Luke 20:1-2
The chapter break is unfortunate and tends to interrupt the flow of the narrative. Jesus entered Jerusalem on the day that faithful Jews were about the business of selecting their Passover lamb. This is no accident or coincidence, as Jesus came into Jerusalem minds were being made up about Him. Some outright rejected Him while others shouted, "Hosanna." Later in the week, some shouted, "Crucify Him" while others ran away to hide. Regardless, Jesus continued His trek toward the cross for the sins of the world.
Following Jesus was the multitude, made up mostly, it seems, of those who were sure Jesus would rise to power and throw Rome out of Israel. Jesus told them what was about to happen, but they did not hear. He laid the parable of the Minas out before them for their remembrance; a message of the master going away for a while but coming back soon. It was a message of stewardship and being about His business. The business in the temple was an example of what not to do and Jesus made it clear this was not acceptable.
Daily Jesus taught at the temple. This was a common setting for just this thing. We see the disciples meeting there early on after Pentecost. It's ironic that nearly every detail of the temple and the work done there pointed to the work that Jesus would do as well as the need for it. We get a glimpse of how far the temple worship had moved away from the Lord when His presence and teaching there provokes the chief priests, scribes and leaders to kill Him.
It was one of those days He was teaching when these the chief priests and scribes attempted to set Jesus up, to get something on Him. The people were very attentive to what He taught. The priests, elders and scribes thought He was just putting crazy thoughts in their head, thoughts that weren't consistent with their teachings and work, thoughts of hope, thoughts salvation and deliverance, thoughts of a new Kingdom of God. Jesus threatened their authority over the people.
They wanted to trap Jesus by asking the source of His authority. Their question isn't a bad question, in fact it is legitimate and we should all ask this our teachers. It's the idea of 'Who said you could do this?' What in particular were they speaking of? They were probably directly referencing Him showing up in the temple and turning over tables and causing commotion. If Jesus answered and said anything but God as His source, He would minimalize His teaching and impact and these men would see to it. If He said God, this was such a huge claim, they were sure they could call it blasphemous and get the people to see it that way also. I can imagine Jesus stepping right up to these men and looking them in the eye as He said Almighty God gave this authority to Him because He was the very Son of God! They would not have accepted any answer though. Their minds were made up, their hearts closed up. Jesus is simply controlling the timing of His arrest.
Jesus offers them a question that they must answer first. This, in a sense, tests their authority to ask questions of Him and challenge His authority. They were right to inquire of Him, although they were doing it for the wrong reasons. In their arrogance, they were not likely bothered by the idea of Jesus asking them a question. They thought they had Jesus in submission, one move from a checkmate. Jesus pulled a reversal on them with His question. Jesus is talking about the ministry of John the Baptist. John pointed to the coming messiah, telling people to repent. He offered a baptism of repentance, a preparation of the heart to receive the coming Lord and His Kingdom. If John's work was from heaven, they should have received it and believed it. If they say it wasn't from God, the people all standing by would stone them for their disbelief. The people were persuaded John was legitimate. Notice as they think this through, they don't seek the truth, they only consider what they want to claim as truth based on the outcome. Had they sought truth, they would have discovered John's message as truth from heaven and that he pointed to Jesus.
Like any good politician, they bail out, giving a non-answer. From this, it is clear they have no authority to ask a question of Him.
Luke 20:9-18
The Chief priests, scribes and elders asked,
"Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?" (20:2)
After saying he would not answer their questions in verse 8, Jesus begins telling a parable. The answer to their question is within the parable. When they come to this realization, they are offended.
In the Old Testament, the vineyard is picture of Israel. The nation and its leaders are the tenants of this vineyard. Here's one passage from Isaiah:
Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
On a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.
3 "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will lay it waste;
It shall not be pruned or dug,
But there shall come up briers and thorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it."
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. (Isaiah 5: 1-7)
- The vineyard was leased; the use granted to another for an expected return.
- Everything is the Lord's and we are allowed to steward His resources.
- The owner was gone a long time. At the right time, the time of expected harvest.
- The Lord sent prophets to Israel to call them to repentance and righteousness.
- There was no fruit. It was a 'kill the messenger' mentality. Meanwhile they continued on, appearing to be a vineyard.
- A second and third servant were sent. Rather than heed the call of the first, they beat and dishonored the first and then wounded and cast out the third.
- Many prophets came and spoke and prophesied in the name of the Lord. They were arrogantly rejected. The nation continued as if they were the premiere vineyard.
- The man's son is his likeness, his representative. The son speaks for Him. When they see him they conclude killing him will allow the inheritance to fall to them.
- Like Joseph's brothers conclude killing Joseph will somehow make them more favorable in their father's eyes.
- This is the evil picture of Satan trying to usurp the power of God. The leaders of Israel were acting as agents of Satan. God turned this around and used it for good.
- Casting him out of the vineyard is the figure of Jesus being taken outside the gate to be crucified.
- The men of the vineyard thought owner would give the vineyard over to them.
- These religious leaders thought highly of themselves and their works.
- The owner would come himself and destroy these men and give it over to others.
- This is the idea that Israel's rejection opened the door to the gentiles.
19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. (Romans 11:19-23)
Jesus was the son, sent by the Father to the vineyard. There was no fruit. The barren vineyard had not delivered. This is similar to the fig tree that Jesus cursed along the road to Bethany (Mark 11:12). It was fruitless, representative of the fruitless Temple and religious system. There was the answer they sought, wrapped up in the parable. Jesus was sent by the Father with His authority. They understood exactly what the vineyard was and who the vinedressers were and they were extremely offended at the idea that Yahweh would do such a thing. At their rejection, Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22. He is the King who comes in the name of the Lord who was rejected. Jesus claims that identity for Himself. However, in His rejection, He became the chief cornerstone of the church. The cornerstone sets the elevation, inclination and establishes the point from upon which all else would be built. Jesus is using the imagery of Isaiah and Daniel:
He will be as a sanctuary,
But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall stumble;
They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and taken." (Isaiah 8:14-15)
45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. (Daniel 2:45)
The image is that of the final judgment of those who reject Jesus. The parable means that whether someone fall on the stone of the stone fall on them, it is merely the difference of being broken or crushed, the end being the same.
Luke 20:19-20
The chief priests and scribes had had enough. They had heard enough. It's ironic, that they want to attack him like the men in the parable. They were angry the parable was against them. In so doing, they were acting out the parable. The source of much of their problems is stated outright by Luke right there in verse 19; "They feared the people." They were not moved by the fear of the Lord, but by the fear of men. They loved their positions of authority and power, the idea of losing this caused them to act violently against Jesus. The fear of men kept these power hungry tyrants in check.
Luke 20:21-26
These men thought they could fool the Son of God with flattery as they sought to entrap Him and bring charges. They wanted to accuse Him of rebelling against Rome. They laid the trap with their question of taxes. If Jesus said, not to pay taxes, they would accuse him of sedition. If He said to pay taxes, it appeared He was favorable to Rome and threatened to anger the people. This tax was a poll tax or tribute tax. It was tribute to Rome, viewed as being in submission to Rome and relying on them.
Jesus saw through their deceit and wickedness. He said show me a denarius at which they promptly produced one. Interesting, they appear to carry Roman coins, the highly religious figures trying to trap Jesus. The denarius was about a day's wages. The image of Tiberius Caesar would have been pressed into the coin.
To render was to return to the owner. Caesar's image was on the coin, so therefore it was perfectly right and normal for the coin to be returned to Caesar. In a similar manner, those things on which the image of God is impressed ought to be returned to God. Each person bears the image of God and ought to return to Him.
I would have liked to seen their faces at this answer. I'm certain there was silence, even reflection. The wind was gone from the sails. I can imagine they were thoughtful, considering the answer He gave, as any person should be.
Luke 20:27-38
The Sadducees were in control of the Sanhedrin, the official political system. They were very strict on issues of law and order. They worked well with the Herodian and Roman rulers; some see them as allies. The Sadducees only accepted the written Torah, rejecting any oral Torah. They reject any idea of resurrection because they don't see it in the Torah. They also held no belief in angels or spirits. They were nearly annihilated in 66-70AD and no longer existed as an entity once the temple was gone.
The question is based on a Old Testament provision called the Levirate (latin for brother in law) custom (Deut 25:5-10). If a man died before he had a son, his brother was to take her as a wife and father a child with the widow. The firstborn sone would be the son of the dead brother, keeping that family's name alive. He was to purchase (redeem) any land or possessions for his brother. This kept land allotted to a tribe within that family. If a brother failed to do this, it was shameful, as if dishonoring your brother. It was letting the family name die and leaving all the offspring unborn. We see this enacted with Judah and his sons in Genesis 38 and with Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 2:8; 3:12; 4:6). Had Boaz, the near redeemer, not taken Ruth as a wife, Obed the father of Jesse would not have been born, Jesse was the father of David, the line of Christ. This levirate
The Sadducees constructed this ridiculous puzzle to attempt to entrap Jesus. It shows their arrogance and air of aristocracy. They were smarter than this Nazarene, as far as they were concerned. It would appear this woman had seven husbands when the resurrection happened. The Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection, angels or the afterlife. Their question is offered to Jesus to mock the idea of the resurrection. It must have stunned them a little when Jesus answered them immediately in a matter of fact way and did so right from the Torah of which they held so dear.
Marriage is for the present age, this time before the judgment. However, there is another age coming. Jesus makes it clear there is a resurrection, there is an afterlife and there are angels; all confirmed by Moses. This seems to clarify that the Sadducees were mocking the resurrection when Jesus states it so clearly as a primary point of His answer. Who is worthy to attain that age? That's the question these men should have asked next. The answer is no person is worthy of themselves, but only when they are born anew in Christ. Worthiness is found in Him as our righteousness is found in Him. In this coming age there will no longer be marriage as we know. Marriage is a picture of the church and in the age to come the bride church will be with her bridegroom. Our primary purpose and being will be directed toward Jesus. That's hard for us to understand, but if this wife is found worthy along with the seven men previously her husbands, they will all be agreement that Jesus is their primary love and joy.
Woman was taken from man, then they were brought together and they were to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth. In the age to come, earth will be brought into submission and there will be a new heaven and a new earth where procreation is no longer needed since no one will die.
Then Jesus gives an Old Testament bible study, straight from the Torah. The Sadducees respected Moses and held him in high regard. Jesus used this to speak into their understanding. He refers to Exodus 3:6
I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
Moses wrote down what God called Himself, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He didn't say He had been their God, but that He still was. He said 'I Am' the God of these men. If He was still their God then, He is still their God now, and it means they must still be alive. Therefore, they must be raised. The bible tells us that, as believers, when we are absent from this body, we are present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8; Luke 23:43). This is our soul, which is our identity and being, the thing that makes us unique, that makes us who we are. In the resurrection, our bodies will be restored in some fashion. We will be as He is, speaking of Jesus (1 John 3:2).
It's been said that must only has to do two things, pay taxes and die. The religious leaders of that day should have been well versed on both of these. Yet, as they question Jesus authority and calling, their questions went to taxes and dying. How fascinating is that? It's sad to see their views of both were bent toward this world instead of the next.
Luke 20:39-44
Notice it is the scribes who say Jesus had spoke well, not the Sadducees. They were done questioning Jesus, but He was not done questioning them. They had much more to think about. As Jesus came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowds declared Him the Son of David. In Psalm 110, David said that Yahweh said to his Lord these things. A son would normally call the elder lord, but David, the elder calls Him 'my Lord'. The answer is that Jesus is both David's Lord and a descendant of David. Jesus declares that He is the one David is speaking of in that Psalm.
Jesus had just silenced the scribes and the Sadducees as they questioned Him in hopes of entrapping Him or finding something with which to charge Him. In verse 39 the scribes agreed with Jesus' answer to the Sadducees, or at least pretended to. They flattered him and decided not to question Him further. However, Jesus wasn't done questioning them. He left them with a question to ponder in verse 44. Then turned to His disciples to give them a warning in the presence of the crowd. The warning was to beware and continue to beware constantly. It wasn't the scribes as people but the way of the scribes that Jesus condemned.
- The long robes were a trademark of the scribes. These were long flowing robes. They were expensive and fancy. Their robes also had a long mantle that reached to their feet. It was decorative with long fringe. Yet the great High Priest deserving of a such a robe would be stripped of His humble cloak and it would be gambled away.
- The greetings they loved came with walking in their long robes in the marketplace. They loved to be noticed. There were prescribed ways of greeting a scribe. It was a way of acknowledging their superiority and stature. They loved these special greetings. Yet, they rejected Jesus Christ who alone deserved a high greeting acknowledging His superiority.
- The best seats were the ones up front, to be seen and admired and honored by men. These men should have been seen on their knees, in humility, before Jesus.
- The best places at the feast was near the host. But there was a greater feast coming, the marriage supper of the lamb. They seemed to be trading their place at the greatest of feasts for the lesser feasts among men.
There was clearly a pride problem; a focus on self instead of loving the Lord and loving their neighbors. In order to maintain their lifestyle and stature, a few widow's homes were devoured. Somehow, they had become convinced God would be pleased with their self-righteousness in spite of taking advantage of a widows. Their prayers were for show, to impress people. God was not impressed though, and Jesus made it clear there was a condemnation awaiting them.
©2020 Doug Ford
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