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So they watched Him, sending spies who pretended to be righteous, that they should catch His words, in order to betray Him to the jurisdiction and power of the governor.

Luke 20:20

This may have cost something. If nothing else, it is par for the course for a religious group with political power. They had to be sure Jesus was dealt with, and soon. Pilate was now their best option.

Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your constant work in our lives. You never stop working through Your Word. It is the Open Bible that changes our outlook and renews our thinking. Though I still understand so little, your wisdom is my constant comfort. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And the chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on Him in that same hour, and they were afraid; for they understood that He had spoken this parable against them.

Luke 20:19

The Jewish leaders were afraid that Christ might act upon what they saw as a very direct threat. And indeed, He had the kind of influence with the people that other men would have taken advantage of. But Jesus is, of course, not just a man.

Heavenly Father, You are so powerful that You could stop everything right now and it would all be over. But though I cannot fully understand, Your power and Your goodness are not disconnected within You. All of Your attributes work together and make You The Glorious One. Thank You for working in us to do Your good pleasure. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Whoever falls on that stone will be broken, but on whomever it falls, he will be crushed like powder and blown away.

Luke 20:18

Jesus is referencing many words of the prophets here. The second part of the verse especially refers back to Daniel chapter two. Those who fall on that stone are those who are impacted by Christ and find Him to be an offense, in this case the Jewish people. Those upon whom the stone falls are the nations at large. Christ is King, and His kingdom is supreme and eternal.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Son and the kingdom of light and life! You are wise, powerful, good and pure. I can never reach to the depths of Who You are! You overwhelm me with Your greatness! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But, looking intently at them, He said, ‘What therefore is this that is written: The stone that was rejected by the builders, it has been made the head of the corner?’

Luke 20:17

This is one of the interpretive questions Jesus asks the Jewish leaders. And it is particularly pointed in this context. He intends to give them no room to escape. He makes it very clear that they are to be the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the rejection of the Messiah. Jesus is here directly quoting Psalm 118:22.

We must remember the nature of prophecy. The Jewish people as a whole did not reject the Lord only because it was prophesied that they would. It was prophesied that they would because God knew back in eternity past that this is what would happen. There is no degree to which humanity is not culpable for the choices made. This is why the Lord says that there is nobody who is righteous.

Many may have objections to this on the basis of the Sovereignty of God, saying that nobody could resist His will even if they wanted to. To this it must be replied that nothing and nobody could ever ultimately resist the will of God because He knows and superintends everything long before it ever happens. His Sovereignty is absolute and is injured in no way by saying we may choose to resist His will. For no amount of resistance may frustrate the purposes of the One Who knows everything before it ever happens. The devil and all his followers has not for one moment ever stopped Almighty God from accomplishing that which He has Sovereignly intended to do.

Heavenly Father, we live our lives as a tale that is told. Though our every choice is new and fresh to us, it is all known to You. I live in constant comfort in the knowledge that You know and control my beginning and my future. I can rest in You, for I know You have never once been surprised by anything. I love You, and I love living here, even with the presence of sin. But as all creation, I long for that day soon to come in which You have ended the time for rebellion. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others. But when they heard it they said, ‘No, certainly not!’

Luke 20:16

Careful comparison of Matthew 21:40-42, Mark 12:9-10, and Luke 20:15-17 reveals a difficult interpretive challenge. Indeed, many commentaries and ‘harmonies’ of the gospels choose to skip right over it. But the difference between Luke and both Matthew and Mark is obvious.

How can this be solved? Did Jesus tell them what should be done to the tenant farmers, or did those standing there do it? Matthew indicates that His hearers answered. Mark and Luke have Jesus answering the question. And, Luke shares a different answer from the hearers. How do we reconcile all of this?

In the context, Jesus is speaking in the temple and there are a couple of crowds that are involved. One crowd is the people at large assembled in the temple and surrounding area. The other crowd is the Jewish leaders. These two crowds were not assembled in front of Jesus with Him standing on a stage with a microphone in His hand. His words would in some cases be shared by one group over to another, since not everyone would necessarily hear him all at once.

Therefore based on the clues we have in all three passages, it seems that most of those who heard Christ were either in agreement with Christ’s statement of what should be done to the tenants, or said the same thing themselves when they heard it. Rhetorical questions do not always go unanswered and the reasonable answer was obvious.

But, the response of the Jewish leadership was unique. They understood the implication of the parable and Luke here shares their strong reaction. This is why Jesus looks right at them in the next verse, to respond to their aversion.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Truth. Even when those who should know the truth reject it strongly, You still give it to humanity. We are unworthy, but You are worthy of all praise. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And they drove him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What then, shall the lord of the vineyard do to them?

Luke 20:15

The way Jesus asks this question implies that the patience of the vineyard owner could reasonably stop here. But yet, we know it was by the very act of sending His Dear Son that He made it possible for many who participated in His crucifixion to be saved from wrath.

Heavenly Father, Your great grace is indeed the great illustration of Your power. You are good beyond our ability to understand the concept. Your faithfulness to Your creation stands as a testimony to Your amazing love and holiness. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But when the tenants saw him, they considered it among themselves, saying, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him that the inheritance may be ours.”

Luke 20:14

Their conclusion was ridiculous. But what could be expected from these, who were so unscrupulous to begin with? They simply made their evil intentions absolutely clear through this choice.

Heavenly Father, thank You for protecting Your people from the evil one. You have made our safety possible by the blood of Your Son. I must never take that for granted. All that I am I owe to You. Thank You for Jesus! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

So the lord of the vineyard said, “What shall I do? I will send my dear son. Perhaps when they see him they will respect him.”

Luke 20:13

This single ‘Perhaps’ is, perhaps, the most inexplicable word in the entire history of the world itself. From our perspective as humans it seems incredibly obvious that these tenants would have no respect at all for the son after so shamefully treating the servants of vineyard owner.

Indeed, the true circumstance that the parable parallels is that God chose to send His Dear Son to earth. It is inexplicable to us that He would expect this evil world in which we are all born as enemies to Him to respect His Son. But that is indeed His expectation. The second Psalm says it so clearly, kiss the Son. To do otherwise is very foolish, and dangerous.

Heavenly Father, I am overwhelmed when I think of Your great mercy in sending Your Son here for us. What love! Thank You! I will forever praise You and Your holiness, faithful love, and profound wisdom. To have an understanding of Your nature is a great mercy by itself. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Again, he sent the third, but they injured him and drove him away.

Luke 20:12

After three times in this parable, the intention of the tenant farmers is obvious. But the Lord has, in reality, been even more patient with humanity.

Heavenly Father, so often I am reminded of how little I am. We are nothing compared to You. And yet, You choose to speak to us and work in our lives and use us to help each other. Wow! In spite of a messed up world, there is joy yet! There is hope, there is peace! Even in the darkest places, Your light shines. May I never forget that! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

He went ahead and sent another servant, and that one they beat and shamed, sending him away empty-handed.

Luke 20:11

The second attempt is made and rejected. It is very important to understand that God deals with us in accordance with the course of human history. Time is linear in Scripture and His interactions with us are based on our past history as well as our coming future. He remembers what He told us yesterday, and so should we.

Heavenly Father, may we live to study You and how You interact with us. Your Word and Your mercy are our constant guide. You do not stay away, but are active in our lives. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.