Luke 20:1-26
Authority is an interesting thing. A few weeks ago I read about a police chief who decided not to prosecute evictions due to foreclosures on houses. My first thought was, “He can’t do that!” He doesn’t have the authority! Does he have the authority? It is an interesting question, one I am not going to try to answer today.
But I will point out that the chief is himself under authority. He was hired, and he can be fired. If he breaks laws, he can be arrested, tried, found guilty, and jailed just like any other person. To some degree, everyone is under authority. This is true for municipalities, for states, and for our federal government, at least it is supposed to be true for our federal government. Our founding fathers went to great lengths setting checks and balances on every facet of government, between the three branches of government, precisely so that everyone is under authority and no one can become a tyrant. In terms of the structure of our government, the founding fathers had no greater purpose than this. They did this because they believed with deepest conviction that people have rights that come straight from God, and no one should have the authority to infringe on those rights or take them away.
As we have been going through the book of Luke, we have seen incident after incident after incident where Jesus revealed that He was not under the authority of any man or group of people on earth. Again and again, people, especially those in positions of leadership or power, looked at what Jesus did and said, “He can’t do that!” But He did. After the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus basically dismantled the entire religious system of the Pharisees, people said He spoke as one having authority. In other teachings, Jesus claimed authority to save. He said He was given authority to judge all men. He also said, “I have authority to lay My life down, and I have authority to take it again.” (John 10:18) Later He said He had authority over all mankind (John 17:2). And after His death and resurrection, in case anyone still had any doubt, Jesus made the situation crystal clear when He said, “All authority in heaven and earth is given unto Me.” All authority! 100%!
From the point of view of the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees, and other leaders, Jesus’ whole ministry was an unending series of events that merited the response, “You can’t do that!” His teachings attacked their giving, their fasting, their praying, their sacrifices, everything. He called them self-righteous, deceivers, opposed to God, and much worse. And in all that He said, all that He did, He hadn’t asked permission from anyone. He wasn’t answerable to the Sanhedrin. He didn’t serve under a rabbi. In fact, unlike every other teacher of Jesus’ day, He never even quoted a rabbi! And as we talked about last week, He never got permission from anyone to enter Jerusalem on a donkey and be proclaimed Messiah with shouts of “Hosanna” and “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” And He certainly didn’t get permission from anyone to drive the money changers and sacrificial animal sellers out of the Temple area! From start to finish, Jesus attacked the leaders’ theology, attacked their character, and finally, physically attacked their very system of religiosity through driving out the money changers and animal sellers. I love how John MacArthur puts it: Jesus treated their entire religious system as if it was non-existent. From an authority point of view, it – all of it – had absolutely no bearing on what Jesus said or did, except that He would condemn it freely and frequently.
How angry were the leaders now? Extremely angry! Furious! This “Jesus problem” had been building for years getting worse and worse. These were people who delighted in being viewed as having authority. They wore fancy robes in public, they fasted in public with sackcloth and ashes, they made very public donations in the temple. Literally, trumpets blew to announce their arrival. Their whole lives were focused on getting up to the next level of authority. And Jesus wouldn’t give even a hint of bowing down to them, in word or in deed.
By the way, these are not people who normally got along with one another. The Sadducees and the Pharisees had quite different views about many things, and, generally, hated one another. The priests were not unified in their beliefs or practices, and formed groups. Factions among the Sanhedrin are well documented, and our modern Republican vs. Democrat issues are no more extreme than what went on back then. But in one thing they were all totally unified: They hated Jesus. In one thought they were united: “You can’t do that!”
One day as He was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to Him. "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave You this authority?" He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell Me, John's baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?" – Luke 20:1-4
Notice how they are all together – the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. The question they asked Jesus, “Who gave You this authority?” was not asked because they were curious. They asked it because they wanted to trap Jesus. In the past, Jesus was careful with similar questions. He said things like, “I do what My Father tells Me to do,” as opposed to being more blunt and saying “My authority comes directly from God,” because they could have accused Him of blasphemy. This is what they wanted now. They wanted Him to say, “God gave Me this authority,” because then they could use it to get Him killed.
Jesus knew this, and although the time had almost come, it had not quite come yet. So He answered their question with another question. He had done this many times before, and it wasn’t seen as evading a question; rather, it was a rabbinic tradition that involved asking deeper questions to get to the heart of an issue. “John’s baptism – was it from heaven or from men?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet." So they answered, "We don't know where it was from." Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." – Luke 20:5-8
Do you notice how Jesus was badly outnumbered here? It is a bunch of them to one of Him. And His short little question made them forgo etiquette and get in an argument among themselves. I actually think the scene is pretty humorous. They certainly didn’t look dignified while they argued this back and forth, all the while the crowds are watching intently.
Now, as to Jesus’ question: I believe that what Jesus meant was not just the baptism of John the Baptist, but the entire baptizing ministry of John. Now John the Baptist was another guy who did what He did without seeking any approval from those who called themselves the authorities. Like Jesus, He simply did what He did without consulting them. He had them baptized out in the wilds, in the desert, not in a Temple ceremony. They didn’t go to the Temple to buy doves; they simply repented from the heart and were baptized by John out where they were.
And the crowds knew all about John the Baptist, and they loved him and what he had done. The crowds, rightly so, saw him as a prophet. In many ways he was the last Old Testament prophet of God. And he had been killed by Herod for staying true to God. The temple leaders knew they couldn’t say anything negative about John, or the people might riot and stone them. But if they said he was of God, then their whole argument against Jesus would be ruined. So they chose to not answer.
They had every right to do this, but then they certainly couldn’t demand an answer from Jesus. What a sad situation! The relationship between Jesus and the “authorities,” the people who were supposed to be God’s servants, had degenerated to the point where they really had nothing left to say to each other.
He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. – Luke 20:9-12
Even today, there are many thriving vineyards in Israel. And the financial arrangement implied here also still goes on all over the world today. Farmers can be paid “hourly,” or for a job, or, if the owner will be absent for a long period of time, can be paid by being allowed to keep and sell a portion of the harvest for themselves. The percentage they get to keep is decided on in advance, and from time to time, a representative of the owner comes to get and sell his share.
Now, these tenants didn’t have the authority to do any differently; indeed, they really didn’t have any authority at all. But these tenants didn’t want to play by the rules. Not once, not even twice, but three times they do something absolutely shocking and absolutely illegal, and deserving of the severest punishment.
Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.' But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." – Luke 20:13-16a
When Jesus told this story and said, “What shall I do?” What would everyone expect? Vengeance! Three attempts is more than gracious, more than anyone would expect of anyone to do. But then we here this shocking development: the owner will send his own son to try to reason with these evil tenants.
Now why did the tenants reason as they did? Although it is certainly evil, there is some logic to it. When they saw the son coming, they reasoned that the father must have been dead. According to Jewish law, if three years went by and no one laid claim to the land, then it would revert to those who worked the land. So if they killed the son, they reasoned they could own the vineyard outright. But of course, reasoned or not, this is absolutely the lowest of low behavior, deserving of death.
When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!" Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." – Luke 20:16b-18
Now there is a lot to explain here, but first look at the immediate comment of the crowds: “May this never be!” Now why would they say that? Are they saying that they think the punishment is inappropriate? No! The punishment is more than reasonable. So what did they mean?
It means that they got it. They understood what this parable was really talking about. In fact, the Greek word for “heard” implies a deep understanding, not just listening with your ears. So what did they get? What is this parable about?
More than almost any other parable, this parable really is an allegory, a story where each major part is symbolic of something else. In this parable, the man who planted a vineyard is symbolic of God, and the vineyard is symbolic of Israel. God is establishing, planting, Israel. Isaiah 5 uses the exact same symbolism. There, God warned the people that since the fruit was sour, the vineyard was about to be trampled, crushed, and dried up, referring to the imminent attack by the Babylonians that would take God’s people into captivity.
Who were the vine tenders, the farmers? They are the people God has put into authority to take care of His vineyard, His people. They are the priests, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, elders, and so on.
Who were the three servants sent to collect some of the fruit? They are symbolic of the prophets, who time and time again were mistreated, even killed, when they came to give a message from God. The idea of prophets as servants appears repeatedly in Scripture. For example,
From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you My servants the prophets. – Jer. 7:25
Even Jesus used similar phrasing earlier in Luke:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' – Luke 13:34-35
Of course, that second verse was fulfilled literally, as we saw when Jesus entered Jerusalem on the donkey in the passage we read last week. That first verse, though, emphasizes how they rejected the prophets who were sent to them, just like in our parable.
And who was the son? No surprise there; it is Jesus Himself. And so this parable is not only a parable and an allegory; it is also a prophecy! Because Jesus is killed, just like the beloved son in the parable! Notice how in the parable the people say “This is the heir.” They know who He is. And the Jewish leaders also knew who Jesus was; at least they knew enough. They had seen the miracles, they had seen that He had authority! Authority over the wind and the waves! Authority over illness and demons! Authority over life and death! Who else could He be? This was the Heir!
Now who are the “others” that are given the vineyard? I think there are two ways to look at this. In one sense, the others are Roman occupiers who in a few decades will totally destroy Jerusalem. But in another sense, we are the others! If you are a believer, you tend the vineyard. As the Great Commission states, all authority on heaven and earth has been given to Jesus, and with that authority, He sends us to go and make disciples. We tend the vineyard.
Now let’s look at these verses again.
When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!" Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." – Luke 20:16b-18
So the people said “May this never be” because they understood enough of the parable to see that the son referred to Jesus! And the parable ends on a pretty tragic note, from the point of view of God the Father and from the point of view of the Son, because the son is dead.
But Jesus, quoting from the Old Testament and using Old Testament imagery, states the epilogue to the parable. The stone the builders rejected clearly refers to Jesus, who was dead. But He becomes the capstone, or cornerstone? How can this be? It can only be if He rises from the dead. Jesus told the crowd about this verse (which by the way is from Psalm 118, the very same Psalm that we looked at last week, which predicted the phrases the people would shout to Jesus as He entered Jerusalem on a donkey) – Jesus told them this verse to encourage them; although they probably couldn’t put it all together, the message was that the Son somehow still will become the cornerstone.
And His next sentence is a solemn warning. It may be related to an ancient rabbinic saying: If a stone falls on a pot, it will smash the pot; if a pot falls on a stone, it will smash the… pot! The point is that pots don’t stand a chance against stones. And in the same way, if you remain opposed to Jesus, you don’t stand a chance against Jesus. Either you become a stone built on the Cornerstone, or you become crushed or broken to pieces.
The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest Him immediately, because they knew He had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. Keeping a close watch on Him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something He said so that they might hand Him over to the power and authority of the governor. – Luke 20:19-20
And so despite this powerful message, nothing has changed with the leaders, those who pretend to have authority. If anything, they are even more eager to see Jesus die.
Let’s go on to one more conversation between Jesus and these spies. By the way, do you think Jesus didn’t know they were spies? Of course not! He knew! The situation is pretty ridiculous when you think about it. Tragic as well! If they knew Him at all they would have known how ridiculous it was to try to “fit in” as a disciple and pretend to be something you were not.
So the spies questioned Him: "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach what is right, and that You do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" – Luke 20:21-22
Another trick question! Look at all the flattery! The Greek word translated “teacher,” is one of highest praise, perhaps better translated as “Master.” It must have made the spies sick to say all that! But of course everything they said was actually true – He really spoke and taught what was right, He really did not show partiality, and He really taught the way of God in accordance with the truth. It’s kind of funny, actually, that if you try to shower Jesus with “over-the-top” praise, all you do is speak what is true. No words of praise are too good for Him.
Now, their question is a trick question, and a very clever one. Formerly, they tried to trick Jesus into making a statement they could use to accuse Him of blasphemy. Now, they are trying to get Him to make a statement against Rome so that He can be reported to the Romans and arrested. Given Rome’s fear and loathing of Messiah figures, they would likely have Him executed once they had Him at all.
Just like today, there were a lot of different kinds of taxes to pay to Rome, and the Jews hated it, partly because they also paid Temple taxes and sacrifices, but also because they simply hated Rome and viewed them (rightly so) as an evil people who worshiped idols and deserved the wrath of God. One tax was a land tax, 10% of the grain and 20% of the oil and wine. There were import taxes, paid at every border, every city gate, every harbor. Wages were taxed, and there was a “head tax,” one denarius per year (a day’s wages), required of every male over a certain age.
Josephus, the Jewish historian who lived through the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (we talked about him last week), has some interesting tidbits related to this. Around the time of the birth of Christ, a man named Judas of Galilee led a revolt against the Romans about this very issue – that they shouldn’t have to pay taxes to Rome because “God is our only Lord and ruler.” Well, what do you think the Romans did about that? Yes, they killed him, and his followers scattered. Rabbi Gamaliel mentions this particular revolt in Acts 5:37. And speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, one of the key things that started it, in 66 AD, was another rebellion against Roman taxation.
He saw through their duplicity and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." They were unable to trap Him in what He had said there in public. And astonished by His answer, they became silent. – Luke 20:23-26
Now there is perhaps no greater symbol of authority than the right to print money. And so this question to Jesus was really another question regarding authority. The head tax required that you actually use a denarius coin to pay it. The front of these coins showed a bust of Tiberius adorned with the laurel wreath, a symbol of his divinity. The inscription read “Emperor Tiberius August Son of the August God.” On the other side was a picture of Tiberius’ mother, Julia Augusta sitting on what was called the Throne of the Gods, holding the Olympian scepter in her right hand and an olive branch in her left. These were to show that she was the earthly incarnation of the god of peace, Pax. The inscription on this side was “Pontifex Maximus,” (referring to Tiberius) which means High Priest. The head tax was a personal tribute to Caesar acknowledging, at a minimum, all that was implied on the coin. The tax provided “for the daily sacrifice for the welfare of the Roman emperor.” You can see why the Jews hated this particular tax.
Jesus’ answer was brilliant on so many levels. First of all, He avoids the trap. They cannot use His answer to turn Him in to the Roman authorities. Second, Jesus says to give to Caesar because like it or not, you are a part of this Roman society. Third, Jesus says to also give to God, and the way He says it implies that it goes way beyond just taxes, but your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Everything is really God’s, and so, everything should be offered back to Him.
But there are deeper levels here. If you think of this like a clue in a logic problem, you will notice some hidden information: Caesar is not God! Jesus manages to say this in such a subtle way that even though He denies the divinity of Caesar, there is still nothing upfront enough to use against Him if presented to Rome. Perhaps you can now see why the people were astonished by His answer.
I see one more implication of Jesus’ answer, and to explain it, let me, in effect, put words into His mouth. Here is the implication: “Hey guys, guess what? You really belong to the Roman Empire. You may not like it, but that’s how it is. Caesar really is your earthly ruler. Now a fair question to ask is, ‘how did you get into this mess?’ Why did you end up in such a compromised situation? For surely you know that God never intended for Israel to become subservient to a foreign power that does not worship the true God but instead worships idols.
“Well how did this happen in the past? Go back and study Old Testament history! Guys, you are still subject to the blessings and curses of the covenant made at the time of Moses. And continued disobedience to God leads to curses, and the ultimate curse is that your land is taken from you, and you are hauled away into captivity. You are not quite there yet, but you are getting close. The Romans rule Israel because of your sin. If you never wanted to have to pay tribute to Caesar, you should have feared and obeyed God.”
Now we are not under the Law, but there are principles here that do apply to us. If some day the great and grand experiment in freedom we have in the United States of America comes to an end, it will be because we as a people will have forgotten the lessons of our founding fathers, that our rights are not our rights because they come from our government, but because they come from God, the one true Authority, the One who will relinquish His authority to others if His people reject Him. I pray that this will not happen to us any more than it has already happened.
As I have thought about personal applications of this passage, I really have just one. It goes back to the parable of the vineyard. If we are God’s replacement workers in the vineyard, what does Jesus expect in “payment,” so to speak, from us? I think this is a really good question to think about. The bottom line for me is that He expects us to keep our lives “in His hands.” He is the Potter; we are the clay. In our own strength, by our own efforts, He expects nothing from us, because we can produce nothing (nothing of any eternal value, that is). But in His hands He can do great things through us. May we be a people ever listening to Him, ever giving Him whatever He asks of us, whether it is our time, our money, or the harder things: our idols, our desires, our wills.
But I will point out that the chief is himself under authority. He was hired, and he can be fired. If he breaks laws, he can be arrested, tried, found guilty, and jailed just like any other person. To some degree, everyone is under authority. This is true for municipalities, for states, and for our federal government, at least it is supposed to be true for our federal government. Our founding fathers went to great lengths setting checks and balances on every facet of government, between the three branches of government, precisely so that everyone is under authority and no one can become a tyrant. In terms of the structure of our government, the founding fathers had no greater purpose than this. They did this because they believed with deepest conviction that people have rights that come straight from God, and no one should have the authority to infringe on those rights or take them away.
As we have been going through the book of Luke, we have seen incident after incident after incident where Jesus revealed that He was not under the authority of any man or group of people on earth. Again and again, people, especially those in positions of leadership or power, looked at what Jesus did and said, “He can’t do that!” But He did. After the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus basically dismantled the entire religious system of the Pharisees, people said He spoke as one having authority. In other teachings, Jesus claimed authority to save. He said He was given authority to judge all men. He also said, “I have authority to lay My life down, and I have authority to take it again.” (John 10:18) Later He said He had authority over all mankind (John 17:2). And after His death and resurrection, in case anyone still had any doubt, Jesus made the situation crystal clear when He said, “All authority in heaven and earth is given unto Me.” All authority! 100%!
From the point of view of the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees, and other leaders, Jesus’ whole ministry was an unending series of events that merited the response, “You can’t do that!” His teachings attacked their giving, their fasting, their praying, their sacrifices, everything. He called them self-righteous, deceivers, opposed to God, and much worse. And in all that He said, all that He did, He hadn’t asked permission from anyone. He wasn’t answerable to the Sanhedrin. He didn’t serve under a rabbi. In fact, unlike every other teacher of Jesus’ day, He never even quoted a rabbi! And as we talked about last week, He never got permission from anyone to enter Jerusalem on a donkey and be proclaimed Messiah with shouts of “Hosanna” and “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” And He certainly didn’t get permission from anyone to drive the money changers and sacrificial animal sellers out of the Temple area! From start to finish, Jesus attacked the leaders’ theology, attacked their character, and finally, physically attacked their very system of religiosity through driving out the money changers and animal sellers. I love how John MacArthur puts it: Jesus treated their entire religious system as if it was non-existent. From an authority point of view, it – all of it – had absolutely no bearing on what Jesus said or did, except that He would condemn it freely and frequently.
How angry were the leaders now? Extremely angry! Furious! This “Jesus problem” had been building for years getting worse and worse. These were people who delighted in being viewed as having authority. They wore fancy robes in public, they fasted in public with sackcloth and ashes, they made very public donations in the temple. Literally, trumpets blew to announce their arrival. Their whole lives were focused on getting up to the next level of authority. And Jesus wouldn’t give even a hint of bowing down to them, in word or in deed.
By the way, these are not people who normally got along with one another. The Sadducees and the Pharisees had quite different views about many things, and, generally, hated one another. The priests were not unified in their beliefs or practices, and formed groups. Factions among the Sanhedrin are well documented, and our modern Republican vs. Democrat issues are no more extreme than what went on back then. But in one thing they were all totally unified: They hated Jesus. In one thought they were united: “You can’t do that!”
One day as He was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to Him. "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave You this authority?" He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell Me, John's baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?" – Luke 20:1-4
Notice how they are all together – the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. The question they asked Jesus, “Who gave You this authority?” was not asked because they were curious. They asked it because they wanted to trap Jesus. In the past, Jesus was careful with similar questions. He said things like, “I do what My Father tells Me to do,” as opposed to being more blunt and saying “My authority comes directly from God,” because they could have accused Him of blasphemy. This is what they wanted now. They wanted Him to say, “God gave Me this authority,” because then they could use it to get Him killed.
Jesus knew this, and although the time had almost come, it had not quite come yet. So He answered their question with another question. He had done this many times before, and it wasn’t seen as evading a question; rather, it was a rabbinic tradition that involved asking deeper questions to get to the heart of an issue. “John’s baptism – was it from heaven or from men?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet." So they answered, "We don't know where it was from." Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." – Luke 20:5-8
Do you notice how Jesus was badly outnumbered here? It is a bunch of them to one of Him. And His short little question made them forgo etiquette and get in an argument among themselves. I actually think the scene is pretty humorous. They certainly didn’t look dignified while they argued this back and forth, all the while the crowds are watching intently.
Now, as to Jesus’ question: I believe that what Jesus meant was not just the baptism of John the Baptist, but the entire baptizing ministry of John. Now John the Baptist was another guy who did what He did without seeking any approval from those who called themselves the authorities. Like Jesus, He simply did what He did without consulting them. He had them baptized out in the wilds, in the desert, not in a Temple ceremony. They didn’t go to the Temple to buy doves; they simply repented from the heart and were baptized by John out where they were.
And the crowds knew all about John the Baptist, and they loved him and what he had done. The crowds, rightly so, saw him as a prophet. In many ways he was the last Old Testament prophet of God. And he had been killed by Herod for staying true to God. The temple leaders knew they couldn’t say anything negative about John, or the people might riot and stone them. But if they said he was of God, then their whole argument against Jesus would be ruined. So they chose to not answer.
They had every right to do this, but then they certainly couldn’t demand an answer from Jesus. What a sad situation! The relationship between Jesus and the “authorities,” the people who were supposed to be God’s servants, had degenerated to the point where they really had nothing left to say to each other.
He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. – Luke 20:9-12
Even today, there are many thriving vineyards in Israel. And the financial arrangement implied here also still goes on all over the world today. Farmers can be paid “hourly,” or for a job, or, if the owner will be absent for a long period of time, can be paid by being allowed to keep and sell a portion of the harvest for themselves. The percentage they get to keep is decided on in advance, and from time to time, a representative of the owner comes to get and sell his share.
Now, these tenants didn’t have the authority to do any differently; indeed, they really didn’t have any authority at all. But these tenants didn’t want to play by the rules. Not once, not even twice, but three times they do something absolutely shocking and absolutely illegal, and deserving of the severest punishment.
Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.' But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." – Luke 20:13-16a
When Jesus told this story and said, “What shall I do?” What would everyone expect? Vengeance! Three attempts is more than gracious, more than anyone would expect of anyone to do. But then we here this shocking development: the owner will send his own son to try to reason with these evil tenants.
Now why did the tenants reason as they did? Although it is certainly evil, there is some logic to it. When they saw the son coming, they reasoned that the father must have been dead. According to Jewish law, if three years went by and no one laid claim to the land, then it would revert to those who worked the land. So if they killed the son, they reasoned they could own the vineyard outright. But of course, reasoned or not, this is absolutely the lowest of low behavior, deserving of death.
When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!" Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." – Luke 20:16b-18
Now there is a lot to explain here, but first look at the immediate comment of the crowds: “May this never be!” Now why would they say that? Are they saying that they think the punishment is inappropriate? No! The punishment is more than reasonable. So what did they mean?
It means that they got it. They understood what this parable was really talking about. In fact, the Greek word for “heard” implies a deep understanding, not just listening with your ears. So what did they get? What is this parable about?
More than almost any other parable, this parable really is an allegory, a story where each major part is symbolic of something else. In this parable, the man who planted a vineyard is symbolic of God, and the vineyard is symbolic of Israel. God is establishing, planting, Israel. Isaiah 5 uses the exact same symbolism. There, God warned the people that since the fruit was sour, the vineyard was about to be trampled, crushed, and dried up, referring to the imminent attack by the Babylonians that would take God’s people into captivity.
Who were the vine tenders, the farmers? They are the people God has put into authority to take care of His vineyard, His people. They are the priests, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, elders, and so on.
Who were the three servants sent to collect some of the fruit? They are symbolic of the prophets, who time and time again were mistreated, even killed, when they came to give a message from God. The idea of prophets as servants appears repeatedly in Scripture. For example,
From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you My servants the prophets. – Jer. 7:25
Even Jesus used similar phrasing earlier in Luke:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' – Luke 13:34-35
Of course, that second verse was fulfilled literally, as we saw when Jesus entered Jerusalem on the donkey in the passage we read last week. That first verse, though, emphasizes how they rejected the prophets who were sent to them, just like in our parable.
And who was the son? No surprise there; it is Jesus Himself. And so this parable is not only a parable and an allegory; it is also a prophecy! Because Jesus is killed, just like the beloved son in the parable! Notice how in the parable the people say “This is the heir.” They know who He is. And the Jewish leaders also knew who Jesus was; at least they knew enough. They had seen the miracles, they had seen that He had authority! Authority over the wind and the waves! Authority over illness and demons! Authority over life and death! Who else could He be? This was the Heir!
Now who are the “others” that are given the vineyard? I think there are two ways to look at this. In one sense, the others are Roman occupiers who in a few decades will totally destroy Jerusalem. But in another sense, we are the others! If you are a believer, you tend the vineyard. As the Great Commission states, all authority on heaven and earth has been given to Jesus, and with that authority, He sends us to go and make disciples. We tend the vineyard.
Now let’s look at these verses again.
When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!" Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." – Luke 20:16b-18
So the people said “May this never be” because they understood enough of the parable to see that the son referred to Jesus! And the parable ends on a pretty tragic note, from the point of view of God the Father and from the point of view of the Son, because the son is dead.
But Jesus, quoting from the Old Testament and using Old Testament imagery, states the epilogue to the parable. The stone the builders rejected clearly refers to Jesus, who was dead. But He becomes the capstone, or cornerstone? How can this be? It can only be if He rises from the dead. Jesus told the crowd about this verse (which by the way is from Psalm 118, the very same Psalm that we looked at last week, which predicted the phrases the people would shout to Jesus as He entered Jerusalem on a donkey) – Jesus told them this verse to encourage them; although they probably couldn’t put it all together, the message was that the Son somehow still will become the cornerstone.
And His next sentence is a solemn warning. It may be related to an ancient rabbinic saying: If a stone falls on a pot, it will smash the pot; if a pot falls on a stone, it will smash the… pot! The point is that pots don’t stand a chance against stones. And in the same way, if you remain opposed to Jesus, you don’t stand a chance against Jesus. Either you become a stone built on the Cornerstone, or you become crushed or broken to pieces.
The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest Him immediately, because they knew He had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. Keeping a close watch on Him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something He said so that they might hand Him over to the power and authority of the governor. – Luke 20:19-20
And so despite this powerful message, nothing has changed with the leaders, those who pretend to have authority. If anything, they are even more eager to see Jesus die.
Let’s go on to one more conversation between Jesus and these spies. By the way, do you think Jesus didn’t know they were spies? Of course not! He knew! The situation is pretty ridiculous when you think about it. Tragic as well! If they knew Him at all they would have known how ridiculous it was to try to “fit in” as a disciple and pretend to be something you were not.
So the spies questioned Him: "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach what is right, and that You do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" – Luke 20:21-22
Another trick question! Look at all the flattery! The Greek word translated “teacher,” is one of highest praise, perhaps better translated as “Master.” It must have made the spies sick to say all that! But of course everything they said was actually true – He really spoke and taught what was right, He really did not show partiality, and He really taught the way of God in accordance with the truth. It’s kind of funny, actually, that if you try to shower Jesus with “over-the-top” praise, all you do is speak what is true. No words of praise are too good for Him.
Now, their question is a trick question, and a very clever one. Formerly, they tried to trick Jesus into making a statement they could use to accuse Him of blasphemy. Now, they are trying to get Him to make a statement against Rome so that He can be reported to the Romans and arrested. Given Rome’s fear and loathing of Messiah figures, they would likely have Him executed once they had Him at all.
Just like today, there were a lot of different kinds of taxes to pay to Rome, and the Jews hated it, partly because they also paid Temple taxes and sacrifices, but also because they simply hated Rome and viewed them (rightly so) as an evil people who worshiped idols and deserved the wrath of God. One tax was a land tax, 10% of the grain and 20% of the oil and wine. There were import taxes, paid at every border, every city gate, every harbor. Wages were taxed, and there was a “head tax,” one denarius per year (a day’s wages), required of every male over a certain age.
Josephus, the Jewish historian who lived through the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (we talked about him last week), has some interesting tidbits related to this. Around the time of the birth of Christ, a man named Judas of Galilee led a revolt against the Romans about this very issue – that they shouldn’t have to pay taxes to Rome because “God is our only Lord and ruler.” Well, what do you think the Romans did about that? Yes, they killed him, and his followers scattered. Rabbi Gamaliel mentions this particular revolt in Acts 5:37. And speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, one of the key things that started it, in 66 AD, was another rebellion against Roman taxation.
He saw through their duplicity and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." They were unable to trap Him in what He had said there in public. And astonished by His answer, they became silent. – Luke 20:23-26
Now there is perhaps no greater symbol of authority than the right to print money. And so this question to Jesus was really another question regarding authority. The head tax required that you actually use a denarius coin to pay it. The front of these coins showed a bust of Tiberius adorned with the laurel wreath, a symbol of his divinity. The inscription read “Emperor Tiberius August Son of the August God.” On the other side was a picture of Tiberius’ mother, Julia Augusta sitting on what was called the Throne of the Gods, holding the Olympian scepter in her right hand and an olive branch in her left. These were to show that she was the earthly incarnation of the god of peace, Pax. The inscription on this side was “Pontifex Maximus,” (referring to Tiberius) which means High Priest. The head tax was a personal tribute to Caesar acknowledging, at a minimum, all that was implied on the coin. The tax provided “for the daily sacrifice for the welfare of the Roman emperor.” You can see why the Jews hated this particular tax.
Jesus’ answer was brilliant on so many levels. First of all, He avoids the trap. They cannot use His answer to turn Him in to the Roman authorities. Second, Jesus says to give to Caesar because like it or not, you are a part of this Roman society. Third, Jesus says to also give to God, and the way He says it implies that it goes way beyond just taxes, but your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Everything is really God’s, and so, everything should be offered back to Him.
But there are deeper levels here. If you think of this like a clue in a logic problem, you will notice some hidden information: Caesar is not God! Jesus manages to say this in such a subtle way that even though He denies the divinity of Caesar, there is still nothing upfront enough to use against Him if presented to Rome. Perhaps you can now see why the people were astonished by His answer.
I see one more implication of Jesus’ answer, and to explain it, let me, in effect, put words into His mouth. Here is the implication: “Hey guys, guess what? You really belong to the Roman Empire. You may not like it, but that’s how it is. Caesar really is your earthly ruler. Now a fair question to ask is, ‘how did you get into this mess?’ Why did you end up in such a compromised situation? For surely you know that God never intended for Israel to become subservient to a foreign power that does not worship the true God but instead worships idols.
“Well how did this happen in the past? Go back and study Old Testament history! Guys, you are still subject to the blessings and curses of the covenant made at the time of Moses. And continued disobedience to God leads to curses, and the ultimate curse is that your land is taken from you, and you are hauled away into captivity. You are not quite there yet, but you are getting close. The Romans rule Israel because of your sin. If you never wanted to have to pay tribute to Caesar, you should have feared and obeyed God.”
Now we are not under the Law, but there are principles here that do apply to us. If some day the great and grand experiment in freedom we have in the United States of America comes to an end, it will be because we as a people will have forgotten the lessons of our founding fathers, that our rights are not our rights because they come from our government, but because they come from God, the one true Authority, the One who will relinquish His authority to others if His people reject Him. I pray that this will not happen to us any more than it has already happened.
As I have thought about personal applications of this passage, I really have just one. It goes back to the parable of the vineyard. If we are God’s replacement workers in the vineyard, what does Jesus expect in “payment,” so to speak, from us? I think this is a really good question to think about. The bottom line for me is that He expects us to keep our lives “in His hands.” He is the Potter; we are the clay. In our own strength, by our own efforts, He expects nothing from us, because we can produce nothing (nothing of any eternal value, that is). But in His hands He can do great things through us. May we be a people ever listening to Him, ever giving Him whatever He asks of us, whether it is our time, our money, or the harder things: our idols, our desires, our wills.
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