comes to God will be broken resulting in salvation.
Luke 20:19 NIV
The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.
These were not God pleasers but man pleasers. Who do you live for?
Luke 20:20-21 NIV
Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
So here we see capital punishment had been taken away and so they desired to catch him in his words to hand him over for judgement. They start with flattery and then they add the "but", which we know really negates everything before it.
Luke 20:22-24 NIV
Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" He saw through their duplicity and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
Christ is making a point here that they were enjoying the services that came with their position. But... render your life to God. You owe the government what is theirs but you owe God everything.
Luke 20:25-26 NIV
He said to them, "Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.
They can find no blemish in the perfect blemishless lamb. So a different group will now try. The Pharisees failed so their opposing side tries.
Luke 20:27-28 NIV
Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
They only believed in the first five books of the old testament (the Torah) and this is where their question comes from.
Luke 20:29-33 NIV
Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. The second and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. Finally, the woman died too. Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"
So a totally analytical hypothetical question. But its totally meaningless as there is no marriage in heaven. It’s a blessing now but we will no longer have it in heaven.
Luke 20:34-36 NIV
Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.
So not only is there no marriage but there will also be no death.
Luke 20:37-40 NIV
But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!" And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
This all happened in public. And it showed him as the spotless lamb.
Luke 20:41-44 NIV
Then Jesus said to them, "Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself declares in the Book of Psalms:
"'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet."' David calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"
So here he returns to the crowd a directional question to iterate that Jesus is all God and all man, but they are stumped. So multiple questions can't stump Jesus but Jesus stumps the crowd with one question.
Luke 20:45-47 NIV
While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, "Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely."
These people exist on facebook, myspace, out in public, and in churches still today. They are the people that serve the Lord for the perks and for the recognition and measure instead of simply to serve God. Christ gives a warning to those peoples. Your prayers aren't for others to praise you based on, but rather for the purpose of communication with God.
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