Luke 20 — TCENT

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

20Verse 1One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the⁺priests and the scribes came with the elders^{Verse 2}and said to him, “Tell us, by what authority are yoʋ doing these things, or who is it that gave yoʋ this authority?”^{Verse 3}He answered them,“I will also ask you one question. Tell me:^{Verse 4}Did John's authority to baptize come from heaven or from men?”^{Verse 5}So they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘⁺Why did you not believe him?’^{Verse 6}But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”^{Verse 7}So they answered that they did not know where it came from.^{Verse 8}Then Jesus said to them,“Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

The Parable of the Vineyard Owner

^{Verse 9}Then he began to tell the people this parable:“A man planted a vineyard, leased it to farmers, and left the country for a long time.^{Verse 10}At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat that servant and sent him away empty-handed.^{Verse 11}So he proceeded to⁺send another servant, but they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.^{Verse 12}Then he proceeded to send a third, but they wounded him as well and threw him out.^{Verse 13}So the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps⁺when they see him they will have respect for him.’^{Verse 14}But when they saw him, the farmers discussed it⁺among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir.⁺Come, let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’^{Verse 15}So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?^{Verse 16}He will come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others.”When the people heard this, they said, “Certainly not!”^{Verse 17}But Jesus looked at them and said,“What then is the meaning of this Scripture:
‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?^{Verse 18}Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”^{Verse 19}Then the⁺chief priests and the scribes wanted to arrest him at that very hour, for they knew he⁺had spoken this parable against them, but they were⁺afraid.

The Question About Paying Taxes to Caesar

^{Verse 20}So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be sincere in order to catch him in something he said, so that they could deliver him up to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor.^{Verse 21}The spies asked him, “Teacher, we know that yoʋ speak and teach correctly, and that yoʋ do not show partiality but teach the way of God in truth.^{Verse 22}Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”^{Verse 23}But perceiving their craftiness, Jesus said to them,“⁺Why are you testing me?^{Verse 24}Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”They⁺answered, “Caesar's.”^{Verse 25}He said to them,“Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”^{Verse 26}So they were not able to catch him in what he said in the presence of the people. And being amazed at his answer, they fell silent.

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

^{Verse 27}Now some of the Sadducees, who⁺deny that there is a resurrection, came up and asked Jesus,^{Verse 28}“Teacher, Moses wrote for us: ‘If a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, that man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’^{Verse 29}Now there were seven brothers. The first married a woman and died childless.^{Verse 30}The second⁺married the widow, and he also died childless.^{Verse 31}Likewise, the third also married her. In the same way all seven died, leaving no children.^{Verse 32+}Last of all, the woman also died.^{Verse 33}In the resurrection, therefore, which of them will she be the wife of? For the seven all had her as a wife.”^{Verse 34}Jesus⁺answered them,“The people of this age marry and are given in marriage,^{Verse 35}but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are they given in marriage.^{Verse 36}Indeed they can no longer die, for they are like angels. They are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.^{Verse 37}But even Moses indicated that the dead are raised, when he said in the passage about the burning bush, ‘The Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’^{Verse 38}He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”^{Verse 39}Then some of the scribes responded, “Teacher, yoʋ have spoken well.”^{Verse 40+}And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

^{Verse 41}Then Jesus said to them,“How can it be said that the Christ is the Son of David?^{Verse 42+}Even David himself says in the Book of Psalms,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand
^{Verse 43}until I make yoʋr enemies a footstool for yoʋr feet.” ’^{Verse 44}David calls him ‘Lord,’ so how is he his son?”

Beware of the Scribes

^{Verse 45}As all the people were listening, Jesus said to⁺his disciples,^{Verse 46}“Beware of the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, and they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.^{Verse 47}They devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive a more severe judgment.”