Luke 20

Luke’s Good News

Luke

Hilda Bright

Chapter 20

The question about Jesus’ authority 20:1-8

v1 One day Jesus was in the *Temple. He was teaching the people and declaring the Good News. The chief priests, teachers of the law and other leaders, came to him. v2 They said to him, ‘Tell us, what authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?’ v3 Jesus answered them, ‘I also will ask you a question. v4 Did John’s authority to *baptise come from heaven or from men?’ v5 They began to discuss this together. ‘What shall we say? If we say “from heaven”, he will say, “Why did you not believe John?” v6 But if we say “from men”, the people here will throw stones at us to kill us. For they are sure that John was a *prophet’. v7 So they answered, ‘We do not know where John’s authority came from’. v8 And Jesus said to them, ‘Then neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things’.

Verses 1-2 Jesus had upset the *Temple trade. The *religious leaders sent an official group of *Jewish rulers to examine his authority. They were members of the ‘*Sanhedrin’. They wanted Jesus to give the wrong answer to their question. If Jesus said, ‘From heaven’, then they could accuse him of *blasphemy. If he said, ‘From men’, Jesus could be in trouble from the *Romans.

Verses 3-4 Jesus did not give them a direct answer. Instead, he asked them a question about the authority of John the *Baptist.

Verses 5-6 This question was one that the *religious leaders could not answer. Although John had been very popular with the public, the *religious leaders had refused to accept him. They did not have courage to say that John was a genuine *prophet. Jesus could then ask why they had not believed John. They were afraid of the crowd’s power. Many ordinary people did believe John. So, the leaders could not deny that John’s authority came from God.

Verse 8 John had said that he was preparing the way for the *Messiah. They could not give an honest answer to a question about John. Therefore, Jesus would not answer their question.

The *parable of the *tenants in the *vineyard 20:9-18

v9 Then Jesus told the people this *parable: ‘There was once a man who planted a *vineyard. He arranged for some men to take care of the *vineyard. Then he left home for a long time. v10 At the time of harvest, he sent a servant to receive the owner’s share. But the *tenants attacked the servant and sent him away with nothing. v11 So the owner sent another servant. But the *tenants attacked him also, and insulted him. They sent him away with nothing. v12 Then the owner sent a third slave. The *tenants badly hurt him too and threw him out. v13 Then the owner of the *vineyard said, “What shall I do? I will send my only son whom I love. They will respect him!” v14 But when the *tenants saw him, they said to one another, “This is the son. Let us kill him. We shall get what he should have received after his father’s death”. v15 So they threw him out of the *vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner do to the *tenants?’ Jesus asked. v16 ‘He will come and kill those men. He will give the *vineyard to other *tenants’. When the people heard this, they said, ‘May that never happen!’ v17 Jesus looked straight at them and said, ‘Then what does this *Scripture mean: “The builders decided not to use the stone. But it became the most important stone in the building”? v18 That stone will cut to pieces everyone that falls on it. It will turn to dust anyone on whom it falls’.

Verse 9 A *vineyard was picture language for the nation of *Israel (Isaiah 5:1-2). God is the owner of the *vineyard. He had given responsibility to the *Jews, who were the *tenants in the story.

Verses 10-12 The servants who went to collect the harvest were like the *prophets. God had sent them to remind *Israel that he demanded the ‘fruit’ of good lives. The rulers of *Israel had taken no notice and had made the *prophets suffer. For example, they had insulted Amos (Amos 7:12). They beat Jeremiah and put him in prison (Jeremiah 37:15). They killed Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:20-21). God showed great patience when he sent the *prophets. He gave *Israel every opportunity to do what was right.

Verses 13-15 In the end, God sent his son whom he loved greatly. These words for Jesus appear in the story of his *baptism (Luke 3:22). They show that Jesus was more than a *prophet. He was the *Messiah. The *tenants’ murdered the son. This shows that Jesus knew what was going to happen to him.

Verse 16 The *tenants thought that the owner was too far away. But he returned to punish them. God, like the owner, would punish *Israel. Then he would give the church the position that *Israel had enjoyed. The people who were listening were shocked. ‘God forbid!’ they said. These were very strong words. They hoped that God would never make it happen.

Verse 17 Jesus then reminded them of words in Psalms 118:22. He was like the stone. The *Jews were like the builders. The *Jews refused to accept Jesus. Yet, he would become the most important stone. This stone was probably the special ‘foundation’ stone. It united two walls at the base of a building. It made the whole building strong. Or it may have been the special stone that united two parts at the top of a building. Jesus would become the ‘foundation’ of the Christian church. He would make it strong. Peter used these words to describe Jesus (Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7).

Verse 18 Jesus spoke of the fate of those who opposed him. He used words like those in Isaiah 8:14-15. Isaiah spoke of a stone that people would trip over. The picture is also like one in Daniel 2:34-35. There, a stone destroyed the model in the king’s dream. It became like dust that the wind blew away.

The question about paying *taxes to Caesar 20:19-26

v19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests wanted to arrest Jesus at once. They knew that Jesus had told this *parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. v20 So they looked for an opportunity. They paid some men to go to Jesus. They pretended that their questions were sincere. But they were trying to make him say something wrong. Then they could hand him over to the power and authority of the *Roman ruler. v21 These men said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is right. We know that you do not have favourite people. You always teach the truth about what God wants. v22 Tell us, is it against our Law to pay *taxes to the *Roman *emperor, or not?’ v23 But Jesus realised their wicked plan. He said to them, v24 ‘Show me a coin. Whose face and name are on it?’ ‘The *emperor’s’, they answered. v25 So Jesus said, ‘Then pay to the *emperor what belongs to the *emperor. Pay to God what belongs to God’. v26 There, in public, they could not make him give the wrong answer. His answer so astonished them that they could say nothing.

Verses 19-20 The *religious leaders had failed with their direct question about Jesus’ authority. They were afraid of the crowd. Again this prevented their plan to arrest Jesus. They were afraid for their own safety. And if the crowd disturbed the peace, there would be trouble with the *Romans.

Verse 20 They paid men to ask a question. They pretended that they wanted him to answer a genuine problem. Whichever answer Jesus gave would make trouble for him.

Verse 21 First, they pretended to praise Jesus about what he taught.

Verse 22 Every *Jew had to pay a personal *tax every year to the *Romans. It was not a great amount of money, but the *Jews hated it. It showed that they were not a free nation. Some *Jews thought that they should not pay *tax to the *Romans. They thought that it was against God’s law. Judas of Galilee had led a group of men to protest against this *tax (Acts 5:37).

Verse 23 Perhaps Jesus would say that the *Jews should not pay the *tax. Then he would be in trouble with the *Romans. Perhaps he would say that they should pay it. Then he would lose much support. He would be in trouble with the people.

Verse 24 The coin which Jesus asked for was a ‘denarius’. It was equal to a man’s wages for one day. The coin would show the head of Tiberius, the *emperor at the time. The writing on one side gave his name.

Verse 25 Jesus said that they were using the *emperor’s coins. Therefore they should pay the *emperor’s *taxes. They received benefits from the state. The *Romans made good roads. They kept order and established a peaceful society. The *Jews should be prepared to pay for what the state did for them. But they should give to God the love and service that was his right. If there is a difference between duty to God and duty to the government, God must come first. Peter stated this principle. He said, ‘We must obey God rather than people’ (Acts 5:29).

The question about the *resurrection 20:27-40

v27 Then some *Sadducees came to Jesus. They say that people do not rise after death. They said, v28 ‘Teacher, Moses wrote this law for us: “If a man dies and leaves a wife with no children, his brother must marry the widow. This is so that they can have children. People will consider that these are the dead man’s children”. v29 Once there were 7 brothers. The oldest bother married and died without having children. v30 Then the second one married the woman, v31 and then the third. The same thing happened to all 7 men. They died without having children. v32 At last the woman died. v33 Now, on the day when the dead rise to life, whose wife will she be? All 7 of them had married her’. v34 Jesus answered them, ‘Men and women marry in this life. v35 But they will not marry in the future age. The good men and women will be part of the future age. They will rise from death. v36 They will be like *angels. They cannot die any more. They are children of God, because they have risen from death. v37 And Moses proved that God raised dead people to life. In the passage about the burning bush, he calls the *Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. v38 He is the God of living people, not of dead people. For all people are alive to him’. v39 Some of the teachers of the law declared, ‘You have given a good answer, Teacher’. v40 They did not dare to ask him any more questions.

Verse 27 Most of the *Sadducees were priests. They did not believe in the *resurrection of dead people. They did not believe in *angels (Acts 23:8). Also, they accepted only the first five books of the *Old Testament. They did not accept the traditions of the *Pharisees. But they did not oppose the *Roman government of their country.

Verse 28 The law of Deuteronomy 25:5-6 meant that a brother or close relative must marry a widow. The dead man’s name and family could continue when children were born in that second marriage.

Verses 29-33 This story was one that the *Sadducees made up. They were probably thinking about two things: They would make Jesus look foolish, if he could not answer their question. At the same time, they tried to make the *Pharisees’ belief in *resurrection look foolish.

Verses 34-36 Jesus explained that in heaven life is different from life on earth. There is no marriage, because there is no more death. People will not have children to continue their family. They will be like *angels who do not die. They will become *spiritual people, part of God’s family in heaven.

Verse 37 Jesus then used a passage from one of the books that the *Sadducees accepted. This was about the incident when Moses saw a bush on fire. God spoke to him from inside the bush (Exodus 3:1-6).

Verse 38 God said, ‘I am’ (not ‘I was’) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So he meant that they were alive and with him. The bodies of these men had died long ago. But he was not the God of dead people. He was God of living people.

Verse 38 ‘To him all are alive’. Real life is a relationship with God. Such a relationship cannot end when a person dies.

Verses 39-40 The teachers of the law were pleased with Jesus’ answer. They did not agree with the *Sadducees about *resurrection. But the *Sadducees had not been able to make the belief in *resurrection look foolish. The *Sadducees did not dare to ask Jesus any more questions.

The question about the *Messiah 20:41-44

v41 Jesus asked them, ‘Why do people say that the *Messiah will be a son of David? v42-43 For David himself says in the book of Psalms, “The *Lord said to my *Lord, Sit here at my right side. Until the day comes when I finally defeat your enemies”. v44 David calls him “*Lord”. How then can the *Messiah be David’s son?’

Verse 41 Jesus did not deny that he was from David’s family. The blind man had given him this title (Luke 18:38). Luke records the promises to Zechariah and Mary. Jesus would be a king from the family of David (Luke 1:32; Luke 1:69). But Jesus wanted to show what the title ‘*Son of David’ meant for the *Messiah. People thought that he would be a soldier like David, as well as a king. He would defeat the *Romans and other nations. He would make *Israel a great political state.

Verses 42-43 Psalms 110 describes the *Messiah. In verse 1, David spoke of the *Lord as ‘my *Lord’. God invited the *Messiah to the place of honour until all his enemies suffered defeat. An enemy had to lie on the ground. The man who had defeated him could put his foot on his neck. There is an example of this practice in Joshua’s time (Joshua 10:24). For the *Messiah, it meant that God would defeat his enemies. God would make them look humble.

Verse 44 Jesus was correcting false ideas about the *Messiah. He was greater than David. He was David’s ‘*Lord’. The *Messiah was not a military hero. He was a king whose people would love him. And they would be glad to follow him.

Jesus warns against the teachers of the law 20:45-47

v45 As all the people listened to him, Jesus said to his *disciples, v46 ‘Be cautious about the teachers of the law. They like to walk about in long clothes. They love people to greet them with respect in the market place. They choose the best seats in the *synagogues and the best places at parties. v47 They take away widows’ property. Then they hide what they have done. They say very long prayers. God will punish them in an even more severe way!’

Verse 46 Jesus is not protecting the *disciples from such teachers. He is warning them not to become proud like them.

Verse 47 All teachers of God’s truth should work to provide for themselves. They should not charge when they teach. But these teachers wanted more money. They were cheating poor widows, who could not defend themselves. Then the teachers tried to hide what they had done. They said long prayers, which made them look very *religious. But God knew what they had done. And he would certainly punish them.

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words)

Temple ~ special building in Jerusalem where Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
worship ~ show honour and respect to God and praise him.'baptise/baptism ~ to put a person into water to show that he wants to obey God.
prophet ~ one who tells God’s messages.
religious ~ leaders belonging to a religion.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Sanhedrin ~ the group of Jewish priests and other leaders.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
priest ~ a man that gave gifts and burned animals as a sacrifice to God for the Jews; a man that God chose to serve him.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
sacrifice ~ a gift to God to ask him to forgive sins; or to thank him for something.
blasphemy ~ insulting God.
Roman ~ person or thing that belongs to Rome.
Rome ~ capital of a great empire in *New Testament times.
empire ~ group of nations under one ruler (emperor).
emperor ~ king who rules over many countries.
Baptist ~ a person who baptises people (John the Baptist).

baptise/baptism ~ to put a person into water to show that he wants to obey God.

'Christ/Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king whom God would send to rescue them.

Messiah/Christ ~ the Jews’ word for the king whom God would send to rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
parable ~ a story with a moral meaning.
tenant ~ person who occupies somebody’s property in return for rent.
vineyard ~ a place in which to grow grapes.
grape ~ fruit of vine.
vine ~ plant that produces grapes.

'Israel, Israelites ~ all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.'baptise/baptism ~ to put a person into water to show that he wants to obey God.
tax ~ money that people must pay to the government.
emperor ~ king who rules over many countries.
resurrection ~ to come back to life after death.
Sadducees ~ group of Jews who did not believe in life after death.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
angel ~ God’s servant and messenger in heaven.
messenger ~ person who gives a message.
Lord ~ name for God in the Bible; name that we use for Jesus when we obey him.
Pharisees ~ group of Jews who were very strict about the law of Moses.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
spiritual ~ belonging to the spirit.
spirit ~ the part of a person which is alive, which we cannot see. It can speak to other spirits and the soul.
soul ~ the part of a person that we cannot see, that is in us during our life on earth. It continues to live after the body dies.'Son of David ~ descendant of David; a title of Messiah.
descendants ~ future members of a family or nation.

Christ/Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king whom God would send to rescue them.

Messiah/Christ ~ the Jews’ word for the king whom God would send to rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
disciple ~ one who follows another and learns from him; a person who believes in Jesus; a person who follows the things that he teaches.
synagogue ~ a building where Jews gather to pray and to study the *Old Testament.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.

Luke: The Man Christ Jesus

Jesus Completes his Work in Jerusalem

Luke 19:45-21

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 20

Question of authority – Luke 20:1-8

v1 One day, Jesus was teaching the people in the *temple and he was speaking about the *gospel. The chief priests, teachers of the law and leaders of the nation came up to him. v2 They asked Jesus these questions. ‘Tell us what authority you have to do these things. And who gave you this authority?’

v3 Jesus replied to them, ‘I also will ask you a question. Tell me this. v4 Was John's authority to *baptise from heaven or was it just human?’

v5 They discussed this among themselves. They said, ‘We could say from heaven. Then he will say, “Why did you not believe him?” v6 We cannot say that his authority was just human. If we did, all the people would throw stones at us. They believe that John was a *prophet.’

v7 So, they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know where John got this authority.’

v8 Jesus replied, ‘Neither will I tell you who gave me authority to do these things.’

Verses 1-8 In the *temple, Jesus *preached the *gospel to the people. While he taught the people, a group of the leaders came to him. This group consisted of the chief priests, teachers of the law and other leaders. They could have been an official team from the *Sanhedrin. They asked Jesus about his authority for what he did. This question may have been because of the way that he forced the traders to leave the *temple area. But it probably included much more than that action. The group of leaders could see that Jesus had authority. But they asked who gave that authority to him.

It seems clear that they wanted to use Jesus’ answers against him. Jesus knew what they were trying to do. So, he did not answer as they expected. Instead, he asked them a question. He asked them about the authority of John the *Baptist to *baptise. That *baptism was either from God or from John himself. This question caused these leaders a problem. They were the leaders of the *Jewish religion. They ought to have known the answer.

The group of leaders did not want to say that the *baptism of John was from God. If it was from God, they should have believed John. John had said that Jesus was the *Christ. And they should have asked John to *baptise them. However, the leaders could say that the *baptism was a human idea. If they said this, then the people would be against them. The people knew that John was a *prophet. The people were aware that John’s authority was from God. These leaders were afraid of what the people would do. The people might throw stones at them and try to kill them.

These leaders dared not answer the question that Jesus had asked. So, Jesus would not answer their question.

In effect, they had the answer. God, who gave authority to John, also gave authority to Jesus. With that authority, Jesus *preached and he did these great deeds.

Story of the farmers – Luke 20:9-19

v9 Then Jesus told the people this story. ‘A man planted a *vineyard. He rented it to some farmers while he went away for a long time. v10 At harvest time, he sent a servant to the farmers. The servant came to get from them a share of the harvest of the *vineyard. But the farmers beat the servant and they sent him away with nothing. v11 The owner sent another servant. The farmers beat and insulted this servant. And they sent the servant away with nothing. v12 The owner sent a third servant. They beat this servant and they hurt him badly. And they threw him out of the *vineyard.

v13 The owner of the *vineyard said, “I know what to do. I will send my son whom I love. Perhaps they will respect him.”

v14 But when the farmers saw the son, they reasoned with themselves. They said, “This is the owner’s son, who will in the future own his property. Let us kill him and the property will be ours.” v15 They threw the son out of the *vineyard and they killed him. You know what the owner of the *vineyard will do to them. v16 He will come and kill those farmers. He will give the *vineyard to other farmers.’ The people heard this story. They said, ‘This must never happen.’

v17 Jesus looked straight at them. He said, ‘This is what the *scriptures say. “The stone that the builders threw out became the most important stone.” v18 That stone will break into pieces everyone who falls on it. But those people on whom the stone falls, it will beat into powder.’

v19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests knew that Jesus told this story against them. At once, they looked for a way to arrest him. But they were afraid of the people.

Verses 9-12 Jesus told this story in order to warn the leaders of the people that they were not obeying God. In the story, a property owner planted a *vineyard. He rented it to farmers while he went away. At harvest time, the owner sent his servants to receive his share of the harvest. That was the rent that was due. However, the farmers would not hand over what was due. Instead, the farmers beat and they insulted the servants. It seems that this continued for several years.

Luke has made the story shorter than Matthew and Mark. They tell us a bit more about the preparation of the *vineyard. The owner sent many servants. The farmers beat them. They threw stones at some and they killed some of the servants (Matthew 21:33-36; Mark 12:1-5).

Verses 13-16 If this had been a true story, probably the owner would have appealed to the law. But in the story, the owner had one son. He loved his son. He sent this son to collect what was due to him. The owner hoped that the farmers would respect his son.

The farmers had paid no rent for several years. The real owner was a long way away. Perhaps the farmers thought that the owner was dead. Or maybe he had already given the *vineyard to his son. If the farmers killed the son, they could take the *vineyard for themselves. It would become their own property. So, they threw the son out of the *vineyard and they killed him.

Jesus discussed with the people what the owner would do. In Matthew, the people gave the answer (Matthew 21:41). Probably Jesus repeated their answer to show that he agreed with it. The owner would kill those wicked men. He would rent the *vineyard to other farmers who would give him his share at the proper time each year.

It is the meaning of the whole story (and not each detail in it) that is important. It would be a mistake to try to interpret every detail. God’s *vineyard means his people (see Isaiah 5:1-7). The leaders of the people were like the farmers. God had given the leaders the responsibility to look after his people, even as the farmers had to look after the *vineyard. However, many leaders of *Israel would not do what God wanted. God sent his servants, that is, the *prophets, to them. In the history of *Israel, many of its leaders had *persecuted the *prophets. They threw stones at some and they killed many of the *prophets. But the love of God is very strong. He decided to give the leaders of his people another opportunity to obey him. So, God sent his son Jesus to them. The leaders at the time of Jesus may have thought that they were serving God well The *temple was beautiful, and they carried out all the ceremonies. However, like many leaders before them, the most important leaders did not want to obey God. They had opposed John the *Baptist and now they were plotting to kill Jesus. Jesus knew what would happen to him.

Of course God would punish the leaders who did such evil things. He would remove their authority to rule his people. He would allow people from every nation to serve him.

Now both *Jews and people who are not *Jews have the opportunity to serve God. Together, they are his *vineyard (John 15:1-8; Romans 11:17-24).

The fruit that God wants is for people to trust him and to obey him.

Verses 17-18 Jesus reminded the leaders about the *scriptures (Psalms 118:22-24). Matthew and Mark include, ‘God has done this. And it is wonderful to us.’

We do not know what was the most important stone. It could have been a large stone in the base of the building. That stone would establish the shape of the building. It could have been the top stone on a corner of the building. That stone would hold the walls together. It could have been the top stone of the building. That stone would hold the whole structure together.

The builders had to be careful to choose the correct stone for the purpose. They would throw out any stone that was not suitable. The workers in stone prepared the stones for the *temple away from the *temple (1 Kings 6:7). There is a story about a stone that the builders refused. The builders could not find where the stone should go. They threw the stone away. Then they discovered that it was the most important stone for the building.

Jesus was like the stone that those builders threw out. The leaders did not want to accept him, so they opposed him. But they had made a terrible mistake. God chose Jesus as the most important stone. All the purposes of God depend on Jesus.

The stone has the power to destroy its enemies. People may refuse and they may oppose Jesus. However, they will suffer because of it. In the day of judgement, God will punish them because of their attitude to Jesus.

Verse 19 These teachers of the law and these chief priests realised that Jesus spoke against them. They were like the bad farmers who would kill the son. Or, they were like the builders who threw away the most important stone. Those leaders should have changed their attitudes when Jesus warned them. However, in fact Jesus’ words made them even more eager to arrest him. But they could not do it because they were afraid of the people.

Questions to test Jesus – Luke 20:20-47

v20 So, they (the leaders) watched Jesus all the time. They sent to him men who pretended to be sincere. They tried to get Jesus to say something wrong. Then they could hand him over to the authority and power of the *Roman ruler. v21 So, they asked Jesus a question. ‘Teacher, we know that you speak the truth. And you teach what is right. You refuse to give honour to anyone who does not deserve it. You teach God’s way with truth. v22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to the *emperor or not?’

v23 Jesus knew what they were trying to do. v24 He said to them, ‘Show me a *denarius. Whose face and name are on it?’ They answered, ‘The *emperor’s.’

v25 He said to them, ‘Give to the *emperor the things that belong to the *emperor. And give to God the things that belong to God.’

v26 So, they failed to make Jesus say anything wrong in public. His answer astonished them and they were silent.

v27 The *Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. Some of them came to Jesus with a question. v28 They said, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote this law for us. Suppose that a married man dies. He leaves a wife but no children. His brother should marry the widow and he should have children with her on behalf of his brother. v29 Once there were 7 brothers. The first one married a woman and he died. They had no children. v30 The second brother married the widow and he died. v31 The third brother and then all the rest married her. All 7 of them died but did not leave any children by her. v32 Last of all, the woman died. v33 When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? All 7 brothers had married her.’

v34 Jesus said to them, ‘In this world, people marry or other people arrange marriages for them. v35 Those people whom God accepts will receive the honour to take part in the future age. They will rise up from death. In that age, they will not marry and nobody will arrange marriages for them. v36 They cannot die again. They will be like the *angels. God will raise them up from death and they will be his children. v37 In the passage about the bush, Moses shows clearly that people will rise from death. He calls the *Lord “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”. v38 He is not the God of dead people. He is God of those who are alive. All people are alive to him.’

v39 Some of the teachers of the law answered, ‘Teacher, you have spoken well.’ v40 And they did not dare to ask Jesus any more questions.

v41 Then Jesus said to them, ‘People say that the *Christ is David's son. v42 But this is what David himself says in the Book of Psalms. “The *Lord said to my *Lord, ‘Sit on my right side. v43 Sit there until I put your enemies beneath your feet.’ ”

v44 So, David calls the *Christ ‘*Lord’. But people say that the *Christ is David’s son.’

v45 While all the people listened, Jesus spoke to his *disciples. v46 He said, ‘Be cautious of the teachers of the law. They like to walk about in long coats. They like it when people greet them in the markets. They want the most important seats in the *synagogues. And they like the place of honour at special dinners. v47 They cheat widows in order to take their houses. But they pretend to be good and make long prayers. God will be very severe when he punishes such men.’

Verses 20-26 The *Jewish leaders watched Jesus as they looked for an opportunity to arrest him. If they could cause the people to turn away from Jesus then they could act. If they could cause Jesus to offend the *Romans then the *Romans could arrest him. In this way, they could hand him over to the *Roman rulers. The people had to pay taxes to the *Romans. They hated their duty to pay these taxes, because they considered the *Romans their enemies. The *Romans demanded that they paid the taxes. So, the leaders sent some *Pharisees and some of Herod’s party to Jesus (Mark 12:13). Herod was a ruler whom the *Romans had appointed over part of Israel.

These men pretended to be sincere. They called Jesus ‘teacher’. Usually people would use that title to give honour to someone, but here it was *hypocrisy. They said that Jesus always spoke the truth. However, they did not believe him. They said that Jesus was fair. He did not give special attention to any person. They said that Jesus spoke as from God. Again, they did not really believe that.

Then they asked Jesus a question that needed ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as the answer. They asked whether it was right to pay taxes to the *emperor or not. In effect, they asked whether it was legal under God’s law. If Jesus had said ‘yes’, it would have offended the people. If Jesus had said ‘no’, it would have offended the *Romans.

Jesus was too wise for such a question to catch him. He knew what the purpose of the question was. He asked them to show him a *denarius. This was a silver *Roman coin. They had to pay the taxes with such coins. The *denarius had the face and the name of the *emperor, probably Tiberius, on it. Then Jesus gave to them his answer. He told them to give to the *emperor what belonged to him. But they must give to God what belongs to him.

This clever answer astonished them. They were silent. They had failed in their purpose.

Taxes were due to the *emperor. But our lives and everything that we have belong to God.

Verses 27-33 The *Sadducees were a group in the *Jewish religion. The chief priest and many other priests were *Sadducees. The name *Sadducee may have come from Zadok. Zadok was a priest at the time of David (see 2 Samuel 19:11). The *Sadducees did not accept all of the traditions of the *Pharisees. However, the *Sadducees did believe in the Torah. The Torah consists of the first 5 books of the Bible. We do not know whether they accepted the rest of the *Old Testament. But they did not believe in a life after death.

The *Sadducees brought a problem for Jesus to answer. A woman had married 7 brothers in turn. All 7 husbands had died before the widow died. But she had not had a child by any of them. In the next life, which one will be her husband? That was their question.

This question is about the custom called Levirate marriages. The term comes from the word levir in the *Latin language. This word means ‘husband’s brother’. This was an ancient custom. When a man died without children, his brother would marry the widow (see Genesis 38:8). The first child with the widow would be as the child of the dead brother. The purpose of this custom was to keep the dead man’s property in his family. The custom became a law where the brothers lived in the same place (Deuteronomy 25:5-6).

The *Sadducees thought that this question would confuse Jesus. They believed that there is no life after death. They thought that their story proved it. God would not have given a law which caused a woman to have many husbands in the next life.

Verses 34-38 The answer that Jesus gave to them was in two parts. First, he talked about the difference between this life and the next life. This answered the question about marriage. Then he showed the *Sadducees that they were wrong about life after death.

Life after death is not just an extension of this life. It will be very different from life here on earth. Life here on earth ends in death. We cannot think that anything of this life will be the same in the future life. The future life will never end and there will be no death. Only those people whom God accepts will have that new life. He will raise them from death and he will give to them this new life. No person can achieve that life for himself.

People that God raises cannot die. They will be like the *angels. The *angels do not marry and they do not die. The people in that future age will be the children of God.

Those people who believe in Jesus have *eternal life already. But they look forward to the full experience of it in the future. John wrote, ‘We are children of God now. We do not know what we will be. But when Jesus appears, we shall be like him’ (1 John 3:2).

In this life, people marry. In the future life, there is no marriage. In the future life, the widow will not have a husband. She will not be the wife of any of the brothers.

In Matthew and Mark, Jesus started his reply with three statements. The *Sadducees were wrong. They did not know the *scriptures. And they did not know the power of God (Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24).

The *Sadducees did not understand the *Old Testament. They believed in the 5 books of Moses. But they did not understand the references to life after death in those books. Jesus told them about the time when God met with Moses.

God called to Moses from the bush that burned. God told Moses that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:1-6). Therefore Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were alive but they had all died. They had, or they will have, life after death. This proves that there is a life after death. They are alive with God.

Verse 39-40 The teachers of the law did believe in a life after death. They seemed glad that Jesus had answered the *Sadducees so well. The *Sadducees were not popular with the teachers or with the people.

Nobody dared to ask Jesus any more questions.

Verses 41-44 The *Jews understood that the *Christ would be a *descendant of David. They called the *Christ ‘the son of David’. They expected the *Christ to come as a great king. Even as David defeated the enemies of *Israel, so they expected the *Christ to free them from the *Romans.

People usually believed that an *ancestor was greater than his *descendant. So, the *Jews were speaking as if David was greater than the *Christ. However, David calls the *Christ his ‘*Lord’. David recognised that the *Christ was greater. The *Christ would be both David’s son (*descendant) and his *Lord.

In the Psalms, God tells the *Christ to sit at his right side, that is, in the place of greatest honour. Then God will defeat all the enemies (Psalms 110:1). Paul wrote about Jesus that, in his human nature, he was a *descendant of David. As the *descendant of David, Jesus was a man. But the *Holy Spirit declared that Jesus was the Son of God (Romans 1:3-4). As the Son of God, Jesus is of the nature of God. The *Holy Spirit proved this as he raised Jesus from death.

Verses 45-47 Jesus warned his *disciples about many of the teachers of the law. They were doing the same wrong things that many leaders of religion do still today. They liked other people to think that they were good and important. They wanted people to recognise and to respect them. They considered themselves superior to other people. They made long prayers in order to impress people.

They loved to sit in the most important seats in the *synagogue. These seats were at the front where the leader read the *scriptures. At the front, all the people could see them. The people would think that they were so important.

The teachers of the law could not receive payment from their pupils. They had to teach and not to ask for payment. But they could receive gifts. The teachers encouraged people to give more than they could afford. They took money from even the poorest members of society.

God saw this *hypocrisy. He will be very severe when he punishes such men.

temple ~ a special building for the worship of God. The Jews had a temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God. But at other temples, people worshipped false gods.
worship ~ the act when someone gives honour to God. Someone who worships, praises God. That person thanks God. And that person respects God.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
gospel ~ the good news that God saves people from sin because of Jesus Christ.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
baptise ~ to carry out the ceremony called baptism.
baptism ~ a ceremony with water to show that God has forgiven (washed away) a person’s sin.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. A prophet can sometimes say what will happen in the future.
preach ~ to speak out the message from God and to teach his word.
Sanhedrin ~ A group of 71 leaders under the high priest who were the Jewish government.
Jewish ~ people or things that are from the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Baptist ~ the title of John, which he received because he carried out the ceremony called baptism.
baptism ~ a ceremony with water to show that God has forgiven (washed away) a person’s sin.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
baptism ~ a ceremony with water to show that God has forgiven (washed away) a person’s sin.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
Jewish ~ people or things that are from the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Christ ~ the Christ is the name for the person whom God would send to be the Saviour of his people. Jesus is the Christ and he was called Christ.
Saviour ~ a title for Jesus, who saves his people from their sins.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
vineyard ~ a place where grapes grow.
grapes ~ a fruit from which to make wine.
scriptures ~ the books of the Bible.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
persecute ~ to attack and to hurt people because of what they believe.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. Anything that belonged to Rome was Roman.
emperor ~ like a king. The Romans called their most important ruler an emperor.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. Anything that belonged to Rome was Roman.
denarius ~ a coin. The plural is denarii.
Sadducees ~ a group in the Jewish religion who did not believe in a life after death.
Jewish ~ people or things that are from the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages. So, angels are God’s servants from heaven. But there are evil angels who opposed God. These evil angels now serve the devil.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things. In the Old Testament, LORD was a special name for God.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.
disciple ~ a person who follows a leader, especially the 12 men that Jesus chose to be with him.
synagogue ~ a building where Jews gather for prayer; a meeting place for Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Pharisees ~ a group of Jews who tried to obey all God’s rules. Many of them did not approve of Jesus.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
hypocrisy ~ when someone pretends in order to give a false impression.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.
Latin ~ an ancient language.'eternal life ~ life of a new quality for those people who believe in Jesus. This new life will be with Jesus always.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.'Holy Spirit ~ God’s Spirit whom Jesus sent to help his people. It is another name for God, also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ and the Comforter. The Holy Spirit is a person but not human. He lives and works for God. He is God, equal with God the Father and with God the Son.'