Luke 20 Summary - 5 Minute Study

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LUKE 20 IN 5 MINUTES

WHEN:

• The events of chapter 20 were part of Jesus’ ministry on earth.

• These events took place between approximately 26-31 A.D..

CHARACTERS:

• Jesus - The Messiah and Son of God.

• Enemies of Jesus - The chief priests, scribes, elders, and Sadducees.

• Wicked Tenants - Characters in Jesus’ parable who abused what was entrusted to them.

WHERE:

• These events occurred in Jerusalem during the last week of Jesus’ life.

OUTLINE:

• JESUS’ AUTHORITY CHALLENGED (20:1-8):

  • The chief priests, scribes, and elders, approached Jesus and asked, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”

  • Jesus told them He would answer their question if they answered His.

  • He asked them if John the Baptist’s baptism was from God or from man.

  • They were too cowardly to answer, so Jesus refused to answer their question.

• PARABLE OF THE WICKED TENANTS (20:9-18):

  • Jesus told a parable about a man who owned a vineyard and rented it out to tenants.

  • Rather than pay the owner his due, every time his servants came to collect, the tenants abused them.

  • Eventually, the owner sent his son, thinking he would be shown greater respect, but the tenants killed him.

  • Jesus said, that upon his return, the vineyard owner would destroy the wicked tenants and find better ones.

• JESUS QUESTIONED BY HIS ENEMIES (20:19-40):

  • In an attempt to trick Jesus, the scribes and chief priests asked Him if they should pay taxes to Caesar.

  • Jesus responded, “...render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”

  • The Sadducees tried to trip Jesus up by asking a hypothetical question about a woman with 7 husbands.

  • Jesus informed them their confusion on the issue was due to their failure to properly read the scriptures.

• JESUS QUESTIONS HIS CRITICS (20:41-44):

  • To humble the Jewish leaders, Jesus asked them a question about David referring to Jesus as his “Lord.”

  • The Jewish leaders, who were supposed to be experts in the Law, had no idea how to answer the question.

• JESUS WARNS AGAINST THE SCRIBES (20:45-47):

  • After humiliating the proud Jewish leaders, Jesus turned to the crowds and rebuked the scribes.

  • He warned the people about their self-centerness and greed.

BIG PICTURE:

• For three years, the Jewish religious leaders had been searching for an angle to take down Jesus.

• This chapter represents one of their last attempts to undermine Jesus in a semi-legal way.

• Following this embarrassment, they determined they were just going to have to murder Him.

APPLICATION:

• If Jesus was here today, He would outsmart modern religious critics just as easily as the Jewish religious leaders.

• The scribes, Sadducees, and priests thought their arguments were super challenging, but they weren’t for Jesus.

• Our modern “sophisticated” arguments wouldn’t be any more difficult for Jesus to dismantle.

• Jesus wasn’t afraid to condemn the Jewish religious leaders in public.

• There are times when calling out sin publicly is necessary.

• Especially when the person you are calling out claims to be a guide of other people’s faith.