Authority & Ownership (Luke 20:1-26)
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Authority (verses 1-8)
Jesus is now in Jerusalem and this is the last Tuesday of his life before the crucifixion. His influence is increasing and the religious leaders’ hatred of him is also growing, knowing that their power is waning. Jesus was not an officially recognized Rabbi, but there was no question that he had authority. The only question was regarding the source of the authority. By asking him about the source of his authority, the Jewish leaders were trying to discredit Jesus with a dilemma: if Jesus claims to operate by his own authority, they could accuse Him of blasphemy; but if He claims to operate without anyone’s authority, then He will appear as a maverick of sorts. Instead of responding directly to their question, Jesus asks a question in return regarding the source of John’s baptism, putting them in an even greater dilemma. The leaders are silenced by His question, and they decide to give no answer at all rather than to admit being wrong. They were proving to be mere religious politicians, more concerned with position and power than with the truth.
– Are you gladly accepting Christ’s authority in your life? Is Christ’s authority over your life more important to you than any position or any amount of power in the eyes of men? In what ways do you struggle to accept Christ’s authority? In what ways might it cost you respect, position or power in the eyes of others?
Vineyard Parable (verses 9-18)
It was common for wealthy farmers who owned their own land to hire tenant farmers (vine-growers) to tend to the crops while they were away. Then at the time of the harvest each year, the owner would return to his vineyard. Under Jewish law, when there was no living heir and when tenants had occupied a certain plot of land for 3 or more years, upon the death of the owner the land would be given to the tenants. So, with the plan of taking the vineyard for themselves, the vine-growers plan to become owners of the land by killing the son, taking him outside of the vineyard first so as to not defile the ground from which their profit would come.
The religious leaders are represented by the vine-growers in the parable, since they were in many ways spiritual custodians of the people. Though Israel was considered God’s vineyard, for centuries the leaders of Israel rejected God’s prophets and put them to death. This parable both condemns the religious leaders for their rejection of God’s prophets out of their pursuit of their own gain, while also showing with undeniable clarity that Jesus gets His authority directly from God, being His beloved Son. These men were not interested or concerned with the person and work of Jesus Christ; they were only concerned with their own position and power within the religious community. These leaders were supposed to be the builders of God’s house, but they had rejected Jesus. Nonetheless, this stone which they rejected was the very stone God had chosen to be the foundation of His Church (1 Peter 2:4-7).
– The Owner of all things will one day require an account from all with regard to whether or not His Son has been received. What will He find in you? Will He find that you have responded to His calls for repentance and faith? Will he find true worship?
Ownership (verses 19-26)
Having failed to catch Jesus in front of the Jewish crowds, the Jewish leaders’ next attempt is to trap him in front of the Roman rulers. The Denarius was not allowed in the temple treasury, not only because it had Caesar’s inscription on it, but also because it said, “Son of the Divine and the Supreme Ruler.” The Jewish leaders consider the coin blasphemous (and yet one of them has one in his pocket!). The principle of Christ’s answer to them hinges on the issue of ownership: whatever is Caesar’s should be given to Caesar, and since everything belongs to God, we should give everything to God. When we render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, we are ultimately rendering them unto God. Christ’s answer is essentially this: “If you use this world’s goods, pay for them with this world’s currency.” It is in this way that we will honor God and render unto Him what belongs to Him.
– Are you giving your all to God? Are you rendering to God what belongs to Him by rendering faithfully to others what belongs to them? Are you giving to Him your mind, your hands, your money, your home, your vocation, etc.?