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At one time, while Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came there with the elders,

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and they said to Jesus, “Tell us by what authority You do these things, and who gave You this authority!”

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But Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question. Tell Me:

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John’s baptism—was it from heaven or from men?”

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And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

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But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

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So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

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Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

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Then Jesus told this parable to the people: “A man planted a vineyard; then he leased it to tenant farmers and went into another country for a long time.

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When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenant farmers, so that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenant farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

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After that he sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.

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Then he sent a third servant, but they also wounded him and threw him out.

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Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; surely they will respect him.’

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But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they discussed it among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’

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So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

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He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “May it never be!”

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But Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean:
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?

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Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and whoever it falls on will be crushed.”

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Then the scribes and the chief priests tried to seize Him at that very hour, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them, but they feared the people.

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So the scribes and the chief priests watched Jesus closely. They sent spies who pretended to be honest men, so that they might catch Him in some statement and hand Him over to the authority and power of the governor.

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These men asked Him this question: “Teacher, we know that all Your words and teaching are true, and You do not show partiality, but You teach the way of God in truth.

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Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

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But Jesus perceived their craftiness and said to them:

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“Show Me a denarius; whose image and inscription does it have?” They answered, “Caesar’s image and inscription.”

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Then Jesus said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s!”

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And they were not able to trap Him in His words before the people. They marveled at His answer and were silent.

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Then some Sadducees came to Jesus, who deny that there is a resurrection. They asked Him:

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“Teacher, Moses wrote this command for us: If a man has a brother and dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother must marry the wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

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There were seven brothers. The first married a woman and died without leaving children.

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Then the second married the woman,

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and then the third, and so in turn all seven brothers; they all died without leaving children.

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Finally the woman also died.

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In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be, since all seven had her as wife?”

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Jesus answered them: “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage,

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but those who are considered worthy to share in that age and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry and are not given in marriage.

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For they can die no more; they are like the angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.

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But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed in the passage about the bush, where the Lord is called the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

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He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live before Him.”

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When some of the scribes heard it, they said: “Teacher, Your answer is very right.”

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For they no longer dared to ask Him anything.

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But Jesus said to them: “How can people say that the Messiah is David’s Son?

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For David himself says in the book of Psalms:
The Lord said to my Lord:
sit at My right hand,

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until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.

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So David calls Him Lord; how then can He also be his son?”

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While all the crowd was listening, Jesus said to His disciples:

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“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes and love greetings in the marketplaces, and the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,

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who devour widows’ houses and for a show make long prayers. These will receive a more severe judgment.”

📖 Luke 20 – Jesus’ Authority, Wisdom in Teaching, and Rejection by Religious Leaders

🧾 Summary of Luke 20

This chapter describes how Jesus faced confrontation from the religious leaders in Jerusalem. They questioned His authority and tried to trap Him with tricky questions, but Jesus answered them wisely and with understanding.

1. The Question about Jesus’ Authority (verses 1–8)

The chief priests and scribes asked, “By what authority are You doing all these things?”
Jesus asked in return about John’s baptism: from God or from men?
They did not dare answer because they feared the crowd.
So Jesus did not answer their question directly either.

👉 Meaning:
Jesus shows that spiritual authority does not need to be proved by human means, but is known by the fruit and wisdom it produces.

2. The Parable of the Vineyard Tenants (verses 9–19)

A vineyard owner leased out his vineyard. The tenants rejected and mistreated the owner’s messengers, even killing his own son.
This portrays Israel rejecting the prophets and finally rejecting the Son of God Himself.

👉 Meaning:
Jesus foretells His rejection by the religious leaders, and that the kingdom of God will be given to another people who bear fruit.

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone…”

3. Question about Paying Taxes to Caesar (verses 20–26)

They tried to trap Jesus with a political question: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”
Jesus answered:

“Give to Caesar what you are obliged to give to Caesar, and to God what you are obliged to give to God.”

👉 Meaning:
Heavenly wisdom overcomes worldly traps. Duty to the government does not cancel duty to God.

4. Question about the Resurrection by the Sadducees (verses 27–40)

The Sadducees (who did not believe in the resurrection) asked about a woman who married seven brothers.
Jesus answered that in the resurrection, people neither marry nor are given in marriage.
He affirmed that God is the God of the living, not of the dead.

👉 Meaning:
Life after death is real. Those who believe will experience the resurrection and eternal life.

5. Jesus Questions the Son of David (verses 41–44)

Jesus asked, “How can the Messiah be called David’s son, when David himself calls Him Lord?”
This shows that the Messiah is greater than merely a descendant of David — He is the Lord Himself.

6. Warning against the Scribes (verses 45–47)

Jesus warned the disciples not to imitate the scribes, who seek honor and oppress the weak, especially widows.

👉 Meaning:
True holiness is not seen in appearance or position, but in humility and genuine love.

📘 Main Teachings of Luke 20

Jesus has divine authority, though rejected by the leaders of the world.
The kingdom of God is not given on the basis of inheritance, but on the basis of the fruit of repentance and obedience.
Believers must obey the government without forgetting their duty to God.
The resurrection is God’s promise for those who believe.
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, not merely a descendant of man.
True spiritual life is not hypocrisy, but sincere service.

✨ The Spiritual Meaning of Luke 20

The Lord Jesus is the Cornerstone, rejected by many people yet becoming the foundation of salvation.
God values truthfulness of heart, not outward appearance.
The world may try to trap believers, but wisdom from the Lord provides a way out.
The resurrection and eternal life are realities for believers.
Our duty is to give to God – our hearts, our lives, and our true worship.