Luke 20

1And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,

2And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

3And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:

4The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?

5And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

6But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.

7And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.

8And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

9Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

10And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.

11And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

12And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.

13Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

14But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.

15So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

16He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

17And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

18Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

19And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

20And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

21And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:

22Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no?

23But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?

24Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cæsar’s.

25And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which be Cæsar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.

26And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

27Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,

28Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man’s brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

29There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.

30And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.

31And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.

32Last of all the woman died also.

33Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.

34And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

35But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

36Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

37Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

38For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

39Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.

40And after that they durst not ask him any question at all.

41And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son?

42And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

43Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

44David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?

45Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,

46Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

47Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

Jesus’ Authority Challenged

1One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courtsfootnote a and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and scribes, together with the elders, came up to Him. 2“Tell us,” they said, “by what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

3“I will also ask you a question,” Jesus replied. “Tell Me: 4John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?”

5They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

7So they answered that they did not know where it was from.

8And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

9Then He proceeded to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some tenants, and went away for a long time. 10At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed.

11So he sent another servant, but they beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away empty-handed.

12Then he sent a third, but they wounded him and threw him out.

13‘What shall I do?’ asked the owner of the vineyard. ‘I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.’

14But when the tenants saw the son, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
And when the people heard this, they said, “May such a thing never happen!”

17But Jesus looked directly at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:‘The stone the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone’footnote b?

18Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

19When the scribes and chief priests realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against them, they sought to arrest Him that very hour. But they were afraid of the people.

20So they watched Him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of the governor. 21“Teacher,” they inquired, “we know that You speak and teach correctly. You show no partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

23But Jesus saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24“Show Me a denarius.footnote c Whose image and inscription are on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they answered.

25So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

26And they were unable to trap Him in His words before the people. And amazed at His answer, they fell silent.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

27Then some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to question Him. 28“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him.footnote d 29Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a wife but died childless. 30Then the secondfootnote e 31and the third married the widow, and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children. 32And last of all, the woman died. 33So then, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.”

34Jesus answered, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. 36In fact, they can no longer die, because they are like the angels. And since they are sons of the resurrection, they are sons of God.

37Even Moses demonstrates that the dead are raised, in the passage about the burning bush. For he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’footnote f 38He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.”

39Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, You have spoken well!” 40And they did not dare to question Him any further.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41Then Jesus declared, “How can it be said that the Christ is the Son of David? 42For David himself says in the book of Psalms:‘The Lord said to my Lord,“Sit at My right hand 43until I make Your enemiesa footstool for Your feet.”’footnote g

44Thus David calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how can He be David’s son?”

Beware of the Scribes

45In the hearing of all the people, Jesus said to His disciples, 46“Beware of the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, and they love the greetings in the marketplaces, the chief seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets. 47They defraud widows of their houses,footnote h and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”