Luke 20

Darby Translation (DARBY) · English

1 And it came to pass on one of the days, as he was teaching the people in the temple, and announcing the glad tidings, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up, 2 and spoke to him saying, Tell us by what authority thou doest these things, or who is it who has given thee this authority? 3 And he answering said to them, I also will ask you [one] thing, and tell me: 4 The baptism of John, was it of heaven or of men? 5 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we should say, Of heaven, he will say, Why have ye not believed him? 6 but if we should say, Of men, the whole people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet. 7 And they answered, they did not know whence. 8 And Jesus said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. 9 And he began to speak to the people this parable: A man planted a vineyard and let it out to husbandmen, and left the country for a long time. 10 And in the season he sent to the husbandmen a bondman, that they might give to him of the fruit of the vineyard; but the husbandmen, having beaten him, sent [him] away empty. 11 And again he sent another bondman; but they, having beaten him also, and cast insult upon him, sent [him] away empty. 12 And again he sent a third; and they, having wounded him also, cast [him] out. 13 And the lord of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: perhaps when they see him they will respect [him]. 14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir; [come,] let us kill him, that the inheritance may become ours. 15 And having cast him forth out of the vineyard, they killed [him]. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it they said, May it never be! 17 But he looking at them said, What then is this that is written, The stone which they that builded rejected, this has become the corner-stone? 18 Every one falling on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder. 19 And the chief priests and the scribes sought the same hour to lay hands on him, and they feared the people; for they knew that he had spoken this parable of them. 20 And having watched [him], they sent out suborned persons, pretending to be just men, that they might take hold of him in [his] language, so that they might deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor. 21 And they asked him saying, Teacher, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and acceptest no [man's] person, but teachest with truth the way of God: 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 23 But perceiving their deceit he said to them, Why do ye tempt me? 24 Shew me a denarius. Whose image and superscription has it? And answering they said, Caesar's. 25 And he said to them, Pay therefore what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God. 26 And they were not able to take hold of him in [his] expressions before the people, and, wondering at his answer, they were silent. 27 And some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is any resurrection, coming up [to him], 28 demanded of him saying, Teacher, Moses wrote to us, If any one's brother, who has a wife, die, and he die childless, his brother shall take the wife and raise up seed to his brother. 29 There were then seven brethren: and the first, having taken a wife, died childless; 30 and the second [took the woman, and he died childless]; 31 and the third took her: and in like manner also the seven left no children and died; 32 and last of all the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection therefore of which of them does she become wife, for the seven had her as wife? 34 And Jesus said to them, The sons of this world marry and are given in marriage, 35 but they who are counted worthy to have part in that world, and the resurrection from among [the] dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 for neither can they die any more, for they are equal to angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead rise, even Moses shewed in [the section of] the bush, when he called [the] Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob; 38 but he is not God of [the] dead but of [the] living; for all live for him. 39 And some of the scribes answering said, Teacher, thou hast well spoken. 40 For they did not dare any more to ask him anything. 41 And he said to them, How do they say that the Christ is David's son, 42 and David himself says in the book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand 43 until I put thine enemies [as] footstool of thy feet? 44 David therefore calls him Lord, and how is he his son? 45 And, as all the people were listening, he said to his disciples, 46 Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes, and who love salutations in the market-places, and first seats in the synagogues, and first places at suppers; 47 who devour the houses of widows, and as a pretext make long prayers. These shall receive a severer judgment.

Commentary — not Bible text

Luke 20:1

Introduction

The question concerning the authority of Christ, and the baptism of John, Luk 20:1-8. The parable of the vine-yard let out to wicked husbandmen, Luk 20:9-18. The chief priests and scribes are offended, and lay snares for him, Luk 20:19, Luk 20:20. The question about tribute, Luk 20:21-26. The question about the resurrection of the dead, and our Lord's answer, Luk 20:27-40. How Christ is the son of David, Luk 20:41-44. He warns his disciples against the hypocrisy of the scribes, whose condemnation he points out, Luk 20:45-47.

Verse 1

One of those days - Supposed to have been one of the four last days of his life, mentioned Luk 19:47, probably Tuesday before the passover.

Luke 20:2-8

Verse 2

By what authority, etc. - See the note on Mat 21:23-27 (note).

Luke 20:9

Verse 9

A certain man planted a vineyard, etc. - See this parable largely explained, Mat 21:33-46 (note). See also on Mar 12:4-9 (note).

Luke 20:10-15

Verse 10

That they should give him of the fruit - The Hindoo corn-merchants, that have lent money to husbandmen, send persons in harvest-time to collect their share of the produce of the ground.

Luke 20:16-17

Verse 16

God forbid - Or, Let it not be, μη γενοιτο. Our phrase, God forbid, answers pretty well to the meaning of the Greek, but it is no translation.

Luke 20:18-19

Verse 18

Grind him to powder - See on Mat 21:44 (note).

Luke 20:20-21

Verse 20

They watched him - Παρατηρησαντες, Insidiously watching. See on Luk 14:1 (note).

Spies - Εγκαθετους, from εν, in, and καθιημι, I let down, to set in ambush. One who crouches in some secret place to spy, listen, catch, or hurt. Hesychius explains the word by ενεδρευοντες, those who lie in wait, or in ambush, to surprise and slay. Josephus uses the word to signify a person bribed for a particular purpose. See War, b. ii. c. ii. s. 5, and b. vi. c. v. s. 2. No doubt the persons mentioned in the text were men of the basest principles, and were hired by the malicious Pharisees to do what they attempted in vain to perform.

Luke 20:22-28

Verse 22

Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar - See this insidious but important question considered at large on Mat 22:16-22 (note).

Luke 20:29-33

Verse 29

There were therefore seven brethren - See on Mat 22:23-33 (note).

Luke 20:34-35

Verse 34

The children of this world - Men and women in their present state of mortality and probation; procreation being necessary to restore the waste made by death, and to keep up the population of the earth.

Luke 20:36-37

Verse 36

Equal unto the angels - Who neither marry nor die. See the Jewish testimonies to the resurrection of the human body quoted at length on 1Cor 15:42 (note).

Luke 20:38-39

Verse 38

All live unto him - There is a remarkable passage in Josephus's account of the Maccabees, chap. xvi., which proves that the best informed Jews believed that the souls of righteous men were in the presence of God in a state of happiness. "They who lose their lives for the sake of God, Live unto God, as do Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the rest of the patriarchs." And one not less remarkable in Shemoth Rabba, fol. 159. "Rabbi Abbin saith, The Lord said unto Moses, Find me out ten righteous persons among the people, and I will not destroy thy people. Then said Moses, Behold, here am I, Aaron, Eleazar, Ithamar, Phineas, Caleb, and Joshua; but God said, Here are but seven, where are the other three? When Moses knew not what to do, he said, O Eternal God, do those live that are dead! Yes, saith God. Then said Moses, If those that are dead do live, remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." So the resurrection of the dead, and the immortality and immateriality of the soul, were not strange or unknown doctrines among the Jews.

Luke 20:40

Verse 40

They durst not ask - Or, did not venture to ask any other question, for fear of being again confounded, as they had already been.

Luke 20:41-42

Verse 41

How say they - See the note on Mat 22:42-46 (note).

Luke 20:43-45

Verse 43

Thy footstool - Literally, the footstool of thy feet. They shall not only be so far humbled that the feet may be set on them; but they shall be actually subjected, and put completely under that Christ whom they now despise, and are about to crucify.

Luke 20:46-47

Verse 46

Beware of the scribes - Take heed that ye be not seduced by those who should show you the way of salvation. See on Mat 23:4-14 (note).

1. How it can be supposed that the ancient Jewish Church had no distinct notion of the resurrection of the dead is to me truly surprising. The justice of God, so peculiarly conspicuous under the old covenant, might have led the people to infer that there must be a resurrection of the dead, if even the passage to which our Lord refers had not made a part of their law. As the body makes a part of the man, justice requires that not only they who are martyrs for the testimony of God, but also all those who have devoted their lives to his service, and died in his yoke, should have their bodies raised again. The justice of God is as much concerned in the resurrection of the dead, as either his power or mercy. To be freed from earthly incumbrances, earthly passions, bodily infirmities, sickness; and death, to be brought into a state of conscious existence, with a refined body and a sublime soul, both immortal, and both ineffably happy - how glorious the privilege! But of this, who shall be counted worthy in that day? Only those who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, and who, by patient continuing in well doing, have sought for glory and honor and immortality.

2. A bad example, supported by the authority, reputation, and majesty of religion, is a very subtle poison, from which it is very difficult for men to preserve themselves. It is a great misfortune for any people to be obliged to beware of those very persons who ought to be their rule and pattern. This is a reflection of pious Father Quesnel; and, while we admire its depth, we may justly lament that the evil he refers to should be so prevalent as to render the observation, and the caution on which it is founded, so necessary. But let no man imagine that bad and immoral ministers are to be found among one class of persons only. They are to be found in the branches as well as in the root: in the different sects and parties as well as in the mother or national Churches, from which the others have separated. On either hand there is little room for glorying. - Professors and ministers may change, but the truth of the Lord abideth for ever!

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