Luke 20
20
Jewish Leaders Question Jesus
1One day Jesus was in the Temple, teaching the people and telling them the Good News. The leading priests, teachers of the law, and elders came up to talk with him, 2saying, “Tell us what authority you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
3Jesus answered, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4When John baptized people, was that authority from God or just from other people?”
5They argued about this, saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 6But if we say, ‘It was from other people,’ all the people will stone us to death, because they believe John was a prophet.” 7So they answered that they didn’t know where it came from.
8Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.”
A Story About God’s Son
9Then Jesus told the people this story: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to some farmers. Then he went away for a long time. 10When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent a servant to the farmers to get some of the grapes. But they beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. 11Then he sent another servant. They beat this servant also, and showed no respect for him, and sent him away empty-handed. 12So the man sent a third servant. The farmers wounded him and threw him out. 13The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What will I do now? I will send my son whom I love. Maybe they will respect him.’ 14But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. If we kill him, it will be ours.’ 15So the farmers threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What will the owner of this vineyard do to them? 16He will come and kill those farmers and will give the vineyard to other farmers.”
When the people heard this story, they said, “Let this never happen!”
17But Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this verse mean:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
became the cornerstone’? #Psalm 118:22
18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken, and the person on whom it falls, that person will be crushed!”
19The teachers of the law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus at once, because they knew the story was about them. But they were afraid of what the people would do.
Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?
20So they watched Jesus and sent some spies who acted as if they were sincere. They wanted to trap Jesus in saying something wrong so they could hand him over to the authority and power of the governor. 21So the spies asked Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is true. You pay no attention to who people are, and you always teach the truth about God’s way. 22Tell us, is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23But Jesus, knowing they were trying to trick him, said, 24“Show me a coin. Whose image and name are on it?”
They said, “Caesar’s.”
25Jesus said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.”
26So they were not able to trap Jesus in anything he said in the presence of the people. And being amazed at his answer, they became silent.
Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus
27Some Sadducees, who believed people would not rise from the dead, came to Jesus. 28They asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 29Once there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, but had no children. 30Then the second brother married the widow, and he died. 31And the third brother married the widow, and he died. The same thing happened with all seven brothers; they died and had no children. 32Finally, the woman died also. 33Since all seven brothers had married her, whose wife will she be when people rise from the dead?”
34Jesus said to them, “On earth, people marry and are given to someone to marry. 35But those who will be worthy to be raised from the dead and live again will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. 36In that life they are like angels and cannot die. They are children of God, because they have been raised from the dead. 37Even Moses clearly showed that the dead are raised to life. When he wrote about the burning bush, he said that the Lord is ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38God is the God of the living, not the dead, because all people are alive to him.”
39Some of the teachers of the law said, “Teacher, your answer was good.” 40No one was brave enough to ask him another question.
Is the Christ the Son of David?
41Then Jesus said, “Why do people say that the Christ is the Son of David? 42In the book of Psalms, David himself says:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit by me at my right side,
43until I put your enemies under your control.” ’#Psalm 110:1
44David calls the Christ ‘Lord,’ so how can the Christ be his son?”
Jesus Accuses Some Leaders
45While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his followers, 46“Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around wearing fancy clothes, and they love for people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces. They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues and at feasts. 47But they cheat widows and steal their houses and then try to make themselves look good by saying long prayers. They will receive a greater punishment.”
The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
