< Luke 20 >

After Jesus had cast the moneychangers out of the temple Luke 19:45Luke 19:45XWaiting for response the chief priests and scribes challenged his authority to say and do what he did.vs.1-2Luke 20:1-2XWaiting for response They should have known he had God’s authority because he performed miraculous deeds which no man could do without divine power. These religious leaders had a duty under God’s law to investigate prophets and inform the people whether they were true or false, but they had failed in this duty in the case of John the Baptist, considering they could neither obey nor condemn him because the people received him.vs.3-8Luke 20:3-8XWaiting for response Jesus therefore told a parable to illustrate Israel’s treatment of all God’s prophets and, finally, of his Son.

The people of Israel throughout their history persecuted and rejected the prophets which God sent to turn them back to righteousness,vs.9-12Luke 20:9-12XWaiting for response and in due time they also killed God’s Son and heir.vs.13-15Luke 20:13-15XWaiting for response The vineyard is used consistently to represent the promised land of Israel in which the people should have brought forth fruit unto God. What then would God do, following centuries of fruitlessness and disobedience? v.15Luke 20:15XWaiting for response “He would come and destroy these husbandmen [the Jews] and give the vineyard to others”,v.16Luke 20:16XWaiting for response and so the Jews were scattered and the opportunity of inheriting the Promised Land with God’s heir, the Lord Jesus Christ, was offered to Gentiles.

The first part of this verse "Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken" has a secondary (less obvious) meaning that whoever falls on Jesus (a figure of speech like "falling in love") breaks their own flesh - as we are required to do (Galatians 5:17)Galatians 5:17XWaiting for response

Many prophets taught about the importance of a low/crushed/desolate/broken spirit - e.g. Matthew 5:3,Matthew 5:3XWaiting for response Psalm 51:16-17,Psalm 51:16-17XWaiting for response Isaiah 57:15Isaiah 57:15XWaiting for response

The religious leaders of the Jews only listened to Jesus to accuse him to the Roman governor v.20Luke 20:20XWaiting for response and they asked him trick questions to this end. The first concerned paying taxes to the Romans, to which an answer “Yes” or “No” would bring disfavour, either with the people or the governor, but Jesus avoided the trap by commanding: “Render unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s”.v.25Luke 20:25XWaiting for response

The Sadducees tried to trap Jesus too. They denied the resurrection of the dead v.27Luke 20:27XWaiting for response but asked Jesus a trick question regarding it.vs.28-33Luke 20:28-33XWaiting for response Jesus’ answer is enlightening for he taught plainly that those who are accounted worthy of resurrection and the future world v.35Luke 20:35XWaiting for response will never die any more, being the children of God and equal to the angels.v.36Luke 20:36XWaiting for response This is a marvellous declaration and gives us a glorious hope for the future, encouraging us to make ourselves worthy of it. Incidentally, these words of Jesus strike a fatal blow against the concept of a supernatural devil, who is supposed to be a fallen angel, because the angels cannot sin, fall from grace, or die, and those who are made like the angels at Christ’s return will never, throughout eternity, have to fear that one day they might sin, and die as a consequence.

The Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead even though they claimed to believe the writings of Moses in the first five books of the Bible, therefore Jesus proved these same writings did indeed teach resurrection.v.37Luke 20:37XWaiting for response The LORD called himself “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” who are now dead in the grave, therefore these men must be raised from the dead: “For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him”.v.38Luke 20:38XWaiting for response

Jesus asked the scribes, supposed experts in the scriptures, how David could call the Messiah “Lord” Psalm 110:1Psalm 110:1XWaiting for response if he was his son? The explanation, of course, is that Jesus was not only the son of David through Mary, but also the Son of God by the Holy Spirit acting on her to produce a child. Therefore he was both David’s son and Lord. The scribes, however, were unable to supply an answer because they were ignorant of the truth, although they were ostentatious in their religious observance. Therefore Jesus said: “Beware of the scribes”,v.46Luke 20:46XWaiting for response a warning to which we should take heed, applying it to “religious leaders” today who are also ignorant of God’s truth.