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20 One day as Jesus was instructing the people in the temple [[a]porches] and preaching the good news (the Gospel), the chief priests and the scribes came up with the elders (members of the Sanhedrin)

And said to Him, Tell us by what [sort of] authority You are doing these things? Or who is it who gave You this authority?

He replied to them, I will also ask you a question. Now answer Me:

Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men?

And they argued and discussed [it] and reasoned together [b]with themselves, saying, If we reply, From heaven, He will say, Why then did you not believe him?

But if we answer, From men, all the people will stone us [c]to death, for they are [d]long since firmly convinced that John was a prophet.

So they replied that they did not know from where it came.

Then Jesus said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Then He began to relate to the people this parable ([e]this story to figuratively portray what He had to say): A man planted a vineyard and leased it to some vinedressers and went into another country for a long stay.(A)

10 When the [right] season came, he sent a bond servant to the tenants, that they might give him [his part] of the fruit of the vineyard; but the tenants beat ([f]thrashed) him and sent him away empty-handed.

11 And he sent still another servant; him they also beat ([g]thrashed) and dishonored and insulted him [h]disgracefully and sent him away empty-handed.

12 And he sent yet a third; this one they wounded and threw out [of the vineyard].

13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; it is [i]probable that they will respect him.

14 But when the tenants saw him, they argued among themselves, saying, This is the heir; let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.

15 So they drove him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

16 He will come and [[j]utterly] put an end to those tenants and will give the vineyard to others. When they [the chief priests and the scribes and the elders] heard this, they said, May it never be!

17 But [Jesus] looked at them and said, What then is [the meaning of] this that is written: The [very] Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Stone of the corner [Cornerstone]?(B)

18 Everyone who falls on that Stone will be broken [in pieces]; but upon whomever It falls, It will crush him [winnow him and [k]scatter him as dust].(C)

19 The scribes and the chief priests desired and tried to find a way to arrest Him at that very hour, but they were afraid of the people; for they discerned that He had related this parable against them.

20 So they watched [for an opportunity to ensnare] Him, and sent spies who pretended to be upright (honest and sincere), that they might lay hold of something He might say, so as to turn Him over to the control and authority of the governor.

21 They asked Him, Teacher, we know that You speak and teach what is right, and that You show no partiality to anyone but teach the way of God honestly and in truth.

22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar or not?

23 But He recognized and understood their cunning and [l]unscrupulousness and said to them,

24 Show Me a denarius (a coin)! Whose image and inscription does it have? They answered, Caesar’s.

25 He said to them, Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, [m]and to God the things that are God’s.

26 So they could not in the presence of the people take hold of anything He said to turn it against Him; but marveling at His reply, they were silent.

27 Also there came to Him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection.

28 And they asked Him a question, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote for us [a law] that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife and no children, the man shall take the woman and raise up offspring for his brother.(D)

29 Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died without [having any] children.

30 And the second

31 And then the third took her, and in like manner all seven, and they died, leaving no children.

32 Last of all, the woman died also.

33 Now in the resurrection whose wife will the woman be? For the seven married her.

34 And Jesus said to them, The people of this world and present age marry and are given in marriage;

35 But those who are considered worthy to gain that other world and that future age and to attain to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage;

36 For they cannot die again, but they are [n]angel-like and [o]equal to angels. And being sons of and [p]sharers in the resurrection, they are sons of God.

37 But that the dead are raised [[q]from death]—even Moses made known and showed in the passage concerning the [burning] bush, where he calls the Lord, The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.(E)

38 Now He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all men are alive [whether in the body or out of it] and they are alive [not dead] unto Him [in definite relationship to Him].

39 And some of the scribes replied, Teacher, you have spoken well and expertly [[r]so that there is no room for blame].

40 For they did not dare to question Him further.

41 But He asked them, How can people say that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is David’s Son?

42 For David himself says in [the] Book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand

43 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.(F)

44 So David calls Him Lord; how then is He his Son?

45 And with all the people listening, He said to His disciples,

46 Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes and love to be saluted [with honor] in places where people congregate and love the front and best seats in the synagogues and places of distinction at feasts,

47 Who make away with and devour widows’ houses, and [to cover it up] with pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation (the heavier sentence, the severer punishment).

Footnotes

  1. Luke 20:1 Richard Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament.
  2. Luke 20:5 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  3. Luke 20:6 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  4. Luke 20:6 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  5. Luke 20:9 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  6. Luke 20:10 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  7. Luke 20:11 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  8. Luke 20:11 Alexander Souter, Pocket Lexicon.
  9. Luke 20:13 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  10. Luke 20:16 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  11. Luke 20:18 James Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary.
  12. Luke 20:23 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  13. Luke 20:25 A rebuke of emperor worship.
  14. Luke 20:36 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
  15. Luke 20:36 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  16. Luke 20:36 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  17. Luke 20:37 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  18. Luke 20:39 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.

The Authority of Jesus Questioned(A)

20 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts(B) and proclaiming the good news,(C) the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”(D)

He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: John’s baptism(E)—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(F) will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”(G)

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.”

The Parable of the Tenants(H)

He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,(I) rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time.(J) 10 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. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love;(K) perhaps they will respect him.’

14 “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.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants(L) and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”

17 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’[a]?(M)

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”(N)

19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him(O) immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.(P)

Paying Taxes to Caesar(Q)

20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said,(R) so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.(S) 21 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.(T) 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s,(U) and to God what is God’s.”

26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.

The Resurrection and Marriage(V)

27 Some of the Sadducees,(W) who say there is no resurrection,(X) came to Jesus with a question. 28 “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.(Y) 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come(Z) and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children,(AA) since they are children of the resurrection. 37 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.’[b](AB) 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions.(AC)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?(AD)

41 Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David?(AE) 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
43 until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”’[c](AF)

44 David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46 “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.(AG) 47 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 20:17 Psalm 118:22
  2. Luke 20:37 Exodus 3:6
  3. Luke 20:43 Psalm 110:1