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The Gospel of Luke Chapter Twenty
Commentary by Timothy H. Burdick
Let’s look at Luke 20:1-8 - "On one
of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple
and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes
with the elders confronted Him, and they spoke, saying to
Him, ‘Tell us by what authority You are doing these things,
or who is the one who gave You this authority?’ Jesus
answered and said to them, 'I will also ask you a question,
and you tell Me: Was the baptism of John from heaven or from
men?’ They reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘If we say,
'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why did you not believe him?
But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us to
death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet. So
they answered that they did not know where it came from. And
Jesus said to them, 'Nor will I tell you by what authority I
do these things.’”
It was the final week of the
ministry of Jesus on this earth. It was also the week of the
Passover, so pilgrims had come to Jerusalem from all over
the world. Before we go on, let’s talk a little about what
Passover meant, as many Christians are ignorant of how the
Old Testament relates to the New Testament.
If you are not familiar with the
story of the Passover, It simply goes like this: The
Children of Israel lived among the Egyptians. The emperor
Ramses II treated them very cruelly. God warned this ruler
to repent a number of times through Moses and Aaron, but
each time the Pharaoh would harden his heart to God’s
message. Finally through a series of plagues, Ramses let the
people go, but, it was not before the first born of both man
and animals in Egypt were put to death. Before this final
culmination, Pharaoh had falsely told Moses that he would
let God’s people go. On the night when the first born of
Egypt were to be put to death, God gave the Children of
Israel these instructions: He told them to paint their
doorposts with the blood of a lamb, and because of this, the
angel of death would pass over their houses. To read the
bulk of this story in its entirety, see the Book of Exodus,
Chapters 5 through 14.
In the New Testament It tells us
that Christ is our Passover. In that regard, please look at
1 Corinthians 5:7, where the writer Paul said, “Christ our
Passover was sacrificed for us.” Against this back drop, we
see Christ teaching and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom,
in the temple. Please read Luke 19:47, where Luke tells us
that Jesus taught in the Temple on a daily basis.
That text in Luke 19 also tells us
that while He was teaching, He was confronted by the chief
priests, the scribes, and the elders. In other words, three
divergent sects which formed the ruling body of the Jews,
united against Christ. They “sought to destroy Him. It is
that way in our world today, for men of every persuasion
align themselves against God’s Anointed. But in the end, the
Bible tells us that Christ will be victorious. Please look
at, Philippians 2:10-11, where Scripture promises “that at
the name of Jesus every knee shall bow…”
All of His miracles had been
followed by the climactic event of the final cleansing of
the temple. The religious leaders hated Him with a passion,
for this was affecting not only their prestige, but their
economic status as well. In order to see the attitude which
prevailed among the Pharisees, who were apparently the ring
leaders, look at Luke 11:43, where Jesus said of them, “You
love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the
marketplaces.”
So as they all ganged-up on Him, the
question that they asked Him regarding His authority wasn’t
new. In fact they had been asking it in differing ways all
throughout the Gospel accounts of His three years in public
ministry. For one example of this, please look with me at
Mark 2:7, where the scribes wondered, “Why does this Man
speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins, but God?”
In Luke 20:3, we see Jesus
responding to the leaders by responding to them in true
rabbinic style, in which He would ask them a question. In
doing so, Jesus was trying to get these hard-hearted men to
think. Jesus wept internally, as these were the same
religious leaders who had rejected John the Baptist from the
outset of his ministry. To see one example of this
rejection, please look at Luke 7:29-30 - the Pharisees and
lawyers had refused the baptism of repentance offered by
John the Baptist.
After Jesus did ask them the
question challenging them as to what they thought about
John’s authority in Luke 20:4, I can see the religious
leaders forming a council to talk the question out. One man
might have said something like this: “I think we have
objected long enough, after seeing what it says in the
Scriptures, I say that John’s baptism came from heaven.” But
before anyone else could get a word in edgewise, another man
might have spoken up and said, “Are you crazy? John’s
baptism is of man beyond a shadow of a doubt!” A third man
might have said, “Let’s just play it safe and say that we
don’t know. After all, you know what that Teacher will say.
If we conclude it was from heaven He will say, “Then why
didn’t you believe him?” But if we say he was of man, all
the people will put us to death. Who do you say that Jesus
is?
Thinking that they had hit upon a
solution, the religious leaders might have triumphantly
marched out to Jesus saying in a unified voice, “We don’t
know where this man came from.” But Jesus had told them so
many times before where his authority came from, that He
refused to repeat it. Even God can ultimately be turned away
through man’s continual rejection of Him. Please look up
Genesis 6:3, where the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not
strive with man forever.”
Now, let’s draw some applications
from these verses in Luke. As we said above, the idea of men
who question Christ’s authority is nothing new. All you have
to do to hear these questions being raised is to listen to
what unbelieving scholars have said, and are still saying
about Jesus. Furthermore, this unbelief usually allows
modern liberal scholars to reach the same conclusion as the
rulers of Christ’s day did. They do not believe, therefore
they do not understand who He is.
They simply don’t know where His
authority comes from. Also as you look at what Luke has
recorded in Verses 1-8 of Chapter 20, you can see that there
is no such thing as neutrality when it comes to Christ. For
example, many today say that Christ was a good man with a
wonderful philosophy. But there is one problem with limiting
Him in that manner. The Bible states that He is The Son of
God in places like John 3:16, and you cannot have it both
ways. What do YOU think of Jesus?
Parable of the Vine-growers in Luke
20:9-18 -
"And He began to tell the people
this parable: ‘A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to
vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. At the
harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that
they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but
the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him
also and treated him shamefully and sent him away
empty-handed. And he proceeded to send a third; and this one
also they wounded and cast out. "The owner of the vineyard
said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps
they will respect him.’ But when the vine-growers saw him,
they reasoned with one another, saying, 'This is the heir;
let us kill him so that 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 destroy these vine-growers and will give the
vineyard to others.’ When they heard it, they said, ‘May it
never be!’ But Jesus looked at them and said, 'What then is
this that is written: The stone which the builders rejected,
this became the chief corner stone? "Everyone who falls on
that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it
falls, it will scatter him like dust.’"
In the parable, the vineyard
represents the nation of Israel. God the Father sublet it
out and entrusted Israel to bear witness of His Name. It was
a common practice among the Jews to sublet vineyards, so the
people would have known exactly what Jesus was talking
about. To see the passage that Jesus was making reference
to, please look at Isaiah 5:7 – “The vineyard of the Lord of
hosts is the house of Israel.” The servants who God sent to
the nation of Israel were the prophets. And as the Bible
records, they were treated with contempt, and in some cases
were put to death. Please cross-reference this with Hebrews
11:32-40, where the fate of many of the prophets of Israel
is revealed.
Jesus talked about His own death,
starting with Luke 20:14 - “This is the heir, come let us
kill him, that the inheritance may be ours,” reflecting the
Father’s sending of the Son into the world. The leaders knew
that Jesus was talking about them, as seen in Luke 20:19,
and they testified against themselves by saying that they
hoped that what Jesus spoke about would never come to pass.
Please cross-reference this with Luke 19 22, where Jesus
said, “Out of your own mouth I will judge you…”
Jesus talked about how the Jews as a
nation would be destroyed and the “vineyard” given to
another in Luke 20:16. Since Israel had turned its back on
God, the Gentiles have been given their place until the
blindness of the Jews comes to an end. Please look at Romans
11:11, which asks of Israel, “have they stumbled that they
should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to
provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the
Gentiles.” In light of the vineyard here in the Gospel of
Luke, look at what Jesus says about Himself in John 15:1-4,
where Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the
vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He
takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes,
that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because
of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in My and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it
abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in
Me.” How does this apply to your life?
Then Jesus looked at the leaders,
asking them a question. What does it mean when it says in
Psalm 118:22 that the stone that was rejected became the
head of the corner? Please read that Scripture in Psalms.
Jesus didn’t ask this question to trick them, but rather to
point them once more to Him. The leaders already knew that
Jesus was making an analogy to Himself as the stone that was
being rejected by them, but Jesus was asking them in so many
words to really THINK about it and all that the concept
meant.
Sometimes I think we forget in our
zeal, that Jesus loved these religious leaders as-well-as
the common people. In what may have been His final plea to
the leaders He says that, if they will fall on the stone
(Him) they will be humbled, but if the stone (Jesus) falls
on them they will be ground to powder. Although this may
sound harsh, Jesus is actually showing mercy by speaking
words of judgment, in order that unbelievers will repent.
Please look at Daniel 2:45, another possible reference to
Jesus’ words.
Have you fallen on that stone in
belief? Please look at John 3:16 – “God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” You can
do this by asking Christ into your life right now. In your
own words tell Him that you want to turn from your sins to
find new life. Please don’t put it off - let that “stone”
fall on you so that you will be saved.
The Tribute to Caesar in Luke
20:19-26
"The scribes and the chief priests
tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared
the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable
against them. So they watched Him, and sent spies who
pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch
Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the
rule and the authority of the governor. They questioned Him,
saying, ‘Teacher, we know that You speak and teach
correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way
of God in truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar,
or not?’ But He detected their trickery and said to them,
‘Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it
have?’ They said, 'Caesar's.' And He said to them, 'Then
render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God
the things that are God's.’ And they were unable to catch
Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being
amazed at His answer, they became silent.’”
First of all, we see that the
questions that the leaders brought to Jesus were not
sincere. We also see that at the last, they were so amazed
with the response of Jesus, that they couldn’t talk. What
this says to me is that there is tremendous power in words.
In order to see what I mean, please look up Proverbs 18:21 –
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those
who love it will eat its fruit.” How can you apply this to
your life?
Looking at this section of Scripture
more closely, we see Jesus again answering a question with a
question as they handed Him a coin worth about a days wages.
In Verse 19, we see the chief priests and the scribes about
to lay hands on Jesus. They were frustrated. The only thing
that constrained them from killing Him was a fear of the
people.
So they came up with what they
thought would be a clever trap. They sent plain clothes
spies, a kind of religious secret police, to catch Jesus in
His own words. They were watching Him every second to find a
way to deliver Him to the Roman government.
There was a party known as the
Zealots, who hated the rule of the Romans and objected to
the paying of taxes. They were looking for the descendant of
David to set up His royal throne and over through the Roman
oppressors of Israel.
On the other hand, the Romans were
ruthless when it came to taxes, making everyone pay at least
something for the privilege of just being ruled by Rome. The
religious leaders thought that they had tricked Jesus with a
black-and-white question. So instead of answering in a way
that would take sides on the issue of taxes, Jesus showed
how we have a dual responsibility both to the kingdom of
this world, and to the Kingdom of God.
There have been some who have taught
that we should not have much to do with this present world
system. Jesus’ teaching shows how we must try and maintain a
balance between the two, shining our light in every corner
that we can. In other words, you can’t be so heavenly minded
that you’re no earthly good, but you can’t be so earthly
minded that you’re no good to heaven either. Please cross
reference this with Romans 13:1 – “Let every soul be subject
to the governing authorities, for there is no authority
except from God, and the authorities that exist are
appointed by God.” That Scripture continues in Romans 13:7,
by telling us to pay our taxes.
Is There a Resurrection? – Luke
20:27-47.
"Now there came to Him some of the
Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection), and they
questioned Him, saying, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that If
a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he is childless,
his brother should marry the wife and raise up children to
his brother. Now there were seven brothers; and the first
took a wife and died childless; and the second and the third
married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no
children. Finally the woman died also. In the resurrection
therefore, which one's wife will she be? For all seven had
married her.’ Jesus said to them, ‘The sons of this age
marry and are given in marriage,’ but those who are
considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection
from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for
they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels,
and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But
that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage
about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord the God of
Abraham, and the of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now He is
not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to
Him.’ Some of the scribes answered and said, ‘Teacher, You
have spoken well.’ For they did not have courage to question
Him any longer about anything. Then He said to them, 'How is
it that they say the Christ is David's son?’ For David
himself says 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. Therefore David calls Him 'Lord,'
and how is He his son?’ And while all the people were
listening, He said to the disciples, ‘Beware of the scribes,
who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful
greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the
synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour
widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long
prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.’”
The Sadducees were a sect who didn’t
believe in the supernatural, let alone the resurrection.
Unlike the scribes who are later mentioned in Luke 20:39,
the Sadducees only accepted the first five Books of Moses as
Scripture. Since the scribes had never been able to prove
the resurrection from these books to the satisfaction of the
Sadducees, the Sadducees thought they to could trap Jesus.
So they were emboldened to go to Him with a story that made
the resurrection look ludicrous.
What Jesus said about marriage has
troubled some people, so I would like to give you my
thoughts on the subject. When Jesus talks about there being
no marriage in eternity, you can be sure that He did not
mean that we will be unable to recognize our loved ones.
Please cross reference this with 1 Corinthians 13:12 – “Now
we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know
in part, but then I shall know just as I am known.”
I believe that we will have an even
closer union in eternity with our loved ones than we have on
this earth. It is a union that we can’t fully perceive of
now because we will be living in another dimension. On earth
at the present time, I believe that Christian marriage has
three main purposes: 1) God graciously saw the need for man
and woman to each have one another. Please look at Genesis
2:18, where God recognized that Adam needed a true
companion. 2) Marriage is the only vehicle approved by God
for procreation. Please look at Genesis 1:26-28, where God
took the husband and wife, Adam and Eve and encouraged them
to have children together. 3) Through selfless actions I
believe that Christian marriage conforms us more and more
into the image of Christ. Please look at Ephesians 5:25-27 –
“Husbands love your wives,” which is calling for husbands to
perform the selfless action of truly LOVING their wives!
In heaven, we won’t be alone, for we
shall no longer be separated from God. We shall shall see
Him face-to-face and be with Him forever. Please read
Romans6 23 – “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.” Also there will be no need for procreation
as we know it now, for the human race will be complete and
there will be no more death. Please read Revelation 21:4.
Thirdly, while I am sure that we will all be growing in
various ways, in Christ, we will all enjoy perfection
eternally. Please look at Revelation 22:5, which says we
shall “reign (together) forever and ever.”
Jesus continued by affirming that
God was not a God of the dead, but of the living. He showed
from the Pentateuch (the first five books of Moses) how God
was the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, who presently lived
with God. It is likely that Jesus was referring to Exodus
4:5, where God spoke to Moses and referred to the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. By referring the Sadducees back to
the Second book of Moses (Exodus), Jesus was making the
statement that God is alive and His people live after death.
The scribes who thought that they
knew everything when it came to the Scriptures, we forced to
commend Jesus for giving the Sadducees an answer that they
could not respond to. Because of His wisdom, Jesus had
silenced these leaders.
The authority in that culture was
patriarchal and the son would show respect to his father by
giving him a title of honor, but never the father the son.
Jesus shows that the tables are turned, however, and now
that these leaders are quiet, He asks them a question. If
Christ is David’s son, (descendant) how is it that David
calls him Lord? (Please read Psalm 110:1 – “The Lord said to
my Lord, Sit at My right hand…”)
I can imagine that a hush fell over
the crowd, as the text indicates that the people were
hanging on His every word. He told His disciples that they
should watch out for the scribes, as they had all of the
outward trappings of religion, but their hearts weren’t
right toward God. Please look at Matthew 16:6, where Jesus
said to His disciples, “Take heed and beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees and the Sadducees…” which he later defined
as their doctrines in Matthew 16:12.
The Bible indicates that we will be
judged according to the light that we have. Jesus said in
Luke 20:47 that because these religious leaders had full
access to the Old Testament and yet rejected Him, that they
would receive “greater condemnation.” There are still today,
self righteous leaders among us that we should be leery of.
Please look with me at Matthew 7:16, where Jesus said of
such people, “You will know them by their fruits.” Thank you
for reading this, and please join me for Luke 21.
Friday Study Ministries
The First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchOnTheNet.org
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
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