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- Luke Chapter 20
Good morning! ☀️
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
If this is your first time getting Covered in His Dust, WELCOME!
Read Chapter 20 before reading my notes. They’ll make more sense.
Access previous notes on Luke by signing into your account. Click 'Read Online' at the top right of this post and scroll down to find them waiting for you.
As we read Chapter 20, let’s remember that this is Holy Week. Within the week, Jesus would be crucified. Until the last hour, He’s preaching the Gospel. He’s looking for His lost sheep.
Humbling.
Verse one mentions three religious groups.
Chief Priests held religious authority in Judaism. Their duties included supervising temple activities, performing sacrifices, and interpreting religious laws. Among them was the High Priest, who played a role in temple rituals and held the highest religious position.
These roles were usually passed down or appointed by political authorities, which created a conflict of interest and gives us some insight into why they wanted Jesus dead.Scribes were experts in Jewish religious laws and teachings. They were kind of like the scholars or teachers who helped people understand what the religious texts meant. They were highly educated and respected.
Elders were wise and respected leaders in the community, usually older men who had a lot of experience. They gave advice, helped make decisions, and were looked up to for their wisdom.
“Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”
What were they really asking?
“Who do you think you are? WE didn’t give you authority to teach or turn tables.”
Before being allowed to teach, a person needed approval from at least three ordained members of the Sanhedrin.
Going against established authority by teaching or making decisions was seen as either a sign of severe ignorance or a sign of rebellion.
The religious leaders were trying to get Jesus to admit that no one had given Him authority.
As Jesus’ ministry was starting, the Sanhedrin sent a group of religious leaders to ask John the Baptist the same question. “Who gave you the authority to baptize?” John 1:19-25
They were face-to-face with the greatest prophet of the Old Covenant, John the Baptist, and all they cared about was why he was baptizing without their permission.
"Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
So Jesus simply asked them,
“I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?”
The religious leaders chickened out and said they didn’t know.
These are the elite of the elite, and they didn’t know? Then, they didn’t deserve an answer from the Son of God.
More than 2000 years ago, Jesus was in His last week on earth.
The Scribes and Pharisees are still pressing Him. I imagine he had to be frustrated with them.
Yet.
He loved them. I forget that.
He loved them.
And even as sinners, He loves us.
As we break down the parable of the Wicked Tenants, let’s take a look at the main characters:
the landowner—God,
the vineyard—Israel,
the tenants—the Jewish religious leadership,
the landowner’s servants—the prophets who remained obedient and preached God’s word to the people of Israel,
the son—Jesus,
the other tenants—the Gentiles.
Jesus just challenged the religious leaders, and although He turned and spoke to the crowd, the Chief Priests and the Scribes were leaning in.
But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’
They understood the analogy of the son and that Jesus was referring to Himself. This would be blasphemous to them.
The Pharisees and religious elite wanted control of Israel and its people. They wanted to maintain their positions of authority, and they wanted the inheritance.
And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
Jeremiah was beaten (Jeremiah 26:7-11; 38:1-28),
John the Baptist was killed (Matthew 14:1-12),
Zechariah was stoned (2 Chronicles 24:17-21).
As Jesus finished the parable, He looked directly at them and asked about Psalm 118, which they could probably quote word for word, “What then does this mean?”
“What then is this that is written:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
He's essentially telling them, "You are the ones who have been warned for generations. It’s you who are neglecting the Cornerstone—the very foundation of salvation upon which everything hinges."
Those who reject Jesus will face serious consequences and be crushed like a stone by the weight of His judgment.
At first glance, and in our humanness, it looks like Jesus is condemning the Pharisees. But as I read it again. I think He’s actually trying to save them. He’s giving them one last warning.
Would they repent as Zacchaeus did in the last chapter? Or would their pride overtake them?
They were embarrassed in front of the people. They would now seek to kill Jesus.
What is going on???
Let’s take a minute and stand in the middle of the scene.
Jesus is in His last week. His earthly ministry is coming to an end.
As I read through Luke, I can feel Jesus calling out to His sheep. There’s a storm in the distance. Dark clouds are forming, and torrential rains will again cover the earth.
And Jesus… walks into the storm and calls out to the Pharisees and Sadducees directly.
But they have become so focused on their own authority and status that they’ve lost sight of their true devotion to God. Tradition and self-preservation have prevented them from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and accepting His message of repentance and salvation.
It’s so easy to point fingers and say, “I would never do that.”
But how many of us prefer living life according to our own desires?
We can go to church,
We can read the Bible,
We can even memorize scripture,
Yet, be completely focused on our own authority.
We who have the privilege of hearing God's word should make sure we use it wisely.
What did Jesus want from the Pharisees? What does He want from us?
Everything.
He wants our devotion.
He wants our hearts.
He wants our talents.
He wants our obedience.
He wants our love.
He wants our service.
He wants our trust.
He wants our humility.
He wants our repentance.
He wants our worship.
He wants our relationship.
He wants our lives, completely and wholly devoted to Him.
That’s what Jesus meant when He said to count the cost, and that’s why the Rich Young Ruler walked away sad.
"For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'"
As I read that confrontation and think about the Pharisees and Sadducees, I’m shaking my head. They must have been so pissed (excuse the language).
It’s funny. When Jesus exposes my sin, I, too, feel hurt and angry. Sometimes, I deny it—sometimes, I deny it for weeks! But as soon as I repent and fast my eyes on Jesus, I am forgiven.
The spies approach Jesus with flattery.
They affirm his fairness and righteous teaching and how he teaches the true way of God. Their words were true, but their hearts were far from Him.
He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, but give to God what is God's. What exactly belongs to God? Who bears the image of God? We do. Therefore, we are called to present to God what bears His image: ourselves. We are to dedicate ourselves to God. Romans 12:1-2.
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
One more time, I think it’s important to remember that this is the final week. Jerusalem is BUSY. Hundreds of thousands of people are filling the streets. The religious elite is coming at Jesus from every side. They’ve had enough.
The Sadducees were a Jewish religious group known for strictly following the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. They didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead, which set them apart from other Jewish groups like the Pharisees, who did believe in resurrection.
The Sadducees come to Jesus with a hypothetical scenario in an attempt to challenge His teaching.
Jesus explains to the Sadducees that in heaven, people won't get married or be married, even if they were married on earth.
Can we just talk about the elephant in the room? Or maybe it’s just me. That seems a little sad to me. I love my wife. A lot!
While it sounds sad at first, Jesus is talking about how things will be different in heaven. In God's kingdom, relationships will be better than we can imagine.
So, even though we won't have the same kind of relationships as we do on earth, we'll be together in God's presence, experiencing a deeper and more perfect relationship with each other and with God.
“But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”
What? I don’t get it!
Jesus is referencing Exodus 3:6.
"And he said, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God."
Jesus is pointing out that God says he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Jesus is showing the Sadducees that God said, "I am," not "I was," revealing that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must still be alive for God to be their God.
I don’t know for sure, but I’ve most likely skipped over verses 41-44 every time I’ve read the Gospel of Luke.
Why would I do that?
Four short verses that “probably make sense,” but I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT JESUS IS SAYING.
Not
Today
But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”
Jesus is challenging the common understanding that the Messiah would be a descendant of David, which He is… so hang with me for a second.
He points to a psalm written by David (Psalm 110:1), in which David refers to the Messiah as his "Lord."
Jesus is asking how it could be possible for the Messiah to be both David's descendant and his "Lord" if the Messiah were simply an earthly king.
Jesus is challenging the Sadducees and everyone listening to reconsider their expectations of the Messiah.
As a descendant of King David, Jesus could claim to be David's son. This was common knowledge among the Jews – even the blind man in Luke chapter 18 proclaimed:
They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
“Now if he is his Son, why does he call him his Lord? If he is his Lord, why do we call him his Son? They could not reconcile this seeming contradiction; thanks be to God, we can; that Christ, as God, was David’s Lord, but Christ as man, was David’s Son.” Matthew Henry
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Fully God
Fully Man
Living in Guatemala comes with its own unique challenges. We lost internet yesterday, so I spent this morning digging DEEP to finish the chapter. I considered sending my notes out tomorrow but decided to send them late instead.
I hope you were as encouraged as I was.
I see Holy Week differently.
I see the Messiah differently.
I see my sin differently.
I see His sacrifice and the crucifixion in a way that has brought me to my knees in repentance.
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
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George Sisneros serves as a full-time missionary in Guatemala. He is the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 25 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
George and his family will be expanding to Cuba in 2024.