Jesus continues His teaching through the parables using plain language and explains what will happen before He returns.
Luke 20: The Authority of Jesus Challenged
1 One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up
2 and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority."
3 He answered them, "I also will ask you a question. Now tell me,
4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?"
5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'
6 But if we say, 'From man,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet."
7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from.
8 And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
9 And he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while.
10 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.
12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out.
13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.'
14 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.'
15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Surely not!"
17 But he looked directly at them and said, "What then is this that is written: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."
Paying Taxes to Caesar
19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.
20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.
21 So they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.
22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?"
23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them,
24 "Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's."
25 He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marvelling at his answer they became silent.
Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
28 and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children.
30 And the second
31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.
32 Afterward the woman also died.
33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."
34 And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,
35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,
36 for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
37 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.
38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him."
39 Then some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well."
40 For they no longer dared to ask him any question.
Whose Son Is the Christ?
41 But he said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is David's son?
42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,
43 until I make your enemies your footstool.'
44 David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?"
Beware of the Scribes
45 And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples,
46 "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at feasts,
47 who devour widows' houses and for a pretence make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."
Luke 21: The Widow's Offering
1 Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box,
2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.
3 And he said, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.
4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,
6 "As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
7 And they asked him, "Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?"
8 And he said, "See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.
9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once."
Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution
10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.
13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness.
14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer,
15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death.
17 You will be hated by all for my name's sake.
18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem
20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it,
22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfil all that is written.
23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.
24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
The Coming of the Son of Man
25 "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,
26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
29 And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.
31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Watch Yourselves
34 "But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
37 And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet.
38 And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.
Things to think about…
1. In Luke 20:1-8 Jesus’ authority is challenged. Look at the wisdom of Jesus when asked about His authority. He points to the ministry of John the Baptist. John pointed the way to Christ, and everyone knew John was killed unjustly. The people lifted him up as a prophet and many were no doubt still grieving over his death. No-one would dare speak out and say his ministry was not from God and Jesus knew the hearts of the morally weak chief priests, scribes and elders would buckle. Do you ever feel you have to justify what you do or what you believe before those who have no respect for your faith? Jesus did, but still didn’t resort to personal attacks or self-justification, but simply pointed out the obvious hypocritical flaws in His opponents’ argument. The challenge is not to point score but to make critics reflect on their own belief system and give them space to consider changing their position.
2. Consider the parable of the Wicked Tenants, Luke 20:9-18. The Chief Priests lacked personal accountability and fostered an environment of austerity. They also lacked accountability over those they led. If accountability within leadership is not on display, the leadership starts to believe their own agenda, above God’s word. The Scribes and Elders knew that Jesus was saying that they were the ones who were the wicked tenants who were to look after the spiritual ‘vineyard’. They had killed the prophets who were sent to Israel and now they intended to kill the son. It’s interesting that after this parable was spoken it was from this point on that they sought an opportunity to trap Jesus in His words so that He could be put to death. Anyone who is in spiritual leadership must foster an environment of open accountability within the church. Our Lord will ultimately judge how it was achieved, Luke 20:18, 47.
3. What would you consider is Caesar’s and what do you think is the Lord’s as you read Luke 20:19-26? How do you discern the difference? A good place to start is to consider these basic principles – paying tax is Caesar’s (the government) and tithing/offerings are the Lord’s. If there is a wrestle here try and find the source of the discontent. We cannot serve two masters.
4. In Luke 20:27-40 Jesus says at the resurrection that there will be no marriage in the Kingdom of God. One of the reasons He gives, apart from saying we will be like the angels, is that there will be no more death, vs 36. What does He mean by this? Yes, we die here on earth and won’t die in glory, but what does this have to do with whether we marry or not in glory? Didn’t the Lord marry Adam and Eve before the fall, even before they had death working out in their bodies? So what does Jesus mean? Hint:- Will Jesus be married in heaven? He will indeed. To His bride, the church. We will be eternally joined to our Saviour in a marriage covenant that will never be broken through death.
5. Luke 21 is almost entirely devoted to the future destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming of Christ. Jesus not only describes 70AD when Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus, but also points to events that are still in the future from our perspective. Consider Luke 21:9, 24. It says that these events won’t happen all at once. Jesus then says that nation will rise against nation and that there will be earthquakes and famines, but also that the Jewish people will be taken into other nations until the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled. A lot of this activity is more graphically illustrated in the book of Revelation. Many say we are in these days, some have even tried to nail down a date, to their own shame. We are near in a number of ways, but to declare a time is foolish and Jesus has told us that the day and hour is only known in the mind of God.
6. Jesus does say however that we will know when these days are upon us in Luke 21:29-33, with the lesson of the fig tree. Much discussion has surrounded the words “this generation” and what it means. Is Jesus referring to His hearers, or the Jewish people or the generation who are alive at the time of Christ’s second coming. Could He be referring to a combination of all three? There is a case to be made that the word genera stands for the Jewish people and as such they will not pass away until the Lord’s words are fulfilled.
7. The only ones who fail to discern the season of Christ’s return are those described in Luke 21:34-35. How are we to ‘stay awake’ as described in verse 36? By maintaining our relationship with Christ and making sure others hear about the kingdom of God. Reading the scriptures and praying are vital in “staying awake”.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer Points
1. ‘One for Israel’ have asked for our prayers. There is another court case this month against them for proclaiming Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. The message of Yeshua is seen as anti-Israel and could have profound consequences, potentially leading to the gagging of the gospel in Israel
2. Members quarterly meeting next Sunday - New members will be voted upon. See CBC’s Youtube page if you need to see the new members classes.
3. Pray for peace over the Israel/Gaza, Ukraine/Russian wars.
4. New Life group starting soon in Fernvale/Lowood after membership course
5. Those that haven’t come to church for a while to return.
6. Revival over our city.
7. Finances to cover our needs
8. Pray for PlayPatch, Kids church, Creche and Kids Hope at Karalee State school.
9. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Final session of New Members completed. We look forward to welcoming new members next Sunday
2. More visitors on Sunday
3. The Lord’s grace over our lives and country
4. Café, music, kids church, admin, sound and technical team every week
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Quarterly Members Meeting 25th May after church.
2. Ministries this week. Life groups, Kids@Church, Kids Hope - Karalee.
3. PlayPatch 1-5yos, Fridays 9:30am at church.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for May...
Q. 32. What is a change of heart called? A. Regeneration.
Bible References – Titus 3:5-7.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
