Luke 21:8

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He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. ~ Luke 21:8

We come back to the last Wednesday of the Lord Jesus' earthly life. His day of teaching in the Temple area was over. From now on He will speak only to His disciples who are gathered around Him on the Mount of Olives. 

In response to the disciples question, "When will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?," the Lord Jesus says, "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them."

The disciples expected the Lord Jesus to set up His eternal kingdom, then and there. But, He is about to adjust their understanding of what He had said in His word leading up this point in time.  

The Lord Jesus knew that the disciples would soon be in the position to be easily deceived. When we have insufficient theology, we can easily be deceived. This is why we must be ardent in being in His word daily. We must be careful to learn it from Him as our teacher. We must read His word while listening to His voice as we study it. And, what He teaches us must frame up our understanding of all that is going on in our lives and in this world.

In this one verse, Luke 21:8, the Lord Jesus hints that His coming is a long way off. It had to be a long way off because in the meantime the disciples would be in danger of being deceived. 

I have discovered down through the years that we Christians often sacrifice the good on the altar of the perfect. In our desire for perfection, we fail to factor in the fact that we live in a fallen world and there are forces that we must be shrewd with as we deal with them. For example, during World War 2, many disliked General George S. Patton for he was brash and rude with his words. However, history has shown us, if the USA had decided to use Patton's skills more than we did, we would not have suffered as many casualties as we did. With all of his brashness and rudeness, Patton served an important role in turning back the evil of Nazism in the world.

It is said that future predictive prophecy occupies one fifth of Scripture, not a small amount. Of that one fifth of Scripture which is predictive prophecy, one third of that speaks of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to judge sinners and to reward and reign with the righteous. So one third of the one fifth is focused on the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are about 660 general prophecies in the Bible. Half of them are about the Lord Jesus Christ. Of the 330 that are about Christ, 110 of them are about His first coming and 220 of them are about His Second Coming. So, there is a huge amount of Scripture that focuses on the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. 

Out of the forty-six Old Testament prophets, ten of them spoke of matters related to His first coming. Thirty-six of them spoke of matters related to His Second Coming. One out of every twenty-five verses in the New Testament relates to Christ's return. For every time Christ mentions His first coming, He mentions His second coming eight times. That is, every time the New Testament mentions His first coming, it mentions His second coming eight times. The Lord Jesus referred to His Second Coming twenty times and there are over fifty times in the New Testament we are warned that He's coming.

In our text and the verses that follow, the Lord Jesus is identifying the preliminary events that lead up to His Second Coming. Mind you, His Second Coming is not the same as the Rapture of the Church. More about the Rapture at the end of this blog.

From the beginning there have been counterfeit messiahs, national and international upheavals, and religious persecution. But these things will increase and intensify as the time of the Lord Jesus’ Second Coming draws near. 

Today's text shows there will be religious delusion, and even God’s people will be in danger of being deceived. Satan is a counterfeiter who for centuries has led people astray by deceiving minds and blinding hearts. Israel was often seduced into sin by false prophets, and the church has had its share of false teachers.

Most people are naturally concerned about the future, especially when world events are threatening; therefore, religious racketeers can prey on us and take advantage of us. In every age, there are those who either claim to be the Christ or claim to know when He will return. These false prophets often use the Scriptures to prove the accuracy of their predictions, in spite of the fact that Christ clearly stated that nobody knows the day or the hour of His return.

“Be not deceived!” is the Lord’s admonition. The only sure way to keep from being deceived in this world is to know the Scriptures and obey what God has told us to do. 

The promises of God require the Second Coming of Christ. All four gospel writers record the promise of the Lord Jesus that He is coming back. And, in the book of the Revelation, six times the Apostle John quotes the Lord Jesus, "Behold, I come quickly." 

According to Luke 21:8, "Many," not a few, "many will come in My name," meaning claiming to be Christ. And, many have come and many are still to come. I find it interesting that no one claims to be the resurrected Buddha. Or, Mohammed has come back. There is no sense in counterfeiting the counterfeit.

Having said all of this, today, we wait for the Rapture. In John 14:1-3 we read, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so I would have told you and I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive it in myself that where I am there you may be also."

Notice that there is no judgment connected to this prophecy in John 14. It is simply a time when the Lord Jesus comes to get His people and take us up to heaven to be in the place that He's prepared in the Father's house for us. This is not the Lord coming back to set up a kingdom on earth. This is an event in which He comes for His redeemed people, Jew and Gentile, all who are a part of the church gathered from all the nations. It could happen today. Are you ready? 

Going to heaven is as SIMPLE as ABC.

A. ADMIT YOU ARE A SINNER 

"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."   Romans 3:23

B. BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS, ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND THAT YOU TRUST IN HIM ALONE FOR YOUR SALVATION.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved."   Acts 16:31

C. CONFESS YOUR SINS TO GOD.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." 1 John 1:9

You only need to tell Jesus that you have sinned and ask for His forgiveness. Then He will forgive you, no matter what sins you have committed. Then ask Him to come into your life. And, once you have done this, you will be amazed at what He will do as you learn to let Him run your life. Welcome to the family of God. If I can help you, send me an email at byoungministry@gmail.com 

Luke 21:5-7

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5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” 7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” ~ Luke 21:5-7

Today, we come to a section of Scripture that has as its topic the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and His coming millennial reign on the earth. Of course, that is not in these three verses, it is the subject of the passage at large. At this point in the narrative, the Lord Jesus directs His disciples attention to the end. And, He teaches these things in the context of what appears to be the wrong ending of His story. He appears to be on the brink of losing all control when in reality He is gaining complete control through His victory over sin and death.

In this narrative, it is now Wednesday evening. This is the last week of the Lord Jesus' life on earth before His crucifixion. All day long He has been in the temple teaching the Gospel. As He taught, there was no question in the minds of His followers that He knew the Jewish religious system was corrupt. He had just finished a lengthy sermon against the religious leaders of Israel in which He pronounced repeated judgment and damnation upon their heads for using their religion to take advantage of the people. 

In v.5-6 we read, "5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."

In Matthew 24:3, a parallel passage to today's text, the disciples asked, "What is the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?" The Greek word used here is parousia, which means presence. The disciples understood it to mean the king had arrived and would continue to dwell among His people. So they're really asking, "Now that You are here, what are we looking for that will inaugurate the work that You've come to do?" They can't foresee that He was going to die, go away and then come back several thousand years later. 

The disciples knew, as the Messiah, the Lord Jesus came to judge the sinful, but they also knew there would be salvation, restoration, forgiveness and the establishment of His kingdom for the righteous. They thought it would all happen at one time.  

The Jewish religious leaders, of course, had tried to discredit the Lord Jesus publicly because they wanted Him dead. They had been unsuccessful in trying to trap Him in His words publicly so they could bring some just accusation against Him and force the Romans to execute Him. So when they did finally bring Him before Pilate, they lied and fabricated things about Him in order to get the Romans to execute Him.

The Temple in Jerusalem was one of the great wonders of the ancient world. To the Jews it was the most important place in the world because it was the place where they thought God dwelt. It was also the place of the sacrifices procuring the forgiveness of God for the sins of the people.

On August 29, 70 A.D., Titus Vespasian, the great Roman general, came in after a long siege and torched it. At that time, there were about 6,000 people, Josephus says, trying to seek refuge in the temple who were consumed in the flames and died and there were tens of thousands more that were massacred by the Romans throughout the city of Jerusalem.

Not only had the place that embodied the presence of God for the Jews been leveled, the whole city was demolished. The disciples did not expect these events to happen. The disciples believed the Lord Jesus was going to destroy their enemies and so they asked, "Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?"  

Tomorrow, we will consider the answer of the Lord Jesus to this question. But, allow me to return to the most subtle message in today's text. The disciples were focused on the establishment of the physical, earthly kingdom of God, yet, there is a far more important kingdom being established here. It is the internal establishment of His unseen kingdom in our hearts. The Lord Jesus had to deal, once and for all, with mankind's greatest enemy, sin and it's companion death.

The gospel teaches us that the most important things that will happen in our lives today will be the most unwanted things. We must learn to value those unwanted for they serve to enable us to know this One who came to rescue us from our greatest enemy. We did all we could do to damn ourselves but He loved us enough to come and seek us when we were His enemies. Now, that's a story to be enamored with, that's the story of all stories. I'm honored to be defined by such a story! 

Luke 21:1-4

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1 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” ~ Luke 21:1-4

It is still Wednesday of the final week of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus. On Monday He entered Jerusalem on a donkey.  On Tuesday He cleansed the temple. All day Wednesday He has been teaching in the temple and has been confronted by the religious leaders of Judaism who have tried to trap Him in His words so that they might have some cause to have Him put to death. He silenced them every time.

At this point in the narrative the Lord Jesus has forty-eight hours to live and he knows it. He is now in the temple, particularly where tithes and offerings were placed in the  treasury. The temple had a huge outer court where anybody could go, whether you were Jewish or not, the court of the Gentiles. Then there was a wall with a sign that said, "If you're a Gentile, you can't go any further. And if you do, when you die, it will be your fault." 

So the only people that could get into the next court were Jewish men and women, and that was the court of the women. This is where the Lord Jesus is in today's text. 

The sacrifice had been made when the Lord Jesus noticed this poor woman giving what was the equivalent of one sixty-fourth of a denarius. A denarius coin was worth a day's wage for a working man. According to the Jewish writings, her two copper coins were the smallest amount allowable that one could put in the offering plate. She wasn't allowed to put any less. 

In v.3-4 we read, 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

This woman gave out of all that she had to live on in a single day. Proportionately, she gave more than the rich people who were financially rich but spiritually bankrupt. When God measures gifts, He doesn't measure them according to the portion, but according to the proportion with which they are given. This poor lady put in all that she had. Whereas she was financially poor and spiritually rich,  these religious leaders were financially rich and spiritually bankrupt. 

Of all of the parables the Lord Jesus told, at least half of them deal with money. It's estimated in the New Testament that every one out of seven verses speak about the issue of the relationship of the believer to finances. There are five hundred verses that speak about prayer, less than five hundred that speak about faith, and around two thousand that speak about money.

This woman was part of a system that took her last two cents on the pretense that this was necessary to please God, to purchase her salvation and to bring her blessing. She was manipulated by a religious system that was corrupt. This story is about a victim of a corrupt system who was literally made absolutely destitute trying to live up to that system and earn heaven. Man was not made for the law but the law was made for man.

According to Matthew 23:13-39, a parallel passage to our text for today, the Lord Jesus uses the word "woe" repeatedly, which means cursed, damned, consigned to judgment, to describe how He felt about this scenario. The Lord Jesus saw religion taking advantage of the poor. Religion demands money to make those who are in charge comfortable and prosperous and wealthy. Our value is never to be measured by our wealth. In fact, God has given to us in order for us to be a blessing to others. Our love for God is seen best in how we treat others and the motivation behind our giving.

The best giving comes out of the seed bed of gratitude. And, God has so designed us that when we give it benefits us. The benefits of practicing gratitude are nearly endless. People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they're thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems. 

Thomas Merton once wrote, "To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God."

My friends, we do not earn our salvation. No one can earn God's favor. This is why the Lord Jesus came, to earn our salvation for us. And, due to the fact that His great grace has gripped us, we choose to obey Him. Not because we have to, but because we want to. This is the work of His great grace in our hearts.

Luke 20:45-47

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45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” ~ Luke 20:45-47

As we come back to Luke 20, it has been a long day of teaching for the Lord Jesus. And, since He was such a threat to the kingdom of darkness and to the earthly positions of the religious leaders, they tried every tactic to undermine Him. Sadly, their tactics worked with most. In just a couple of days, many will be found screaming for His death. And, after His resurrection, only 120 believers were in Judea and 500 in Galilee. 

At this point in the narrative, the Lord Jesus is done talking to the Jewish religious leaders, illustrating that our opportunities to respond to truth is limited. The worst ever will be those who will spend eternity in Hell. In v.45, He turns to speak to His disciples. The crowd could hear it, as well. He had one final message to be heard.  

In v.46-47 we read, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The last thing the Lord Jesus says to the crowds is a warning. This is how the Lord Jesus deals with those who are not defined by the truth, His truth. In practical terms, anyone with a corrupted view of Jesus Christ and His gospel is under condemnation. Anyone who doesn’t believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is not known by the Father. As a result, they will hear from the Lord Jesus, "Depart from me for I never knew you."

Like I, you may have wondered, "How is it that He doesn't know me, especially since He is omniscient?" It is not that He doesn't know us, it is that He does not know us as His brothers and sisters. It is that we have not responded to Him by faith thus allowing Him to know us intimately and personally. It is that we have entered into a personal relationship with Him by faith.

False teachers have always been known to dress up in the so-called "garments of God." They want people to believe that they represent God, even though they are the spokesmen of hell itself. We can look the part on the outside, but inwardly we can be very far from God. Humility and honesty are two of the most crucial signs of one's rightness with God. Of course, it is only when we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ that we are made right with Him.

In 2 Peter 2:1 we read, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you...” In addition, in Jude, we read, “For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”

The Lord Jesus warns His hearers of the dangers of the religious leaders because they did not have a personal relationship with God through His Son. They were messengers of Satan sent to fight the purposes of God. 

Religion can not control the sinful heart of man. It is only in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that our disposition toward Him changes. He alone can change us from being dead to Him to being alive to Him and His truth.

According to v.46, the Jewish religious leaders were constantly engaged in bringing attention to themselves. When we accentuate self above our Savior, we are walking down an eventual lonely path, for God will not bless the self-centeredness therein. This is in contradiction to the teaching of the Lord Jesus who calls us all to be servants. False teachers are never humble. They wear the facade of false humility. Those who are children of God will grow in humility and servanthood. Humility is proven by our servant's hearts.

In v.47, speaking of the religious leaders, we read, “They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” 

The word “devour” means “to eat.” The Lord Jesus was using this word metaphorically, meaning, “to consume.” These false teachers of whom the Lord Jesus speaks, pursued the unprotected and the weak. They stole from widows under the guise of helping them. Their lust for the things of this world ruled them. They, literally, ate away at the estates of the vulnerable. 

In the context of all of this seeming defeat to the god of this world, the Lord Jesus was always in control. And what the Jewish religious leaders had been doing in the name of God was dishonest, deceitful and despicable. And so, the Lord Jesus exposed the "leaders" publicly, because He desired for the hungry and the thirsty to come into a personal relationship with God through Him. It is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that we enter into a personal relationship with God. Our government has the right to collect taxes, but only the Lord Jesus has the right to collect our worship.

Luke 20:41-44

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41 And He said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? 42 Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 43 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’ 44 Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” ~ Luke 20:41-44

It is Wednesday of the Lord Jesus' final week on earth. We return to the temple where He has been teaching all day, just two days before His crucifixion. The Jewish religious leaders continue to challenge Him with their insincere questions. They had no desire to follow God. They were more interested in the power, influence and prestige this world has to offer.

In order to garner more power, influence and prestige, they wore special garments, expected to be addressed with special titles and greetings, and looked for special seats at public gatherings.

After having answered a question from the Sadducees, the Lord Jesus asked the religious leaders one final question. But before He asked His question, He quotes Psalm 110:1 which reads, "Sit at My right hand, 43 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." Then He asks, "How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David?" 

According to  2 Samuel 7:13–14, Isaiah 11:1 and Jeremiah 23:5, God had ordained that the Messiah should come from the family of David and be born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

The term "Son of David" was the most common term for the Messiah of all of the terms in Judaism. The Jews, to whom the Lord Jesus spoke, believed their Messiah would be a human who would come into the world, become the ruler of Israel, reestablish the kingdom of God, and rule the world of nations from Jerusalem. They believed the Messiah would be the best of men, the noblest of men, the most gifted and blessed of men, and a son of David. But, they did not believe the Messiah would be God. They saw Him only as a man from God. 

The Lord Jesus knew some of the religious leaders present that day in the Temple were not far from the kingdom of God. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, were in that category, and they subsequently became followers of Christ. This explains why He is still down to the very last conversation inviting sinners headed to hell to receive His free gift of salvation.

According to Matthew 1 and Luke 3, the Lord Jesus came through the genealogy of David. Both His parents were from the Davidic line. He, therefore, is the Son of David. If He were not a Son of David, it would have been used to discredit Him because the scribes and the religious leaders were very careful with genealogical records.

Again, in v.41 we read, "And He said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David?" The only way the Messiah could be David’s Son and David’s Lord, He had to be the eternal God who came as the God-man. This was too much for the Jewish religious leaders to take in. This made them change their interpretation of Psalm 110, saying it refers to Abraham not the Messiah. They did same same with Isaiah 53 with the suffering Messiah. Instead of interpreting Isaiah 53 speaking of the Messiah, they say it refers to Israel. My question is, "Why is the first person masculine pronoun used in Isaiah 53 for the suffering servant? Why isn't it a plural pronoun used if it speaks of Israel?

In v.44 we read, “Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” The discussion with the Sadducees was over. Luke says they had nothing left to say. So the Lord Jesus asked His final question. A question they could not answer. And, as a result, they were doubly silenced. 

Where do we go if we reject the Lord Jesus Christ? We can't just think He is a good person and the Bible is a wonderful book. The Bible makes clear, the Lord Jesus is God. He is David’s Son and David’s Lord. If we believe that, we affirm Scripture. If we do not believe that, we deny Scripture. 

The Jewish religious leaders rejected their own Messiah and had Him crucified. They led the nation into ruin because they would not admit their sins and confess Jesus as the Son of David. These men were “experts” in the Bible, yet they did not apply its truths to their own lives. Their religion was a matter of external observance, not internal transformation. Yet, the miracles and the wisdom of the Lord Jesus speak for themselves. But the remaining question is: Do you believe Him to be God? If He is not, we have no savior. And, if He is, we have a wonderful, wonderful savior.

Luke 20:27-40

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27 Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.” 

34 Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.” 

39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore. ~ Luke 20:27-40

Today's text takes place on the final Wednesday of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus. Then He was crucified on that Friday. This was a busy day for Him as He taught in the temple all day in the context of the Jewish religious community trying to trip Him up with their questions. Good thing He is God, I couldn't have done it.

Toward the end of the day that Wednesday, a certain element of the Jewish religious leaders, the Sadducees, came to the Lord Jesus with a hypothetical question. The Sadducees accepted only the first five books of Moses as the word of God. In addition, they did not believe in angels, spirits, or the resurrection of the dead. And, by the way, when the Romans came in and destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the Sadducees ceased to exist.

Central to this question from the Sadducees was the subject of the resurrection which is at the crux of all that we believe. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 15:14, the Apostle Paul tells us, without the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we are all without hope.

Our eternity with God is not a mere continuation of the life we know right now. In heaven, we will maintain our identities and know each other, but there will be no more death. As a result, there will be no more need for marriage and procreation. In heaven we will share the image of Jesus Christ and be much higher than the angels.

In v.28-33, the Sadducees asked the Lord Jesus who will in heaven be the husband of a woman who had been married to seven different men. The Sadducees were trying to discredit Him in front of the people by asking Him this question that nobody had ever been able to answer. This was the question that stumped everybody. 

In v.34-38 the Lord Jesus answers the question. He was quick to say marriage is a thing of this temporal world. Then, He accentuates the fact that the angels do not procreate. They were all created at one time and they don’t procreate or die. Their number is fixed. And so, in heaven, there will be no need for marriage because there will be no procreation. 

According to v.36, people do not die, and in this sense we are equal to angels. When we believed in the Lord Jesus, we received His life, eternal life. When we received His life we became the sons and daughters of the resurrection. 

The resurrection proclaims: the believer in Christ finds his worthiness in the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ. And His resurrection from the dead sealed His merit as worthy. 

The Lord Jesus eliminated the need for the Sadducees' question. And, the real point comes in v.37-38 which reads, “37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.” 

The Lord Jesus uses logic by directing our attention to Moses in Exodus 3. God identified Himself with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and thus affirmed that these three patriarchs are very much alive.

The Sadducees only believed in the first five books of the Old Testament, and the Lord Jesus uses Moses to make the most salient point to the Sadducees. He quotes Exodus 3:6, meaning, "I am, and therefore they are." God is the God of the living Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. From the vantage point of earth, these patriarchs are dead but in eternity they are alive. The Lord Jesus dismantled the Sadducees false views by proving that Moses affirmed in His writing that God is the God of the living.

In v.39-40 we read, "39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore." The Lord Jesus blew the minds of the most learned of that day. He silenced for the first time, ever, the hypothetical question of the Sadducees. 

One day there will be no more tears, pain, sickness, and death. For the believer in Christ, there will one day be complete harmony. In eternity, we will live in a new earth without the interference of sin and death. We who believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will enjoy sinless hearts and minds along with disease-free bodies. All that causes us pain and discomfort will be destroyed, and we, we will live forever. 

Luke 20:20-26

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20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 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. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” 26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent. ~ Luke 20:20-26

In spite of all the Old Testament revelation that pointed the Jews to the Lord Jesus Christ, they rejected Him. Herein, we have the general abiding principles of all time: being defined by good or being defined by evil. And, the hearts of the religious leaders were so hardened to God by evil, they were blind to the truth when He came. 

As we wade back into Luke 20, it is still Wednesday of the final week of the Lord Jesus earthly life. By Friday, the Lord Jesus will be crucified. On this Wednesday, He spent the day in the temple surrounded by the masses of people who had flowed into Jerusalem because it was Passover. And when He came into the city, they, full of hope, wanted Him to be the long-awaited Messiah. And so they gave Him a triumphal entry and they were still hanging on His every word and deed.  

In v.20 we read, "Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor."

The religious leaders hated the Lord Jesus so much they wanted Him dead. Yet, all their power, honor, position, and prominence came from the people. And the people were still feeling the euphoria of the triumphal entry that Jesus might be the Messiah. And so, the religious leaders were afraid to go against the crowd because they needed the crowd. 

And yet, they had nothing but contempt for the people. They had not a heart for God, so it makes sense that they had no heart for the people. They fed their proud souls on the accolades of those that they intimidated and abused.  And they knew that if the Lord Jesus was arrested by the Romans, the people’s hope in Him would be crushed, and they would get rid of Him. 

That little phrase, “pretended to be sincere” is of utmost importance to consider. In this phrase, we see the root of all of mankind's problems. Our unwillingness to admit that we need help, that we need a savior is at the root of it all evil in our lives. The coming of the Lord Jesus was God’s answer to the slavery of self-salvation. But if we are not willing to admit our need for the savior, we undoubtedly must pretend to have it all together.

The Lord Jesus came to liberate us from the pressure of having to fix ourselves, find and free ourselves. He came to rescue us from the slavish need to be right, rewarded, regarded, and respected. He came to relieve us of the burden we inherently feel to trust in ourselves in order “to get life right.” The Lord Jesus came to secure for us what we could never secure for ourselves. As a result, life ceases to be a tireless effort to establish, justify, and validate ourselves.

In v.21-22 we read, "21 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. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

Although, all they were saying is absolutely true, they did not believe it. They were trying to position the Lord Jesus into a place where He’s going to be forced to give them an answer that will pit Him against Rome.

In v.23 we read, “He saw through their duplicity and said to them.” “Caesar’s,” they replied.” 

In the Jewish leaders minds, there was only one correct answer. They expected He would answer in such a way that once they got Him to do so, to speak against Rome, they were going to call the Romans who will arrest Him.

In v.24-25 we read, “24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

The denarius was a day’s wage coin made out of silver or gold.  They were in circulation between 300 B.C. to 300 A.D. Minted by the Caesar, each coin had his image on it. There are certain things in this world that belong in the providence of God to the temporal realm of this world. Money is one of them. God Himself had brought Israel under Roman rule. And He expected them to support the rule of the government because all government is ordained by God. Their's is the power that is ordained by God who gave them that power to protect the innocent and punish the evil.

Caesar has his sphere of rule by God’s design, and we owe what we owe to him in the providence of God. In His answer, the Lord Jesus affirms the role and the right of government to collect taxes for its support because it is ordained by God for man’s well being and protection. In fact, without it we have anarchy, chaos and destruction.

The believer in Christ lives in two worlds. The Lord Jesus was not suggesting that we divide our loyalties between God and government. We are to give Caesar what’s Caesar’s and thank God that providentially we are under His government. 

Our text today ends with "Give to God what is God’s.” That which is God's is what we owe to Him. We owe Him our being and all that goes along with it including our worship, praise, adoration, glory, obedience, love, and trust.

In v.26 we read, “They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.” The religious leaders went away perplexed because they failed to catch Him in a saying in front of the people that would have caused Him to be arrested and executed.

The alternative is quite different. Those who operate according to God's definitions do not go away from God because they have chosen for Him to define them. In addition, they go away in peace because they played according to God's rules. Moses refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He insisted on being defined by the God of the Bible who used him to change the world as he played by God's rules. 

Luke 20:17-19

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17 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 cornerstone’? 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 19 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. ~ Luke 20:17-19

Having just told the most clear, powerful, and stunning story of the farm hands killing the son of the farm owner, the Lord Jesus in v.17 "looked directly at the Jewish religious leaders." Yet again, the Lord Jesus confronts the religious leaders. His look designed to jolt them into embracing brokenness which is the shattering of the human will before God. Brokenness is saying “Yes, Lord! Have your way and will in my life." But the leaders were unwilling.

In v.17, the Lord Jesus reached back to Psalm 118:22 to make His point. The cornerstone is the most important part of any building. Every other stone is laid on top of the cornerstone. It's the alignment stone. It's the mass of stone that has to be cut so precisely and laid so perfectly, because if not, every other stone that takes its cue and its lines off of that stone is going to make for a very, very unreliable and crooked building. 

Peter quotes this message when he preaches in several more weeks after this event in this same place. Peter and John were in the temple, and they go up to the temple at the time of prayer. And they see a man who is paralyzed. He is broken and lame, and he's begging for money. And Peter says, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 

The man was healed right there in the temple courts. And so the leaders, like here with the Lord Jesus, react to Peter. And they say, you know, "What authority do you have to do this? What name do you come to us with? What is the name you are using?" 

Then, Peter says this: "If we are being judged this day for a good deed done to a helpless man, then be it known unto you, and to all of the house of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, does this man stand before you whole."

In the Old Testament, the “stone” was a familiar symbol of God and of the promised Messiah. Because the Jews did not believe, they stumbled over Him and were judged. Those who trust Jesus Christ find Him to be the foundation stone and the chief cornerstone of the our existence.

In v.18 we read, "Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed." The preposition translated "on" in this verse can also be translated "before." Either we believe in Him and worship Him, or we are crushed by Him. Rejecting the free gift of the Lord Jesus Christ is the most tragic thing anyone can ever do. 

In v.19 we read, "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." 

The religious leaders knew the Lord Jesus was talking about them. They knew that He was identifying them as those who had rejected the Chief Cornerstone. Instead of being convicted of their sin, they resisted the needed brokenness to bring them into a personal relationship with the God they supposedly served.

Brokenness makes room for a contrite heart. And, a broken and contrite heart is the seedbed for repentance which is that which brings us into a relationship with God. Brokenness usually is introduced into our souls on the heels of miserable failure. Brokenness is not beautiful in and of itself, but the beauty in spiritual brokenness is found in where it brings us.

Vance Havner once said, "God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns in greater power than ever."

Luke 20:9-16

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9 Jesus told the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, rented it to tenant farmers, and went on a trip for a long time. 10 When it was time, he sent a servant to collect from the tenants his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants sent him away, beaten and empty-handed. 11 The man sent another servant. But they beat him, treated him disgracefully, and sent him away empty-handed as well. 12 He sent a third servant. They wounded this servant and threw him out. 13 The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I’ll send my son, whom I love dearly. Perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when they saw him, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “May this never happen!” ~ Luke 20:9-16

As we come back to the narrative of the Lord Jesus' last week on earth, it is still Wednesday. In just two days, Friday, He will be crucified. The Lord Jesus had long told His disciples this would be His conclusion when they arrived in Jerusalem.

In our text today, the Lord Jesus tells a story of a man who owned a vineyard and entered into a contract with some tenant farmers to run his vineyard. After a while, the man sent three different individuals to the tenant farmers to collect his portion of the fruit. He did this to no avail. Then he sent his son who the tenant farmers murdered.

In Luke 9:22 we read, "And he said, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.'"

The word translated “rejected” means “to reject after careful investigation.” It was required that the Jews carefully examine the Passover lambs from the tenth day to the fourteenth day to make sure the lambs had no blemishes. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was watched and tested by His enemies during that final week, and yet in spite of what they saw and learned, they rejected Him.

In response, the Jewish religious leaders responded in a senseless way. Instead of nustling up to God with a heart full of gratitude for their blessings, the Jews rejected their Savior. 

God displayed great patience with Israel. He sent them one messenger after another, yet they refused to allow their hearts to be vulnerable with God. Finally, when He sent His Son, they killed Him. In telling this story, the Lord Jesus gave His own death announcement.

In v.13 we read, "The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I’ll send my son, whom I love dearly. Perhaps they will respect him." What an act of grace. The lengths God has gone to rescue us and to earn our trust. But, the gospel only sounds good to those who are convinced that they need a savior. Those who think they’re good, grace is frustrating. For people who know they’re not, grace is exhilarating.

Shockingly, in v.14-15 we read, "But when they saw him, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours. 15 They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to them?" 

The religious leaders of Israel had full knowledge of who the son was. They understood more than they let on. This describes the religious leaders of Israel, they understood more than they let on.

In v.16 we read, "He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “May this never happen!" He will destroy them, and he will give the land into the care of others. This is appropriate judgment and no one would argue with that. 

The second half of v.16 is most interesting. “When the people heard this, they said, “May this never happen!” When they heard it, the people said, "Μὴ γένοιτο" in the Greek. This is the strongest negative possible in the Greek language. It means, "Never, never, never!" This response proves they had come to understand the verdict of the man whose son was murdered. But, there is no sign of regret or even guilt.

In Revelation 2-3 there is a repeated phrase, “Let him who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit says.” The Lord is not talking about hearing sounds. He is not talking about hearing words or grasping messages. This kind of hearing brings with it the sense of understanding.

This story is about how God established Israel through the faith of Abraham. He gave Israel His culture and they distorted it and rejected it. And, God holds the religious leaders, partly accountable, for Israel's condition. And, now, the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus was in just two days. And, the religious leaders had been long planning it. 

The Bible is not a testimony to the best people making it up to God. It is a witness to God making it down to the worst of us. The Bible is one long story of God meeting us at our worst and in our greatest need. Will we be like the religious leaders of Israel who thought they deserved the kindness of God? Or, will we humbly live in such a way that brings glory to this God who has loved us with an ever lasting love?

Luke 20:1-8

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1 On one of those days, while Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, and announcing the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came up with the elders, and said to him, 2 ‘Tell us: by what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority?’ 3 ‘I’ve got a question for you, too,’ said Jesus, ‘so tell me this: 4 was John’s baptism from God, or was it merely human?’ 5 ‘If we say it was from God,’ they said among themselves, ‘he’ll say, So why didn’t you believe him? 6 But if we say “merely human”, all the people will stone us, since they’re convinced that John was a prophet.’ 7 So they replied that they didn’t know where John and his baptism came from. 8 ‘Very well, then,’ said Jesus. ‘Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’ ~ Luke 20:1-8

The cleansing of the temple was an event that both captured the attention of the common folk and aroused the contempt of the Jewish religious leaders. 

And, it was the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy found in Malachi 3:1-3 which reads, "1 Look, I am sending my messenger who will clear the path before me; suddenly the Lord whom you are seeking will come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you take delight is coming, says the Lord of heavenly forces. 2 Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can withstand his appearance? He is like the refiner’s fire or the cleaner’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. They will belong to the Lord, presenting a righteous offering."

In Matthew 28:18 the Lord Jesus said, “All authority is given to Me in heaven and earth.” This is what it means to be absolutely sovereign. To have all authority means you have no human outside yourself to answer to. Of course, the Lord Jesus was in submission to His Father who gave Him the authority in the first place..

The Greek word that is used translated “authority” in this text is used three times. It means "the right to do something." To have all authority, then, is to have all power and all right to do everything and anything one wills to do. 

Now, to teach as the Lord Jesus did and to confront legalistic religion, and to have no human authority outside Himself was outrageous to the religious leaders. He went after everything they considered sacred and He quoted no Rabbi which was common for all Rabbi's of that day. He was not ordained in the  way all rabbis of that day were ordained. Nor was His theology checked and approved by the Jewish religious leaders.

The Lord Jesus was His own authority. He had to be. He had to be God because He could not be our savior without being God. He spoke prophetically. He rightly interpreted the Old Testament Scriptures. The religious leaders even admitted such. He forgave sin and He healed the sick. He raised the dead and He cast demons out of the possessed. And He did these things without ever seeking permission from any human authority. This outraged the Jewish religious leaders.

Here in Luke 20:1, it is now Wednesday. The Lord Jesus returns again to the temple to teach. Mark tells us He did it while walking in and around the courtyard of the temple. He moved among the vast crowd, teaching. And, the religious leaders were always there following Him around. This was a rabbinic way to teach, walking about and interacting with the people. 

In v.1-2 we read, "1 On one of those days, while Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, and announcing the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came up with the elders, and said to him, 2 ‘Tell us: by what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority?’"

The Jewish religious leaders had much difficulty containing their frustration and outrage. They restrained themselves by forming a question that masked their real hostility. In the end, they all collectively were overcome by their growing hatred of the Lord Jesus. This is what happens when we feed the flesh, it destroys us (See Galatians 6).

In v.3-4 we read, “‘3 I’ve got a question for you, too,’ said Jesus, ‘so tell me this: 4 was John’s baptism from God, or was it merely human?’” All good teachers always answered a question with a question to force the student deeper into the subject at hand. The Lord Jesus is not evading the question of the answer, He is just unmasking the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. 

Brilliantly, the Lord Jesus took the religious leaders back to John the Baptist. He did this for two reasons. First, John had pointed to the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So, their rejection of John was actually a rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as Messiah. Second, was this truth: if we do not respond positively to the truth given to us, God will not reveal new truth to us. They had refused John’s message, so they were given no more revelation at that point.

The question the Lord Jesus asks is pretty simple. Was John's baptism the work of men or was it of God? The religious leaders were stuck between either admitting the Lord Jesus is the Messiah, or they deny that John the Baptist is a prophet of God. 

In v.5-7 we read, “If we say it was from God,’ they said among themselves, ‘he’ll say, So why didn’t you believe him? 6 But if we say “merely human”, all the people will stone us, since they’re convinced that John was a prophet.’ 7 So they replied that they didn’t know where John and his baptism came from.” 

The religious leaders were deceitful in asking their question and dishonest in the way they avoided answering His. They were so steeped in deception, they could not receive or tell the truth. So, they give no answer. They self indicted themselves by being unwilling to answer the question of the Lord Jesus. They were fixed in their unbelief.

In v.8 we read, “Very well, then,’ said Jesus. ‘Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’” At this point the numbness of the religious leaders hearts prevented them from appreciating any truth the Lord Jesus could have given them. They were to the point of no return which is the most scary place anyone can be. 

The religious leaders had missed the point of the word of God: to meet with God every time we read it. The Bible is meant to be like a pane of glass, designed for us to look through it and see God. When we come to the Bible, we must come looking for Him. The problem is most want to analyze the Bible to the point that they do not see God through it. In fact, they end up analyzing the window and subsequently become etched. The Bible is not first a blueprint for Christian living but a revelation book of the Lord Jesus who is the answer to all our questions and longings.