Luke 20
20
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
1One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
5They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7So they finally replied that they didn’t know.
8And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Parable of the Evil Farmers
9Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. 10At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. 11So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed. 12A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away.
13 “‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’
14 “But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 15So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him.
“What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?” Jesus asked. 16“I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.”
“How terrible that such a thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested.
17Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean?
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’ # 20:17 Ps 118:22.
18 Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”
19The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people’s reaction.
Taxes for Caesar
20Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. 21“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. 22Now tell us—is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23He saw through their trickery and said, 24“Show me a Roman coin.#20:24 Greek a denarius. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
25 “Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
26So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent.
Discussion about Resurrection
27Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. 28They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.#20:28 See Deut 25:5-6. 29Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. 30So the second brother married the widow, but he also died. 31Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children. 32Finally, the woman also died. 33So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!”
34Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on earth. 35But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. 36And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.
37 “But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord # 20:37a Greek when he wrote about the bush. He referred to the Lord. as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’#20:37b Exod 3:6. 38So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”
39“Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there. 40And then no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Whose Son Is the Messiah?
41Then Jesus presented them with a question. “Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of David? 42For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
43 until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.’ # 20:42-43 Ps 110:1.
44 Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”
45Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his disciples and said, 46“Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. 47Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”
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Luke 20: NLT
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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Luke 20
20
The Question about Jesus' Authority
(Mt 21.23–27; Mk 11.27–33)
1One day when Jesus was in the Temple teaching the people and preaching the Good News, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, together with the elders, came 2and said to him, “Tell us, what right have you to do these things? Who gave you this right?”
3Jesus answered them, “Now let me ask you a question. Tell me, 4did John's right to baptize come from God or from human beings?”
5They started to argue among themselves, “What shall we say? If we say, ‘From God,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?’ 6But if we say ‘From human beings,’ this whole crowd here will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7So they answered, “We don't know where it came from.”
8And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.”
The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard
(Mt 21.33–46; Mk 12.1–12)
9 #
Is 5.1
Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was once a man who planted a vineyard, let it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time. 10When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing. 11So he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing. 12Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out. 13Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!’ 14But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the owner's son. Let's kill him, and his property will be ours!’ 15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to the tenants?” Jesus asked. 16“He will come and kill those men, and hand the vineyard over to other tenants.”
When the people heard this, they said, “Surely not!”
17 #
Ps 118.22
Jesus looked at them and asked, “What, then, does this scripture mean?
‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless
turned out to be the most important of all.’
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be cut to pieces; and if that stone falls on someone, it will crush him to dust.”
The Question about Paying Taxes
(Mt 22.15–22; Mk 12.13–17)
19The teachers of the Law and the chief priests tried to arrest Jesus on the spot, because they knew that he had told this parable against them; but they were afraid of the people. 20So they looked for an opportunity. They bribed some men to pretend they were sincere, and they sent them to trap Jesus with questions, so that they could hand him over to the authority and power of the Roman Governor. 21These spies said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is right. We know that you pay no attention to anyone's status, but teach the truth about God's will for people. 22Tell us, is it against our Law for us to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?”
23But Jesus saw through their trick and said to them, 24“Show me a silver coin. Whose face and name are these on it?”
“The Emperor's,” they answered.
25So Jesus said, “Well, then, pay the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay God what belongs to God.”
26There before the people they could not catch him out in anything, so they kept quiet, amazed at his answer.
The Question about Rising from Death
(Mt 22.23–33; Mk 12.18–27)
27 #
Acts 23.8
Then some Sadducees, who say that people will not rise from death, came to Jesus and said, 28#Deut 25.5“Teacher, Moses wrote this law for us: ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man's brother must marry the widow so that they can have children who will be considered the dead man's children.’ 29Once there were seven brothers; the eldest got married and died without having children. 30Then the second one married the woman, 31and then the third. The same thing happened to all seven — they died without having children. 32Last of all, the woman died. 33Now, on the day when the dead rise to life, whose wife will she be? All seven of them had married her.”
34Jesus answered them, “The men and women of this age marry, 35but the men and women who are worthy to rise from death and live in the age to come will not then marry. 36They will be like angels and cannot die. They are the children of God, because they have risen from death. 37#Ex 3.6And Moses clearly proves that the dead are raised to life. In the passage about the burning bush he speaks of the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38He is the God of the living, not of the dead, for to him all are alive.”
39Some of the teachers of the Law spoke up, “A good answer, Teacher!” 40For they did not dare ask him any more questions.
The Question about the Messiah
(Mt 22.41–46; Mk 12.35–37)
41Jesus asked them, “How can it be said that the Messiah will be the descendant of David? 42#Ps 110.1For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit here on my right
43 until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.’
44 David called him ‘Lord’; how, then, can the Messiah be David's descendant?”
Jesus Warns against the Teachers of the Law
(Mt 23.1–36; Mk 12.38–40)
45As all the people listened to him, Jesus said to his disciples, 46“Be on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who like to walk about in their long robes and love to be greeted with respect in the market place; who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts; 47who take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers! Their punishment will be all the worse!”
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.