Luke 20:1-19 Jesus' Authority

Jesus was doing two things in the Temple each day.  He was presenting the Gospel, and He was teaching the people.  My commentary says that the Sanhedrin were becoming indignant because He’d made the Temple His headquarters and they decided to question Him about His authority to do so.  They were sure of their authority and were not afraid to confront Him.  They also wanted to push Jesus into a dilemma so that He’d be in trouble no matter how He answered.

As to His authority to teach in the Temple, they could throw Him out if He claimed none; but if He claimed it came from God, He’d be in trouble with the Romans, who were on the alert for any would-be Messiahs, especially during Passover.

Jesus turned things around and put them on the defensive, asking them about John the Baptist’s authority.  “John had pointed to Jesus and introduced Him to the nation, so their rejection of John was actually a rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Secondly, it is a spiritual principle that if we disobey truth we clearly know, God cannot reveal new truth to us (John 7:14-17).”  If they said John’s authority was from God, Jesus would then ask why they didn’t listen.  If they said it was from other people, they risked being stoned themselves.

My commentary said they knew the Scriptures and recognized that the vineyard in the parable represented the nation of Israel; therefore, they also knew that the vineyard owner was God and they were the tenant farmers.  They understood that Jesus was saying they had failed by beating and killing the prophets, and now they wanted Him dead.

“In this parable, Jesus illustrated the insidious nature of sin:  the more we sin, the worse it becomes.  The tenants started off beating some of the servants and wounding others, but they ended up becoming murderers.  The Jewish leaders permitted John the Baptist to be killed, they asked for Jesus to be crucified, and then they themselves stoned Stephen.  They sinned against the Father (who sent John the Baptist), the Son, and the Holy Spirit (by killing Stephen), and that was the end of God’s witness to them.”

Father, it’s tempting to focus on how well Jesus cornered them, knowing their hearts.  But we must realize that we are all too much like the Sanhedrin, wanting our own way and unwilling to give up our holds on areas of our lives.  If You find me doing that, show me and lead me to give You control over that area.  I need You in control, not me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford