Luke 20
1 One day [during that week, Jesus] was teaching the people in the Temple [courtyard] and telling them [God’s] good message. As he was doing that, the chief priests, the men who taught the [Jewish] laws, and [other Jewish] elders came to him.
Once when Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, telling them the good news, some of the chief priests and religious teachers came with the elders.
2 They asked him, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who authorized you to do things [like you did here yesterday]?”
They asked him, “Tell us: by whose authority are you doing what you do? Who gave you the right to do this?”
3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me,
“Let me ask you a question too,” Jesus replied. “Tell me:
4 where did John [the Baptizer] get [his authority to] baptize [those who came to him]? [Did he get it] from God [MTY/EUP] or from people?”
the baptism of John—was it from heaven, or was it just human?”
5 They discussed this among themselves. They said, “[If we(inc) say], ‘[It was] from God [MTY/EUP],’ he will say to us, ‘[Then] (you should have believed John’s [message]!/why did you not believe what John preached?) [RHQ]’
They talked about it among themselves: “If we say it was from heaven, he'll ask, ‘Then why didn't you believe him?’
6 But if we say, ‘It was [from] people,’ the people [here] will [kill us by] throwing stones at us, because they [all] believe that John was a prophet [from God].”
And if we say it was just human, everybody will stone us for they're sure John was a prophet.”
7 So they replied, “We [(exc)] do not know where [John got his authority].”
So they answered, “We don't know where it came from.”
8 Then Jesus said to them, “[Because you did not answer my question], I will not tell you who authorized me to do those things [here yesterday].”
Jesus replied, “Then I won't tell you by whose authority I do what I do.”
9 Then Jesus told the people this parable [to illustrate what God would do to the Jews who rejected the former prophets and himself]: “A [certain] man planted a vineyard. He rented the vineyard to some men [to care for it and to give him some of the grapes in return]. Then he went to another country and stayed there several years.
Then he began to tell the people a story: “Once there was a man who planted a vineyard, leased it to some farmers, and went to live in another country for a long while.
10 When [the vines started producing] grapes, he sent a servant to the men who were taking care of the vineyard. He expected that they would give him some of the grapes that the vineyard had produced. But [after the servant arrived], they beat him and they did not give him any grapes. They [just] sent him away.
At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenant farmers to collect his share of the crop, but the farmers beat the servant and sent him away with nothing.
11 [Later], [the owner] sent another servant. But they beat him and mistreated him [also]. They sent him away without giving him any grapes.
So the owner sent another servant, but they beat him too and treated him shamefully, and sent him away with nothing.
12 [Still later, the owner] sent another servant. That one they wounded and threw him out [of the vineyard].
So he sent a third servant, but they wounded him and threw him out.
13 So the owner of the vineyard thought to himself, ‘(I do not know what to do!/What shall I do?) [RHQ]’ [Then he had an idea. He thought to himself], ‘I will send my son, [whom I] love [very much]. Perhaps they will respect him [and give him my share of the grapes].’
The owner of the vineyard asked himself, ‘What shall I do? I know, I'll send my son whom I love. Perhaps they will respect him.’
14 [So he sent his son], but when the men who were caring for the vineyard saw him [coming], they said to each other, ‘Here [comes] the man who will [some day] inherit [the vineyard]. Let’s kill him so that this vineyard will be ours!’
But when they saw him coming, the farmers said to themselves, ‘This is the owner's heir. Let's kill him! That way we can take his inheritance.’
15 So they dragged him outside the vineyard and they killed him. So (I will tell you what the owner of the vineyard will do to them!/do you know what the owner of the vineyard will do to them?) [RHQ]
They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
16 He will come and kill those men who were taking care of the vineyard. Then he will arrange for other people to take care of it.” When the people listening to Jesus heard that, they said, “[We would] not do anything like those wicked men did!”
He will come and kill these farmers and let others have the vineyard.” When they heard the story, they said, “May this never happen!”
17 But Jesus looked directly at them and said, “You can say that, [but think about] the meaning of these words that are written {which [a prophet] wrote} [RHQ] [in the Scriptures], The men who were building a house rejected a certain stone. But others put that same stone in its proper place, and it has become the most important stone in the building [MET].
But Jesus looked at them and said, “Then why is it written in the Scriptures, ‘The stone the builders rejected has now become the chief cornerstone’?
18 [That stone represents me, the Messiah], and those who reject me are [like people who fall on this stone]. Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces {This stone will break to pieces everyone who falls on it}, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
Anyone who falls on that stone will be broken in pieces; anyone it falls upon will be crushed.”
19 The chief priests and the men who taught the [Jewish] laws realized that he was accusing them when he told the parable [about what those wicked men did]. So they immediately tried to find a way to seize [MTY] him, but [they did not seize him, because] they were afraid of [what] the people [there would do if they did that].
Immediately the religious teachers and the chief priests wanted to arrest him because they realized that the story Jesus told was aimed at them, but they were afraid of what the people would do.
20 So they watched him carefully. They also hired (spies/secret agents) who pretended to be sincere. [But] they really wanted to get him to say something for [which they could accuse] him. They wanted to be able to turn him over to the authority of the governor [of the province. But they also knew that the Jews were disgusted with having to pay taxes to the government].
Watching for an opportunity they sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They tried to catch Jesus out in something he said so they could hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.
21 [So] one of them asked Jesus, “Teacher, we [(exc)] know that you [(sg)] speak and teach what is right. You tell the truth even if important people do not like it. You teach truthfully what God wants us to do.
They said, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is good and right, and that you're not swayed by the opinions of others. You truly teach the way of God.
22 [So tell us what you think about this matter]: Is it right that we pay taxes to the Roman government [MTY], or not?”
So should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 But Jesus knew that they were trying to trick him [to get him into trouble, either with the Jews, who hated to pay those taxes, or with the Roman government]. So he said to them,
But Jesus saw through their trickery, and said to them,
24 “Show me a [Roman] coin. [Then tell me] whose picture is on it. And [tell me whose] name is on it.” They [showed him a coin and] said, “It has the picture and name of Caesar, [the head of the Roman government].”
“Show me a coin—a denarius. Whose image and inscription is on it?” “Caesar's,” they answered.
25 He said to them, “In that case, give to the government [MTY] what they [require], and give to God what he [requires].”
“Then give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give back to God what belongs to God,” he told them.
26 While the people were there, the [spies] were unable to find fault with him for what he said. And they were amazed at his answer. So they said nothing.
They weren't able to trap him by what he told the people. They were stunned at his reply, and fell silent.
27 Some Sadducees came to [Jesus]. They are a Jewish sect who do not believe that people will become alive again after they die.
Then some of the Sadducees, who deny the resurrection, came to Jesus with this question:
28 They [wanted to] ask [Jesus] a question [in order to discredit the idea that dead people will live again]. One of them said [to Jesus], “Teacher, Moses wrote for us [Jews] about situations where a man who has a wife but no children. If the man dies, his brother should marry the [dead man’s] widow so that she can have a child by him. People [will consider] that the child is the descendant of the man [who died], [and in that way the dead man will have descendants].
“Teacher,” they began, “Moses gave us a law that if a married man dies leaving a wife without children, then his brother should marry the widow and have children for his dead brother.
29 Well, there were seven brothers in one family. The oldest one married, but he and his wife did not bear any children. Later he died.
Once there were seven brothers. The first had a wife, and died without having children.
30 The second [brother followed this law and married the widow, but the same thing happened to him].
The second
31 Then the third [brother] married her, [but the same thing happened again]. All seven [brothers, one by one, married that woman], [but] they had no children, and [one by one] they died.
and then the third brother also married her. In the end all seven brothers married her, and then died without having children.
32 Afterwards, the woman died, too.
Finally the wife died too.
33 Therefore, [if it is true that there will be a time] when dead people will become alive again, whose wife [do you think that woman] will be [then]? ([Keep in mind that she was married to all seven brothers!/It will be impossible to decide because] she was married to all seven brothers!) [RHQ]”
Now whose wife will she be in the resurrection, since all seven brothers had married her?”
34 Jesus replied to them, “Men who live here in this world take wives, or are given wives [by their parents] {their [parents] choose wives [for them]}. (aiōn g165)
“Here in this age people marry and are given in marriage,” Jesus explained. (aiōn g165)
35 But the men whom God considers worthy of [being in heaven after] they become alive again will not be married. (aiōn g165)
“But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and the resurrection from the dead don't marry or are given in marriage. (aiōn g165)
36 [You need to know also that] they cannot die any more, because they will be [immortal] [SIM] like angels. [The fact that God has caused] them to be alive again [will show] that they are God’s children.
They can't die any longer; they're like the angels and are children of God since they're children of the resurrection.
37 But [as for people] becoming alive again after they die, Moses wrote something about that. In the place where [he wrote about] the [burning] bush, he mentions the Lord as being the God whom Abraham [worships] and the God whom Isaac [worships] and the God whom Jacob [worships].
But on the question of whether the dead are raised, even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush, when he calls the Lord, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
38 It is not dead people who worship God. It is living people who worship him. [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob died long before Moses lived, but God said that they were still worshipping him, so we(inc) know their spirits were still alive]! All [people] whose [spirits] are alive [again after they die continue to live to honor God]!”
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him they all are alive.”
39 Some of the men who taught the [Jewish] laws replied, “Teacher, you [(sg)] have answered very well!”
Some of the religious teachers responded, “That was a good answer, Teacher.”
40 After that, they no longer dared to ask him any more questions [like that to try to trap him].
After this no one dared to ask him any more questions.
41 Then Jesus said to them, “I will show you (OR, prove to you) that people [are wrong who] say that the Messiah is [merely] a descendant of [King] David! [RHQ]
Then Jesus asked them, “Why is it said that Christ is the son of David?
42 Because David himself wrote [about the Messiah] in the book of Psalms, God said to my Lord, Sit [here beside me] on my right, [where I will highly honor you(sg)] [MTY].
For David himself says in the book of Psalms: The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand
43 [Sit here] while I completely defeat your enemies.
until I make all your enemies a footstool for your feet.’
44 King David calls [the Messiah] ‘[my] Lord’! So ([the Messiah] cannot be [just someone] descended from [King] David!/how can the Messiah be [just] someone descended from [King] David?) [RHQ] [What I just said proves that he is much greater than David, isn’t that right]?”
David calls him ‘Lord,’ so how can he be David's son?”
45 While all the [other] people were listening, [Jesus] said to his disciples,
While everyone was paying attention, he said to his disciples,
46 “Beware that [you do not act like] the men who teach our [Jewish] laws. They like to put on long robes and walk around [to make people think that they are very important]. [They] also like [people to] greet them [respectfully] in the marketplaces. They like [to sit in] the most important places in the Jewish meeting places. At dinner parties [they like to sit in] the seats where the most honored people sit.
“Watch out for religious leaders who like to go around in long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the markets, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets.
47 They swindle [MET] the houses [and property] of widows. [Then] they pretend they are good, as they pray [long] prayers [publicly. God] will [certainly] punish them very severely.”
They cheat widows out of what they own, and cover up the kind of people they really are with long-winded prayers. They will receive severe condemnation in the judgment.”
