Chapter Twenty

1–26. The question about Christ’s authority and tribute to Caesar. – 27–38. The question of the Sadducees. – 39–47. Christ and the scribes.

Luke 20:1. On one of those days, as He was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and scribes came with the elders, Luke 20:2. and said to Him, “Tell us, by what authority do You do these things, or who gave You this authority? Luke 20:3. He replied to them, “I also will ask you a question, and you tell Me: Luke 20:4. Was John’s baptism from heaven or from men? Luke 20:5. They discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say ‘from heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ Luke 20:6. But if we say ‘from men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet. Luke 20:7. So they answered, “We do not know where it came from. Luke 20:8. Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. This section is fully in agreement with the account of the evangelist Mark (Mark 11:27-33), whom Luke clearly follows here, and with the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 21:23-27). “The people will stone us.” This was a customary punishment among the Jews (cf. Exod 17:4).

Luke 20:9. And He began to tell the people a parable: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time; Luke 20:10. and at the proper season he sent a servant to the tenant farmers so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard; but the tenant farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Luke 20:11. And he sent another servant; but they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. Luke 20:12. And he sent yet a third; but they wounded this one also and threw him out. Luke 20:13. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ Luke 20:14. But when the tenant farmers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ Luke 20:15. And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? Luke 20:16. He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “May it not be! Luke 20:17. But He looked at them and said, “What then does this Scripture mean: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Luke 20:18. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and if it falls on anyone, it will crush him. Luke 20:19. And the chief priests and the scribes sought in that very hour to seize Him, but they feared the people; for they understood that He had spoken this parable against them. The parable of the vineyard in the evangelist Luke stands closest to the way it is presented in the evangelist Mark (Mark 12:1-12; cf. Matt 21:33-46). “He began to speak to the people” (verse 9). According to Mark, the Lord spoke the parable to the chief priests, scribes, and elders (Mark 12:1: “them”; cf. Mark 11:27), and not to the people. But the evangelist Luke, probably understanding by “people” both the chief priests with the scribes and elders, omits this conversation here, but mentions only its result – the remark of the scribe or “some scribes,” as he expressed it. In any case, from his Gospel it is clear that these persons were present when the parable was pronounced (cf. verse 19). “Those who heard said, ‘May it not be!’” (verse 16). Apparently these were people from among the common people who understood that the Lord was depicting in the parable the attitude toward Him from the side of the representatives of Judaism. They say that they do not want the tenant farmers to kill the “son,” that is, they pity Christ. “What does this mean...” (verse 17). More correctly: what then, if your wish “may it not be” should be fulfilled, should the Scripture saying “stone” mean? – that is, in that case the will of God spoken about Me in Scripture will not be fulfilled. “Everyone who falls” (verse 18; see Matt 21:44). “For they understood” (verse 19). Who? The people or the hierarchs? According to the evangelist Luke, rather the people, who understood that the parable was spoken about the hierarchs (cf. verses 16–17). The evangelist seems to want to say that the people, having understood the parable which pointed to the designs of the hierarchs against Christ, were already on guard, and it was this that the hierarchs feared; therefore they did not dare to seize Christ.

Luke 20:20. And they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might catch Him in something He said, so as to deliver Him to the authority and power of the governor. Luke 20:21. And they asked Him, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach rightly, and are not partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God; Luke 20:22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Luke 20:23. But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me? Luke 20:24. Show Me a denarius: whose image and inscription does it have?” They answered, “Caesar’s. Luke 20:25. He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. Luke 20:26. And they were not able to catch Him in something He said before the people, and marveling at His answer, they became silent. The conversation of Christ with the “spies” about tribute to Caesar is recounted by the evangelist Luke in agreement with the evangelist Mark (Mark 12:13-17; cf. Matt 22:15-22). “And they watched Him...” (verse 20). The hierarchs still did not abandon their designs and, constantly watching every deed and word of Christ, sent craftily-minded (trained) people to Him who, pretending to be pious, that is, making it appear that they were acting according to their own religious necessity, would catch Christ on some rash word. However, this translation of the Russian Gospel text does not fully correspond to the Greek; more correctly: “they sent instructed people pretending to be pious to catch Him...” They wanted to deliver Christ to the authority and, specifically (the explanatory conjunction), the power of the procurator. “Are not partial to anyone” (verse 21), that is, do not belong to any faction, judge impartially (cf. Gal 2:6). “Tribute” (verse 22) – a head tax and land tax (φόρον, in distinction from τέλος – a tariff or indirect tax).

Luke 20:27. Then came some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, and they asked Him, Luke 20:28. “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies having a wife, and he dies without children, the man must take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Luke 20:29. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children; Luke 20:30. and the second took the wife, and he died without children; Luke 20:31. and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died; Luke 20:32. Afterward the woman also died. Luke 20:33. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife. Luke 20:34. And Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and are given in marriage; Luke 20:35. but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, Luke 20:36. for they can no longer die, for they are like the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. Luke 20:37. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, when he called the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Luke 20:38. Now He is not God of the dead but of the living, for to Him all are alive. The answer to the question of the Sadducees is given by the evangelist Luke in agreement with Mark (Mark 12:18-27; cf. Matt 22:23-33). “Some Sadducees came, those who deny the resurrection” (verse 27) – more correctly: “those denying the resurrection” (this is a definition of the word “some”). From this it is evident that only some Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead. “Children of this age” (verse 34), that is, people of the pre-messianic period. “And they can no longer die” (verse 36) – more correctly: “for also they can no longer die” (οὐδέ γάρ ἀποθανεῖν ἔτι δύνανται). Immortality of the resurrected, their deathlessness, excludes marriage among them (though not the distinction of sexes), since marriage is necessary only where death exists (the Blessed Theophylact). “For they are like the angels.” This is the reason why they will not die. They will not die because of a transformation which their nature will undergo, for likeness or resemblance to the angels consists in a higher, crude physical existence that has ceased to be, existence of the flesh. This physicality will not be subject to death. “And are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” Here is another basis for the immortality of the future life. People will become sons of God – not only in the moral sense, as children loved by God, but in a higher, metaphysical sense – will have in themselves a higher divine life, divine glory (Rom 8:17), which (life) is eternal by its nature. “Being sons of the resurrection,” that is, having risen through resurrection to a new life. “Moses showed in the passage about the bush” (verse 37). The word “showed” (ἐμήνυσεν, incorrectly read by Bishop Michael as ἑρμήνευσεν – interpreted) denotes the revelation of what is hidden (John 11:57; Acts 23:30). The Lord mentions Moses first of all because his interlocutors referred to Moses (verse 28). “For to Him all are alive” (verse 38), that is, all – of whom He is God – are alive to Him. If they are also dead, then to people, in relation to people, but not in relation to God. Thus, the future resurrection of the dead appears to be the natural and necessary completion of that state of life in which the dead exist before the Last Judgment.

Luke 20:39. And some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, You have spoken well. Luke 20:40. For they no longer dared to ask Him anything more. Luke 20:41. But He said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David, Luke 20:42. for David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, Luke 20:43. until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet’? Luke 20:44. David thus calls Him Lord; how then is He his Son? Luke 20:45. And in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, Luke 20:46. “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts; Luke 20:47. who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense pray at length. They will receive the greater condemnation. “Some of the scribes” (verse 39). According to the evangelist Mark, this was said by one scribe who had been in conversation with Christ about the greatest commandment (Mark 12:32). Since the evangelist Luke has already related this conversation above (Luke 10:25 and ff.), he omits it here and mentions only the result of this conversation – the remark of the scribe or “some scribes,” as he expressed it. “And they no longer dared to ask Him anything” (verse 40). Here also the evangelist Luke repeats the account of Mark (Mark 12:34). “How can they say...” (verses 41–44). (See Mark 12:35-37). “And in the hearing of all the people...” (verses 45–47). (See Mark 12:38-40). The difference between Mark and Luke here is that, according to the former, the Lord’s warning was spoken before a multitude of people and for the people, while according to Luke it was addressed directly to His disciples. This difference can be reconciled thus: the Lord spoke in this case aloud before all the people (Mark), but addressed Himself directly to His disciples (Luke).