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Luke 20

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And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,

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And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

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And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:

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The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?

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And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

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But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.

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And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.

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And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

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Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

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And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.

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And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

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And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.

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Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

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But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.

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So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

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He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

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And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

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Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

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And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

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And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

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And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:

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Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cesar, or no?

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But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?

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Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cesar’s.

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And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Cesar the things which be Cesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.

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And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

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Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,

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Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man’s brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

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There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.

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And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.

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And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.

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Last of all the woman died also.

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Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.

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And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

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But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

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Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

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Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

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For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

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Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.

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And after that they durst not ask him any question at all.

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And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son?

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And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

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Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

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David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?

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Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,

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Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

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Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

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Luke 20

The chapter is the sustained controversy sequence of the final week's temple teaching. The authority question — answered by the John's-baptism counter-question — is followed by the Wicked Tenants parable, in which the vineyard owner sends multiple servants (all rejected), then his beloved son (killed), and the tenants receive judgment and the vineyard is given to others. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Pharisees' spy-sent-as-sincere-questioners ask about taxes to Caesar; the image-and-inscription response — give Caesar what is Caesar's and God what is God's — silences them. The Sadducees' seven-brothers resurrection puzzle is answered by the argument that the resurrection-life is not a continuation of present-life arrangements (no marriage) and by the Exodus-burning-bush proof from the Torah: he is not the God of the dead but of the living. Jesus' own counter-question — how can the Messiah be David's son if David calls him Lord? — points toward the divine origin that transcends the Davidic sonship. The chapter closes with the beware-of-the-teachers-of-the-law warning: flowing robes, marketplace greetings, best seats, long prayers, devouring widows' houses — they will be punished most severely.

Luke 20:8

Jesus said, neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things — neither will I tell you: the Sanhedrin that refused to answer John's-baptism question receives no answer to the authority question. The honest question receives the honest response: the dishonest question receives no answer.

Luke 20:9

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 — the Wicked Tenants parable is addressed to the people (unlike the authority question which was addressed to the Sanhedrin). The vineyard imagery draws on Isaiah 5:1–7 — the vineyard of Israel entrusted to its caretakers.

Luke 20:10

At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they could give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed — sent a servant: the servants are the prophets sent to collect the covenant fruit. Beat him and sent him away empty-handed: the rejection and abuse of the prophetic messenger.

Luke 20:11

He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed — sent another servant: the second prophet, also beaten and shamed. The pattern of sending and rejection is the prophetic history of Israel.

Luke 20:12

He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out — a third, also wounded and thrown out. The pattern is established: every servant is rejected. The owner's patience is extended multiple times.

Luke 20:1

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 — the temple teaching context: Jesus is teaching and proclaiming the good news (euangelizomenou) when the full Sanhedrin leadership (chief priests, teachers of the law, elders) approaches. The official delegation represents the complete institutional authority of Jerusalem.

Luke 20:2

Tell us by what authority you are doing these things, they said. Who gave you this authority? — the authority question is the Sanhedrin's challenge to the temple cleansing and the ongoing teaching. By what authority and who gave you this authority: the two related questions. The authority question is a trap: if Jesus claims divine authority, it is blasphemy; if he claims human authority, it is unauthorized.

Luke 20:3

He replied, I will also ask you a question. Tell me — the counter-question strategy: Jesus will answer the authority question with a question that forces the Sanhedrin to reveal their own position on authority.

Luke 20:4

John's baptism — was it from heaven, or of human origin? — John's baptism: was it from heaven (divine) or from human origin (merely human)? The question about John's authority is identical in structure to the question about Jesus' authority — if they can answer John's, they can answer Jesus'.

Luke 20:5

They discussed it among themselves and said, if we say, from heaven, he will ask, why didn't you believe him? — the Sanhedrin's internal deliberation reveals the trap they've fallen into: if from heaven, they must explain their rejection of John. If from humans, they face the crowd that held John to be a prophet.

Luke 20:6

But if we say, of human origin, all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet — the people's persuasion about John is so strong that denying his prophetic authority would provoke violence. The fear of the crowd constrains the Sanhedrin's public position.

Luke 20:7

So they answered, we don't know where it was from — we don't know: the answer of those who will not commit. The strategic ignorance communicates the impossibility of answering honestly without unacceptable consequences.

Luke 20:13

Then the owner of the vineyard said, what shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him — what shall I do: the owner's reasoning. I will send my son, whom I love: the beloved son who will be recognized as the heir — perhaps they will respect him. The perhaps communicates both the owner's hope and the risk.

Luke 20:14

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 — when they saw him: the recognition of the heir. This is the heir — let's kill him and take the inheritance: the deliberate, premeditated murder of the known heir. The parable's transparency is complete — the Sanhedrin will know they are the tenants.

Luke 20:15

So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? — threw him out of the vineyard and killed him: the execution outside the vineyard (the crucifixion outside Jerusalem). What will the owner do to them: the rhetorical question that anticipates the judgment.

Luke 20:16

He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. When the people heard this, they said, God forbid — he will kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others: the judgment and the transfer. When the people heard this, they said, God forbid (mē genoito, may it not be): the people recognize the severity of the judgment and instinctively reject it.

Luke 20:17

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? — Jesus looked directly at them: the direct, personal gaze before the Scripture citation. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone (Psalm 118:22): the rejected son/stone becomes the foundation. The parable's implicit claim is confirmed by the Psalm — the rejected one is the cornerstone.

Luke 20:18

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed — falls on the stone: crushed (synthlasthēsetai). The stone falls on: pulverized (likmēsei). The cornerstone is the point of division — encounter with the rejected-but-exalted stone produces either brokenness or destruction.

Luke 20:19

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 — the parable's transparency produces the immediate arrest impulse. They knew he had spoken this parable against them: the recognition that makes the arrest urgent. But they were afraid of the people: the same constraint as the John's-baptism question — popular opinion protecting Jesus in the temple.

Luke 20:20

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 — spies who pretended to be sincere: the deliberate deception of posing as sincere inquirers. Hand him over to the governor: the political charge strategy — they need a Roman crime to involve Pilate.

Luke 20:21

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 — the flattering introduction is the setup: teacher, you are known for truth-speaking and impartiality. The flattery is designed to make Jesus feel he must answer the following question in kind.

Luke 20:22

Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? — the tax question: is it right (exestin, is it permitted/lawful) to pay taxes to Caesar or not? The trap is the same as the Sanhedrin's authority trap: if yes, Jesus endorses the Roman occupation; if no, Jesus is a traitor to Rome.

Luke 20:23

He saw through their duplicity and said to them — he saw through their duplicity (katanoēsas autōn tēn panourgia, perceiving their craftiness): the divine discernment that penetrates the designed deception.

Luke 20:24

Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it? Caesar's, they replied — the denarius: the coin of the Roman taxation. Whose image (eikona) and inscription (epigraphēn) are on it? Caesar's: the image of the emperor pressed into the coin.

Luke 20:25

He said to them, then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's — give back to Caesar what is Caesar's: the coin bears Caesar's image and inscription — it belongs to the sphere of Caesar's claims. Give to God what is God's: what bears God's image belongs to God — the human being, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). The answer is neither compliant (pay your taxes, Rome is fine) nor revolutionary (refuse Roman authority) but both together: the political and divine spheres both have claims, and the higher claim of God does not eliminate the legitimate sphere of civic authority.

Luke 20:26

They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent — unable to trap him: the spies who pretended to be sincere find the answer unanswerable. Astonished (thaumasantes) and silent: the response of those confronted with brilliance they cannot counter.

Luke 20:27

Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question — the Sadducees' intervention: the party that denies the resurrection (and accepts only the Torah, not the Prophets or Writings) brings a question designed to expose the resurrection belief as absurd.

Luke 20:28

Teacher, 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 — the Levirate marriage law (Deuteronomy 25:5–6): the brother's obligation to marry the widow and produce offspring to continue the deceased brother's lineage.

Luke 20:29

Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless — the seven-brothers hypothetical is designed to produce the absurdity: seven sequential marriages, all childless, all producing widowhood. Whose wife is she in the resurrection?

Luke 20:30

The second and third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children — the pattern is established: sequential marriage, childless, death, the next brother.

Luke 20:31

And finally, the woman died too — the woman's own death completes the scenario: all seven brothers dead, all childless, the woman also dead. The scenario is designed to produce an impossible resurrection-puzzle.

Luke 20:33

Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her? — at the resurrection whose wife will she be: the question assumes the resurrection simply extends the present life's relationships into the future. The absurdity of the scenario is the argument: the resurrection, if it exists, produces this impossible situation.

Luke 20:34

Jesus replied, the people of this age marry and are given in marriage — the people of this age (hoi huioi tou aiōnos toutou): marriage belongs to the present age. The necessity of marriage in this age is tied to mortality — the perpetuation of the species requires biological reproduction.

Luke 20:35

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 — those considered worthy of the age to come and the resurrection: the resurrection-people. Neither marry nor be given in marriage: the institution of marriage belongs to this age, not the age to come. The question assumes continuity; Jesus asserts transformation.

Luke 20:36

And they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection — they can no longer die: the mortality that makes marriage necessary is removed. Like the angels: the comparison communicates the transformation without specifying an identity with angels. Children of the resurrection (huioi tēs anastaseōs): the resurrection produces a new category of human existence.

Luke 20:37

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 — Moses showed that the dead rise: the proof from the Torah that the Sadducees accept. The burning bush account (Exodus 3:6) has God self-identifying as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — present tense, at a time when the patriarchs had been dead for centuries.

Luke 20:38

He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive — he is not the God of the dead but of the living: the argument. If God is the God of Abraham, and Abraham is dead, then either God is the God of the dead or Abraham is still alive. The Scripture says God is the God of the living — therefore Abraham is alive. For to him all are alive: the divine perspective transcends the distinction between the biologically living and the dead.

Luke 20:39

Some of the teachers of the law responded, well said, teacher — well said: the commendation from the teachers of the law (who accepted the resurrection, unlike the Sadducees) communicates the completeness of the argument. Even Jesus' opponents acknowledge the quality of the reasoning.

Luke 20:40

And no one dared to ask him any more questions — no more questions: the temple controversy sequence is complete. The Sanhedrin, the Sadducees, and the spies have all been silenced. Jesus turns from defending to questioning.

Luke 20:41

Then Jesus said to them, why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? — Jesus' counter-challenge: how can David call the Messiah Lord if the Messiah is merely David's descendant? The question challenges the exclusively political-national understanding of messiahship.

Luke 20:42

David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: the Lord said to my Lord: sit at my right hand — Psalm 110:1: the Lord (YHWH) said to my Lord (David's Lord, the Messiah): sit at my right hand. David calling the Messiah my Lord is the puzzle — why does the ancestor call the descendant Lord?

Luke 20:43

Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet — the rest of the Psalm citation: the enemies placed under the Messiah's feet communicates the eschatological subjugation of all opposition.

Luke 20:44

David calls him Lord. How then can he be his son? — David calls him Lord: the paradox. If the Messiah is merely David's descendant, why would David call him Lord? The answer (not stated but implied): the Messiah is both David's son (incarnate in the Davidic line) and David's Lord (divine in origin). The question is Jesus' implicit Christological claim.

Luke 20:45

While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples — the audience shifts to the disciples for the final warning: while all the people were listening, Jesus addresses the disciples. The public audience for the following denunciation of the scribes.

Luke 20:46

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 — beware of the teachers of the law: the warning about the scribes who make religion a status-seeking performance. Flowing robes, marketplace greetings, important synagogue seats, places of honor at banquets: the four external marks of the prestige-seeking that characterizes the scribal class.

Luke 20:47

They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely — they devour widows' houses: the most vulnerable members of society exploited by the most respected religious figures. For a show they make lengthy prayers: the religious performance that conceals the exploitation. These men will be punished most severely (perissoteron krima lēmpsontai, they will receive more severe judgment): the greater responsibility of the religious leaders produces the greater judgment when they fail it.

Luke 20:32

Finally, the woman died too — the woman's own death closes the hypothetical scenario: all seven brothers dead and childless, and now the woman also dead. The scenario asks whose wife she will be in the resurrection, assuming the resurrection simply continues the present life's relational arrangements.