Author: Bill Hall

Now at harvest he sent a servant to the tenant farmers, that they should give to him from the fruit of the vineyard; but, the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

Luke 20:10

The perfectly reasonable expectation was to receive a share of the increase due to the master’s ownership of the vineyard. There was no cause at all for the treatment of this servant.

Heavenly Father, thank You for constantly guiding our steps. We live out our lives thinking we may do this or that, but You have a plan all along. No matter what we do, our main course is to honor You with all that we are and all that we do. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But He began to tell the people this parable, ‘A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a considerably long journey;’

Luke 20:9

Jesus is telling this as a follow up to the question just asked of Him. He had no intention of leaving that subject quickly. By the end of this parable, the scribes and priests knew it was about them.

The journey mentioned here is just a part of the story of the parable. It highlights the fact that a lot of time is passing, but is not meant to indicate that God is on a journey somewhere. He is active and involved with His creation.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your work with us. We do not even understand what that represents from Your perspective. We cannot fathom the mercy, grace, and love it takes for You to even do that. We are inadequate for every task, and yet You have made us able through Christ. I praise You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And Jesus said to them, ‘Nor shall I tell you in which authority I do these things.’

Luke 20:8

The way Jesus answers, He suggests that His authority parallels that of John. Many people are dissatisfied with this answer. But it is actually a very Divine way to answer. More truth is not given to those who will not listen to what they already have.

Heavenly Father, thank You for how You interact with us. You make it straightforward. You are honest and clear with us. Your wisdom is so wonderful! How can we ever exhaust Your knowledge? Forever we will be learning. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

So they answered that they did not know where it was from.

Luke 20:7

This is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. After all the Truth that God had made available to mankind, many of Christ’s own people could not recognize Him. The resistance to the Truth is real. Even having Jesus, the very Son of God Himself in front of them was not enough to break their bondage to half-truth and complacency.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the Whole Truth. Without it we would live in a world of smoke and mirrors, never knowing anything no matter how convinced we felt. You are so kind. Even though Your Truth tells us of judgement, and the facts about sin, to live without that is to literally live a lie. You are worthy of all praise! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But if we say ‘from men’ all the people will stone us to death because they are convinced John was a prophet.

Luke 20:6

The Jewish leaders had no problem with ignoring the beliefs of the people. But they definitely didn’t want to rock the boat. They were not wrong in their estimation of the popularity of John.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy and help in times of difficulty. You know what is best for us and You can lead us in the best ways. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But they discussed it among themselves, saying ‘ If we say ‘from heaven’ He will say ‘For what reason did you not believe him?’

Luke 20:5

Makes sense. Why didn’t they believe him? What more would John or Jesus have had to do in order to convince these men. Jesus asks them very pointedly in their minds what it was that kept them from accepting John’s message.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. It pulls us out of ourselves and reminds us of the Truth. You do not lie. Everything You have shared with us is vitally important. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

The baptism of John was from heaven; or was it from men?

Luke 20:4

The way Jesus asks this He suggests that ‘from heaven’ is the correct answer. He likely said it in such a way that anyone listening would know this. This, He incurred no negative response from the people, and yet left a dangerous question for the Jewish leadership to answer.

Heavenly Father, thank You for this world You have made! It is so beautiful and I am so amazed by it. Your creation is wonderful, and even with the horrible impact of sin, I enjoy it so much. Your Word is even more wonderous, and I hope I can learn and apply a fraction of what it teaches. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But He answered and said to them, ‘I also will ask you one, and you answer Me.’

Luke 20:3

Some might view this as a way to avoid conflict, or even to keep from claiming divinity, but neither is the case. Jesus knew their intent with this question, but His answer would get to the heart of the issue. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ. Acceptance of John’s authority was crucial to an understanding of the true identity of Jesus.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us like You do. We are so self-focused. Thank You for teaching us how to love others with genuineness. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things, or who is it that gave you this authority?

Luke 20:2

This is actually a really good question, even if the goal was to catch Jesus equating Himself with God so as to have, in their minds, legal course to kill Him. It is the question they really needed to know the answer to.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wisdom! You have set before us the path for our feet, and yet we so often fail to walk in it. How can I ever thank You enough for Your blessings? In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And it happened on one of the days that He was teaching in the temple and preaching the gospel, that the priests and the scribes together with the elders stood and spoke to Him, saying,

Luke 20:1

This was an organized event intended to catch Jesus. It could give the Jewish leaders an opportunity to accuse Christ in spite of the people. The opposition to Him was strong even if it was not completely unified. The priests and scribes likely had different motivations than the elders. But they were in enough agreement to have the same end goal.

Heavenly Father, You always know what is best. We so often think we know the best things, and are so far off. Thank You for not leaving us alone. Thank You for the convicting power of Your Spirit. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.