seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
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. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”
3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”
7 So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”
8 Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
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. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.
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.’
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.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”
17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
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.
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. 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. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.
27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “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. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 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, 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. 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.’[b] 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
41 Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms:
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
43 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’[c]
“Sit at my right hand
43 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’[c]
44 David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”
45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 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. 47 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
a. Luke 20:17 Psalm 118:22
b. Luke 20:37 Exodus 3:6
c. Luke 20:43 Psalm 110:1
I'm using the blueletterbible.com commentary this morning.
Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Jesus showed great courage by boldly entering Jerusalem and driving out the corrupt merchants from the temple courts. Now the religious leaders want to know what right He thinks He has to do such things.
The baptism of John; was it from heaven or from men? By replying with this question, Jesus wasn't evading the question of the religious leaders. Instead, He uses the question to explain who He is and to expose the hypocrisy of the leaders. If John was from God, then he was right in proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah-and if this is true, then Jesus had all authority.
This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours: This shows the foolishness of fallen man, thinking that if they kill the Son, they can take the owner's inheritance!
Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder: Anyone who comes to Jesus will be broken of their pride and self-will, but those who refuse to come will be crushed by Christ in judgment.
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Since 6 A.D. the Jews were forced to pay taxes directly into the emperor's treasury. Some Jewish patriots (such as the Zealots) refused, not wanting to recognize Roman rule as legitimate. Most others grudgingly paid it.
And to God the things that are God's: Had the Jews rendered God His due, they would have never had to render Caesar anything. The fact that they were under Roman domination was due to their own departure from the Lord. The blessings and curses of the Mosaic Law said that an obedient Israel would be a free Israel.
Jesus was with God when humans were designed, sculpted and created. Jesus was there when God was designing and installing the human emotions. Jesus was there when God decided that humans would be capable of choosing right from wrong. Jesus was there when God created human procreation to make the humans a self sustaining creature. At first there was only the prototype... Adam.... then God made a match for Adam to help in the sustenance of the species. Humans are so self centered. At one point in history... humans thought they ruled the universe.... they actually thought the earth [a flat round one sided rock] was the center and the sun rotated around it. That's why when the serpent came to see them... those ignorant humans figured they were always right and when there was a hint of "did He really say that".... their big heads exploded with "mine mine mine".
Jesus explained to the teachers in the church that Heaven is not like earth. Heaven doesn't need to be self sustaining. God does all the sustaining. We will be there.... so will angels and Jesus. The question here is.... Will the preachers, the priests, rabbis, teachers, deacons, and other big headed morons who twist Jesus to meet their particular needs be there?
I've been thinking about that rich man.... he bugged me all day yesterday. I have a feeling the reason that man couldn't just walk away from it all and follow Jesus right that second..... was.... so many people were depending on him. He was the one that was most important on his land. I bet he thought that if he just up and left to follow Jesus... then all those employees and tenants would be out in the street..... I bet he went home and set up a "fund" or a "benefit" or a "charity".
It's the same way with married people. I can't just jump up one day and say... "Ok, hubby, I'm leaving now to follow Jesus" and walk out the door and never come back.... that wouldn't be right. Marriage is marriage here on earth for the sake of sustenance of the species. Sure, each of us is individual, each of us has a certain number of hairs on out heads of a color unique only to us.... like the feathers of a bird... each designed for one particular human on an earth created for a place where God could sit and talk to His humans..... So if husbands and wives think about it.... we might just be like the rich man.... we can't totally follow God because we're busy with our families.
The Bible and the preachers.... all make the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the teachers etc.... out to be villains.... but this morning... I can sort of understand why they were so flippin' ignorant. They expected Heaven, God, and Jesus to fit in a box that is exactly like earth. They expected everything to be the same.... they got upset when something different came along. God wiped out Sodom for not doing what was right.... and "we're going to make sure we are not a Sodom even if it kills every human in our care"..... they would say.
If Jesus came to you today.... would you be willing to go? I thought I was.... I had a dream that Jesus was there.... and He had come for me.... "but what about ..... " I said.... and I named my hubby and baby...... just like that rich man..... I couldn't go yet.... who would take care of them.
Who told Jesus He could go around disrupting everything? Who told Jesus He could raise the dead and run demons off? Who told Jesus He could split up families.... take one and leave the other? God did.
