Luke 20:1-19

Introduction:

Jesus is teaching in the temple in Jerusalem.

Opposing him are the leaders of the Jews: various categories of them are given in .

Luke has explained that the barrier between Jesus and those who oppose him, right now, is the people.

Today’s big question: How evil is man?

We cannot pretend that what happens here is isolated only to the Jews.

We see in the nation of Israel God’s revelation of his grace, and we see the true depths of the evil, rebellious nature of man.

A Question of Authority

Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν διδάσκοντος αὐτοῦ τὸν λαὸν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ εὐαγγελιζομένου ἐπέστησαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς σὺν τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις

καὶ εἶπαν λέγοντες πρὸς αὐτόν· Εἰπὸν ἡμῖν ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς, ἢ τίς ἐστιν ὁ δούς σοι τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην;

ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἐρωτήσω ὑμᾶς κἀγὼ λόγον, καὶ εἴπατέ μοι·

Τὸ βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἦν ἢ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων;

οἱ δὲ συνελογίσαντο πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς λέγοντες ὅτι Ἐὰν εἴπωμεν· Ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ἐρεῖ· Διὰ τί οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε αὐτῷ;

ἐὰν δὲ εἴπωμεν· Ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, ὁ λαὸς ἅπας καταλιθάσει ἡμᾶς, πεπεισμένος γάρ ἐστιν Ἰωάννην προφήτην εἶναι.

καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν μὴ εἰδέναι πόθεν.

καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Οὐδὲ ἐγὼ λέγω ὑμῖν ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ.

Authority mattered to the Jews.

Jesus presents the options - from heaven or men.

If John is from heaven, then, there is no reason to question whether Jesus’ authority is from heaven.

John wasn’t credentialed.

An Illustration of Reality: Jesus exposes the pretense of opposition.

Ἤρξατο δὲ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν λέγειν τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην· Ἄνθρωπός [τις] ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα καὶ ἐξέδετο αὐτὸν γεωργοῖς καὶ ἀπεδήμησεν χρόνους ἱκανούς.

καὶ καιρῷ ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς τοὺς γεωργοὺς δοῦλον ἵνα ἀπὸ τοῦ καρποῦ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος δώσουσιν αὐτῷ· οἱ δὲ γεωργοὶ ἐξαπέστειλαν αὐτὸν δείραντες κενόν.

καὶ προσέθετο ἕτερον πέμψαι δοῦλον· οἱ δὲ κἀκεῖνον δείραντες καὶ ἀτιμάσαντες ἐξαπέστειλαν κενόν.

καὶ προσέθετο τρίτον πέμψαι· οἱ δὲ καὶ τοῦτον τραυματίσαντες ἐξέβαλον.

εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος· Τί ποιήσω; πέμψω τὸν υἱόν μου τὸν ἀγαπητόν· ἴσως τοῦτον ἐντραπήσονται.

ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ γεωργοὶ διελογίζοντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους λέγοντες· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ κληρονόμος· ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτόν, ἵνα ἡμῶν γένηται ἡ κληρονομία.

καὶ ἐκβαλόντες αὐτὸν ἔξω τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος ἀπέκτειναν. τί οὖν ποιήσει αὐτοῖς ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος;

ἐλεύσεται καὶ ἀπολέσει τοὺς γεωργοὺς τούτους καὶ δώσει τὸν ἀμπελῶνα ἄλλοις. ἀκούσαντες δὲ εἶπαν· Μὴ γένοιτο.

ὁ δὲ ἐμβλέψας αὐτοῖς εἶπεν· Τί οὖν ἐστιν τὸ γεγραμμένον τοῦτο· Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας;

πᾶς ὁ πεσὼν ἐπʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν λίθον συνθλασθήσεται· ἐφʼ ὃν δʼ ἂν πέσῃ, λικμήσει αὐτόν.

Καὶ ἐζήτησαν οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς ἐπιβαλεῖν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν τὸν λαόν, ἔγνωσαν γὰρ ὅτι πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπεν τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην.

This parable explains the longsuffering nature of God.

It also explains the wilful opposition of Israel including Jesus’ own generation.

Notice that the farmers stay the same.

What motivates the opposition is the possession of the vineyard for themselves.

They want what rightfully belongs to the owner and his son.

This isn’t just about the fruit, it’s about stealing what rightfully belongs to the owner.

Rejecting the slaves and killing the son is a form of opposition to the owner.

The parable exposes human nature:

We want to live in God’s world but deny He has any claim over us.

We become frightened at the prospect that his longsuffering has limits and that He will thus hold us all accountable someday.

We would kill God, if we could.