Takeaways from Luke 20

Intro

Well hey everyone, and welcome back to another Thursday night gathering. If you’re new here this week, or last week since I wasn’t here…my name is Cody and I’m the college pastor here at Coram Deo.

Like I said, I wasn’t here last week. My family got away for a bit of a vacay, had some fun, got to do some cool things in Dubuque…and then came back here and picked back up on Tuesday.

And over vacation…I got to thinking about the bible, and how I read it. How we read the bible is not only a big and important topic…but it’s actually one of the most sought after pieces of info in the Christian community. And I’m sure, that many of you are in that boat…of wanting to always grow in your ability to read scripture.

It’s something that we talk about a lot on our weekly podcast for the ministry. Shameless plug, Centered. Committed. Confident. Check it out. Lately we’ve been doing a series on devotions which seems to be resonating quite a bit with ya’ll.

Anyway, I was thinking about bible reading…and how while I was on vacation…I entered into a new mode of reading. There’s several different ways to read it right?

Sometimes we read it for deep study, for academia, for theological understanding....other times we read it seeking advice, or looking for some nuggets of application…or maybe we read it because we are on a reading plan and we just want to get through it and know it better...

Whatever it may be. We read the bible differently, at different times, and for different reasons. And my normal type of reading…is deep study and application. I look for reoccurring themes, theological implications, repeated words, author’s intent, intended response…all that stuff.

And I think that you see those things in my teaching on Thursday nights. Well, this past week…I didn’t do that. I…and this will literally shock many of you that actually know me…I read the bible on my phone on vacation. I read it…whenever I got a chance. Usually at night in bed while everyone else was asleep.

I wasn’t taking notes…I wasn’t doing a deep study…I didn’t have any special programs open or commentaries…I just did some light reading. And that’s okay.

I want to tell you that.

That’s okay. It’s good for ya some times. Sometimes, we should just pick up the text…read it..and talk and think about what stands out.

And actually…that’s what this message is tonight. It doesn’t have a fancy title or poetic points…it doesn’t line up perfectly…and not all the points relate to the other ones…but you know what? It’s sincere, it’s real…and it’s a way to read scripture that I want you to see.

So today’s message is called…3 Takeaways from Luke 20. I told you…it’s not super fancy.

But I want you to imagine it like this…these points…are the type of points that you just write in the margin of your bible. That you learn from, reflect on for a few moments…and then walk away from the word and just reflect on what you learned throughout the next few days.

So…after that longer intro....let’s get back into our series in the gospel of Luke. I’ll explain a bit as I got along.

Luke 20:1–8 (ESV)

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.”

So, I told you we would be seeing some takeaways from this passage today…and here’s the first one.

Jesus is awesome

Super in depth right?

I know it’s not the most riveting point…but it’s a fair response to what we see about Jesus in this passage. I mean, think about the whole passage for a minute. This is Jesus, handling himself in a really cool way. You need to remember that the Gospel of Luke is comprised of eyewitness accounts of what Jesus did. Which means, that this account was taken from people who were actually there…in the temple…seeing Jesus handle these pharisees in a way that revealed their unbelief, arrogance, and ignorance. And he didn't’ do it through debate, or belittling, or anger…Jesus simply did it by asking a question.

So yeah, my first takeaway after reading this passage is Jesus is awesome. And if that’s not enough for you, here’s a few reasons why he’s awesome. First

Full of authority (v.1-2)

Look back at the first two verses. It says that one day Jesus was teaching in the temple…that already should show us his authority, because not anyone just waltzed into a temple and started teaching whatever they wanted. And the same is true for us here…you don’t just show up on a Sunday, get led in worship, and then just sit as a congregation and wait to see if anyone is willing to get up on stage and preach, right?

We have someone that teaches us…someone that we give authority to in our lives…that’s who we allow to teach in our church. And the same is true here…someone who was teaching in the temple and allowed to is someone that was seen with authority. And Jesus had it.

Not only that, but the leaders of the time acknowledge that he had authority.. Back at verse one into verse two. The chief priests, and scribes, and elders…so literally anyone who was in charge and had authority…they come up to Jesus and what do they ask? Where does your authority come from? Who gave it to you?

Notice, the leaders don’t say “you don’t have the authority to be here”…but what they do say, is “where does this authority come from?”

So yeah, Jesus was full of authority. And our response to that should be to recognize it. Recognize his authority. If we are seeking to understand Jesus…we want to know that he’s loving, and kind, and compassionate, and shows mercy…and all these great things…but also don’t forget that Jesus spoke with authority in his voice and teachings. He wasn’t a pushover, he didn’t bow to anyone, he spoke as one who was approved by God, and as we see…as one who was God.

And…Jesus still has that authority. What does he say in Matthew 28 at the beginning of the great commission?

Matthew 28:18 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Jesus is awesome because he was full of authority, and he still is full of authority…we just sang about it during worship, the song “Jesus over everything” says all authority to one name over everything”…he’s full of that authority which means what he says is true. What he says has power, it has grip…it is reality.

And he’s not just awesome because he wields this authority…but he’s awesome because he’s

Full of wisdom (v.3-4)

Look back at verses 3 and 4. These leaders come up to him, and what does he do? He asks them a question.

Luke 20:3–4 ESV

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?”

I say Jesus is awesome because of what he does here…He doesn’t respond in anger, or with facts about the earth. If you went to the worldview conference, you might be thinking of all the things that could be said to prove who Jesus is…but he doesn’t do that. Instead, full of extreme wisdom…Jesus turns their motivations of their heart back on them, and asks a question intended to reveal what is really going on in thief hearts and mind.

Like, if that isn’t wisdom I don’t know what is.

If you’re wondering what wisdom means…here’s the definition.

Wisdom: the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.

To summarize it…it’s not just having knowledge, but it’s the application of that knowledge. It’s knowing what to do with what you know.

And Jesus, the one who knows everything…knows what to do with it. And so for me…that makes him really awesome. That he would not only have all this authority, but that he’s trustworthy to put that authority and his knowledge to not only good use…but perfect use.

So if you’re looking for an application point…I would just say if Jesus is full of wisdom…go to him for wisdom. Go to him in prayer and word when you need wisdom, because he’s filled with it. And that makes him awesome, I think.

So that’s our first takeaway…here’s the second one that we see in this passage.

Some people don’t want to believe.

I get this takeaway from verses 5 and 6. Look back at it with me. So Jesus asks this question about John the baptist…and the reason he asks about John the baptist is that Jesus was commissioned by him…Jesus started his ministry getting baptized by John and John claimed Jesus was the Christ…the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…to deny John the baptist was to deny what he said about Jesus.

Luke 20:5–6 ESV

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.”

I want you to notice something here....they never actually considered his question. Right? Like instead of each man there, contemplating in his own mind what the true answer to that question might be…they instead gathered together, and what did they talk about?

They talked about how each one of the answers to that question might make them look, or what effects it might have on them.

They talked about the repercussions of the answer, but never bothered to consider what answer might be true. And what does this show?

It shows that in their minds…they already had the answer. In their minds…Jesus wasn’t who he said he was and so…they spent their time exploring debate instead of exploring what their souls might be telling them. And we see that they didn’t want to believe for one major reason…this isn’t the only reason one may not want to believe…but it’s definitely a big example of why someone may not believe and that’s...

Because of pride (v.5-6)

Look back at verse 5. The leaders here didn’t want to say that John the baptist’s work was from heaven…because then they would have to deal with the embarrassment, and shame, of looking like fools because they didn’t believe John the baptist when he was alive even though they are suppose to be the religious gurus of the time.

To admit they were wrong, would embarrass them…it would hurt their pride…and they weren’t having that. And that pride is also evident in verse 6, look at it.

They were afraid that if they said he was a fraud, they would be killed. What is that? It’s self love. It’s loving yourself over loving what is right and true and good. It’s protecting yourself from what you know, and what God tells us is true. And what’s the root of extreme self love? Pride. Thinking you are more valuable than others. Putting yourself above others in a way that demeans them, controls them, belittles them, doesn’t seek their good…and so many more things. And these leaders are guilty of that. They don’t want to answer the question, because they value their own lives over the sincere belief of the people that they are leading...

So what we takeaway from this…is that there are people who will not want to believe.

They will waste their time looking for the answer that suits them and their motives and their minds best, rather than actually considering…despite whatever consequences it may have…if something is true.

You guys see this in your lives all the time…maybe it’s even you. You’d rather debate, and decide, and question the value of each answer and how it looks or feels or suits your own desires…rather than just acknowledging if it’s actually true or not. And a lot of times…that’s because we don’t like what the repercussions would be if it was true.

We don’t like the things that would have to change in our lives, or the relationships that would have to alter or end if we accepted what was true. We value where we are at right now, versus what God may lead us to if we submit to the truth of who he is and what he says...

That’s our second takeaway, some people don’t want to believe....and the last thing we see here tonight is closely related...

Belief requires faith (v.7-8)

These leaders don’t want to believe…and then Jesus teaches us something really important about our beliefs, and believing in him…and that in verses 7 and 8, look at it.

Luke 20:7–8 ESV

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.”

What is Jesus saying here?

He’s saying…that because they are unwilling to believe…because they are unwilling to have faith in him (that’s the heart of this issue here)…because they are unwilling to have faith in him…there is not reason to continue discussion on specific beliefs. Because…those specific beliefs…the answer to those questions…requires faith. And they don’t have it.

They don’t desire it. They don’t want it.

And why is there takeaway here tonight?

It’s here because sometimes I need to remember to just turn off my brain. You know, the worldview conference was awesome. There were so many things that were helpful in helping us learn how to defend our faith…in defense of the hope that we have…but even what I just said…implies something right?

Everything that we learned, was to defend OUR FAITH. As in…defend the faith that we already have.

Notice how scriptures like

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Notice how it talks about making a defense for the hope you already have…making a DEFENSE for a your faith…not a justification.

There is a big difference between defending your faith, and attempting to justify faith through reasoning. And what Jesus is saying right here…is that logic, and reasoning, and arguments, and answers…they don’t matter…and he won’t give them if you don’t have faith, because belief requires faith.

Think about it this way.

If we are building a building…and it has a cement foundation, that’s pretty good right?? That can create a solid foundation…until…someone comes along with a chemical that can eat cement…dissolve it. How effective is that foundation now? How long will the building last if someone goes around destroying the foundation we’ve built everything on?

The answer is not long at all.

And the same is true if we try to build our faith on logic and reasoning, and matters of science, and personal experience…because all of those things change.

Logic changes with the spirit of the age, what people value and how we view ourselves changes with each generation…just look at the difference between boomers, millennials, and you guys. We all have different generational values and differences in how we view people...

Science changes with more information, or different information. Our personal experience changes with age.

All of those things are things that we try to build our faith on…but all it takes is for a few of those things to change for the foundation to crumble and the building to come crashing down...

Rather, Christ is the foundation we build everything on. And FAITH in him, despite whatever the current attitude or scientific opinion towards him, is how we move forward.

We first must have faith in him, his life, his death, his resurrection....and then continue to sharpen the things that defend that faith…but are not the reason for it.

I just want to encourage you…to evaluate what you’re building your faith on. Are you waiting to believe until everything makes sense? Cause that’ll never happen. Are you struggling to believe because you’ve built your foundation on beliefs about Christ rather than belief in Christ?

Are you struggling to believe and you need help? You need to sit with someone and talk about what it means to have faith? You’re struggling with your own faith in Christ…come talk to me. I’d love to help you. Talk to any of these leaders with name tags on…we’d love to help you.