Luke 20(19)–21(38)

Introduction

Last week’s passage ended with the Lord’s parable of the tenants. A landowner planted a vineyard and rented it out to tenant-farmers on the understanding that they would give him a share of the harvest as rent. At harvest time, he sent a servant to collect his share. But the tenant-farmers beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. The landowner sent another servant and another and the same thing happened. Finally the landowner sent his beloved son. Surely they will respect him? But the tenant-farmers killed his son, because they did not want the son to inherit the land and to rule over them.

That’s the parable. What did it mean? The landowner stands for God; the vineyard stands for the people of God; the tenant-farmers are their leaders; and the servants are God’s prophets. Throughout the period of the Old Testament God sent his prophets to proclaim his word to his people and to command them to turn from their wicked ways and to return to God. But the people would not listen and the leaders of the people despised and mistreated the prophets. For instance, in Jeremiah 26 we read of a time when Jeremiah proclaimed the word of the Lord to the people, warning them of the disaster that would come on them if they did not repent. And after he finished, the people seized him and said that he must die. And the priests and the false prophets agreed with them. They said he should be sentenced to death. That’s one occasion when the leaders opposed one of the Lord’s prophets. And there are many other examples in the Old Testament.

But finally, God sent his Beloved Son into the world. Surely they will respect him? But the leaders of the people — the Pharisees and chief priests and teachers of the law and elders — rejected him and they plotted to kill him. In fact, soon they will kill him by persuading Pilate to put him to death. And so, the parable was about the way the leaders of the people opposed the Lord Jesus. And we see some of that opposition in today’s passage.

So, at the beginning of today’s passage, we read how the teachers of the law and the chief priests sent spies to ask the Lord a question. But they weren’t trying to learn from the Lord. They wanted to catch him out. They were hoping he would say something incriminating. They were hoping he would say something which they could use against him.

And they weren’t the only ones who were trying to catch him out. Some of the Sadducees came and asked him about the resurrection. Again, they weren’t trying to learn from the Lord, but to get the better of him.

But then the Lord turned the tables on his enemies and he asked them a question of his own about what David wrote in Psalm 110. And the Lord made clear that he, the Christ, is far greater than David ever was, because he will sit at God’s right hand as king over all until he comes again to overthrow his enemies.

And then the Lord warned his disciples about the teachers of the law who liked the place of honour and who devoured widows’ houses. But they will be punished severely for what they have done. And that’s followed by the little story of the widow who put all she had in the temple treasury. And when the Lord’s disciples remarked about the grandeur of the temple in Jerusalem, the Lord announced that the time would come when the temple would be destroyed. Not one stone will be left on another. It’s destruction will be total. But he also told them about the day when he, the Son of Man, will come in a cloud with power and glory.

And so, this passage begins with people opposing the Lord. Instead of acknowledging him to be God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King, and instead of submitting to him, they opposed him. But they should have submitted to him because he is the Christ, God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King. And right now he is enthroned in heaven above as king over all; and he will come again in power and with great glory to conquer his enemies and to save his people.

20:19–26

Let’s turn now to verses 19 to 26 of chapter 20. Luke tells us that they — presumably the teachers of the law and the chief priests who were mentioned in verse 19 — sent spies to the Lord. And they pretended to be honest, when really they had come to trap the Lord. They wanted to get to him to say something incriminating, something which would get him into trouble with the Roman governor. And so, they asked him a question about whether it was right for the Jews to pay taxes to Caesar or not. The Caesar was the Roman Emperor and he was a pagan. So, was it right for God’s chosen people to give money to support a pagan empire?

And, of course, there’s really no good answer to that question. If he answered that yes, it is right for them to pay taxes to Caesar, then he could be accused by the people of siding with the Romans and of supporting a pagan king. They might say that he’s on the side of the pagans instead of being on the side of God’s chosen people. But if he answered that no, it isn’t right, then he could be accused of being a trouble-maker. People would say that he wants to overthrow the Romans. And therefore, the Romans would have a reason to arrest him. So, there’s no good answer. Whether he says yes or no, he’ll get into trouble with someone.

The Lord saw through their duplicity. That is, he knew they were trying to trap him. And so, he asked them to show him a denarius. That’s how much the tax was. And he asked them to say whose image was on the denarius. And, of course, the answer is that the Caesar’s image was on it. The coin was printed with an image of the Emperor on it, the way our coins have an image of the Queen or the King on them. And since the coin had the Emperor’s image on it, then — in a sense — it belonged to him. He was the one who gave the order for the coins to be made and put into circulation. And since the coin — in a sense — belonged to him, then it’s right to give it to him. In fact, the word translated ‘give’ is really ‘give back’. Give back to him what belongs to him. Give back to Caesar the coin that belongs to him. And the Lord then added: give back to God what is God’s. Give back to him what belongs to him.

And what belongs to God? We belong to God. Just as the coin bore the image of the Emperor, so we bear God’s image. We were made in God’s image in the beginning. And so, we give ourselves back to God by living for him in our daily lives. We’re to do all things for his glory and we’re to seek to honour and obey him in all we do and say.

And so, we’re to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. We’re to pay our taxes and give the civil authorities the honour they deserve, because they have been appointed by God to rule over us. And we’re to live our lives, not for ourselves, but for God and his glory, because we belong to him.

20:27–40

Luke tells us in verse 26 that the spies weren’t able to trap the Lord in what he said. And so, they became silent. They didn’t ask him any more questions at that time. But the Sadducees had a question for him.

All we really need to know about the Sadducees is what Luke tells us about them in verse 27: they didn’t believe in the resurrection. So, we believe that after we die, our bodies decay, but the souls of believers immediately return to God whereas the souls of unbelievers are sent to hell. Then, when Christ returns in glory and with power to judge the living and the dead, he will raise our bodies and reunite them to our souls. And after the judgment, believers will be brought into the new heavens and earth to live with the Lord for ever in body and soul, while unbelievers will be sent out of God’s presence to be punished for ever in body and soul. That’s what we believe about the resurrection, but the Sadducees did not believe in it. They said the dead don’t rise.

And they came to the Lord with a question. But they’re not trying to learn from him. They’re trying to get the better of him by asking him a question which — in their mind — shows the absurdity of belief in the resurrection.

According to Deuteronomy 25, when a man died without leaving a son, then his brother must marry the dead man’s widow and have children with her. And the first son to be born to them shall bear the name of the dead man in order to prevent his name from being blotted out from Israel. That’s the background to their question. And so, suppose there are seven brothers who all marry the same woman, because each brother dies without having a son to carry on his name. At the resurrection, whose wife will she be, since all seven brothers married the one woman?

And they think their question will stump the Lord. But the Lord replied by making clear that they didn’t understand what it will be like for us after the resurrection. They assumed that, if there is life after the resurrection, then it will be like life before the resurrection. They assumed that, if there is life in the age to come, then it will be like life in this present age. However, the Lord makes clear that it will be different. While in this age, or in this life, we marry and are given in marriage, in the age to come, after the resurrection, there won’t be any marriage. God will change us so that we’ll be like the angels. We’ll still have a body, but our existence in the life to come will be different from what it is now. In the life to come, we won’t be married.

When I was preaching on Colossians last year, I explained that marriage is a picture of Christ and his church and of their relationship, which will be consummated in the life to come, when Christ’s church will be made perfect and will be presented before him as a radiant bride. And so, we will live with him happily ever after. And once the reality comes at the resurrection, once Christ returns to get his bride, the earthly picture will be put away. There will be no more need of marriage after the resurrection because its purpose will be fulfilled when Christ comes for his bride.

So, the Sadducees are wrong about the resurrection. And they haven’t understood their Bibles correctly either. The Sadducees only accepted the first five books of the Bible; and they claimed that the first five books of the Bible say nothing about the resurrection. But the Lord points them to the book of Exodus, which they accepted as God’s word. And in the book of Exodus, God referred to himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now, when God said this, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob had already died. But God didn’t say that he was their God. He said he is their God. Even though they had died, and were no longer on the earth, their life continued beyond the grave. They are not dead, but they are alive and they are with God in heaven, awaiting the resurrection of their bodies. And so, this life is not the only life, because life continues beyond the grave and it will continue after the resurrection.

The Sadducees wanted to stump the Lord. But they couldn’t. And by answering their question, the Lord testified to the truth of the resurrection, which will take place whenever the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, returns in power and great glory.

20:41–44

Luke tells us in verse 40 that no-one dared to ask him more questions. They couldn’t stump him or trap him. And now he turns the tables on them and asks them his own question.

He asked them how people can say about the Christ that he is David’s son. So, the Lord Jesus is the Christ. He’s God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King. And people believed — on the testimony of Scripture — that the Christ would be descended from David. He would be from David’s royal line.

And people assumed that the Christ, when he comes, would be just like David. Just like David, he will set up his throne in Jerusalem and he’ll lead an army against the Romans and set the Jews free from Roman occupation. And so, the people believed that when the Christ comes, he will come from David and he’ll be just like David was.

And yet the Lord points out that, according to the Scriptures, the Christ, when he comes, will be greater than David. He will be David’s Lord. He’ll be David’s Master. What’s the scriptural basis for saying that? The Lord quotes from Psalm 110 which was regarded as a messianic psalm. That is to say, it was regarded as a psalm about the Christ. And notice how David refers to the Christ in the psalm. He calls him ‘my Lord’ or ‘my Master’. Let me paraphrase what he wrote: ‘the Lord God Almighty said to my Lord the Christ, “Sit at my right hand….”‘ And by calling him ‘my Lord’, David was showing that he regarded the Christ as being a greater king than he was.

And in what sense was he greater than David? The Lord Jesus is a greater king than David ever was because, whereas David sat on an earthly throne, the Lord Jesus Christ sits on God’s heavenly throne. We know that because in the psalm the Lord God Almighty invited the Christ to sit at his right hand in heaven.

And that’s where the Lord Jesus is seated now. After his death and resurrection, he was exalted to heaven to sit at God’s right hand side in heaven, where he rules over all things for the sake of his people. And that’s where he will stay until he comes again. And when he comes again, he will overthrow his enemies and he will put them in subjection under his feet. The Pharisees, and the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and the elders, and the Sadducees, and everyone else who did not believe in him and who used to question him and examine him and test him and who plotted to kill him will be defeated when he comes again with power and great glory.

20:45–21:4

And immediately afterwards, the Lord began to warn his disciples about the teachers of the law, who loved to receive praise from people. So, they liked to walk around in flowing robes; and they liked to be greeted in public; and they liked to have the most important seats in the synagogue and at banquets. In other words, they like being the centre of attention; and they wanted people to praise and honour them. And what else did they do? For show they made lengthy prayers. Again it’s all about show and it’s about being seen and it’s about praised.

And as well as that, they devoured widows’ houses. The Lord doesn’t say how they did that, but somehow they took advantage of some of the poorest people in society, who deserved their help and protection. They may have been experts in the law, but they weren’t experts in keeping the law, because the law required them to be kind to the poor.

So, that’s what they did wrong. And whereas other people were taken in by them and praised them, the Lord announced that they will be punished most severely. And so, they are among the enemies who will be put under Christ’s feet one day.

And immediately after that, the Lord looked up and he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. And he also saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. Apparently there were 13 chests in the temple for collecting money. And the money was used for various expenses in connection with the temple.

When I preached on Mark’s version of this story I did what most other preachers do and I talked about this poor woman who did not hold anything back and she gave all that she had to the Lord. And so, we should do the same. We should be prepared to give our all to him. That’s what I said when I preached on Mark’s version of this story.

However, I recently came across a different interpretation which I think fits the context better. The Lord has just complained that the teachers of the law devour widows’ houses. In other words, they took advantage of poor widows and took all their money. And so, before the story about the poor widow, the Lord complained that the teachers of the law took advantage of widows like this one. And so, when he pointed out how the poor widow gave all she had left to support the work of the temple, it’s possible he was not commending this, but criticising it. But he wasn’t criticising the widow. He was criticising the teachers of the law and the chief priests and everyone else who told the widow that she was required to do this. They told her that it was her duty to give away her last two coins and make herself destitute because it was necessary for the upkeep of the temple. The rich people, of course, could afford to give some of their money for the upkeep of the temple. But the poor widow couldn’t afford it. And once she gave away her two copper coins, she had nothing left to live on.

The teachers of the law should have been teaching the people to support the widow. They should have told them to give her some of their money. They should have told them to take care of her. But instead, they told the widow to make herself destitute for the sake of the temple, so they can walk around in the temple courts in long, flowing robes and receive the praise of the people.

And why should this woman give everything she has to support the temple, when the temple would soon be destroyed? That what’s the Lord goes on to say. His disciples remarked about what a magnificent building it was. But the lord announced that it would soon become rubble. Not one stone will be left on another. Every one of them will be thrown down.

And this would happen in AD70 as the Lord’s judgment on the people in Jerusalem, because they rejected him as their king; and they, along with the Romans, crucified him. And so, the Lord was going to send the Romans against them to punish them for their wickedness.

And so, the temple was destroyed because of their unbelief. However, it’s also true that the earthly temple was no longer needed. It was no longer needed, because all the sacrifices which the people used to offer in the temple were to make do until the time came when Christ offered himself on the cross as the once-for-all, perfect sacrifice for sins. In Old Testament times, when people wanted forgiveness, they went to the temple and offered a sacrifice. But now, when people want forgiveness, we#re to go to Christ who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for sins. And whereas God once lived among his people in the temple in Jerusalem, now he lives in his people by his Spirit. And so, the temple was no longer required. And it could be destroyed.

21:5–33

And that’s what the final part of today’s passage is about. It’s about the destruction of the temple which was going to happen in AD70. But it’s not only about the destruction of the temple, because it’s also about the whole period of time between the destruction of the temple in AD70 and the coming of the Lord Jesus with power and great glory at the end of history. At that time, when he comes again, he will put his enemies under his feet and he’ll bring his people into the new heavens and earth.

In verse 5 some of the disciples remarked on the magnificence of the temple. The Lord responded by saying that it will all be destroyed. The disciples wanted to know when will it happen and what will be the sign that it’s about to happen. And in his answer to their question, the Lord refers specifically from verse 8 to the first half of verse 24 to the fall of Jerusalem in AD70. And then in the second half of verse 24 he refers to what he calls ‘the times of the Gentiles’. And then in verses 25 to 27 he refers to his second coming.

And so, he refers first of all to the fall of Jerusalem in AD70. He begins by telling them not to be deceived. Don’t be deceived by false teachers who will come in those days in the name of the Lord and who will claim to be the Christ. So, don’t be deceived by them And don’t listen to them or follow them. Don’t listen to them, because it’s not yet time for the Lord to come again.

And he also warned them that there will be wars and revolutions in those days leading up to AD70. And it may seem to them that the whole world is being turned upside down and that the end of the world is near. But don’t be frightened, because while it might seem that the world is about to end, the end of the world will not happen right away. And nation will rise against nation and kingdom will rise against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes and famines and pestilence and fearful events. And there will even be great signs from heaven. Historians tell us how the Romans went to war against other nations in the years coming up to AD70; and there was an earthquake in Jerusalem in AD67; and in Acts we read about an earthquake in Philippi when Paul and Silas were in prison; and in Acts 11 a believer called Agabus predicted that there would be a great famine over all the world.

And there’s more. The Lord warned his disciples that in the years before AD70 they will be persecuted. And so, they will be delivered over to the synagogues and prisons and they’ll be brought before kings and governors on account of the name of the Lord. And we know from the book of Acts how the first Christians were persecuted by the Jewish authorities. And the historians tell us how they were persecuted by the Romans as well.

But when the disciples are arrested, it will be the opportunity for them to bear witness to Christ. They needn’t worry about what they will say, because Christ the king will give them the words to say.

And he warns them that they will be betrayed by members of their families; and some of them will be put to death; and they will be hated by all. Nevertheless, ‘not a hair of your head will perish’. Do you see that in verse 18? He doesn’t mean they will not die. He means that even if they’re killed, they will not perish as unbelievers do, because they will receive eternal life in the presence of God. By standing firm, they will gain life in his presence.

And then, he says in verse 20 that when they see armies surround Jerusalem, that’s the sign that its desolation is near. When you see armies surround it, flee to the mountains and don’t come back, because the time for God’s punishment on the people of Jerusalem for not believing in Christ will have come. When that time comes, it will be terrible for pregnant women and nursing mothers because they won’t be able to flee as fast as everyone else. And there will be great distress in the land when the Lord sends the Romans against them.

And the historians tell us that the Romans came against Jerusalem and besieged it. And the siege led to terrible times of distress for those who were left in the city. And the historians also tell us that before the siege took place, Christians in Jerusalem left the city and made for the mountains. They paid attention to the Lord’s warning. And according to the beginning of verse 24, those who were left in the city fell by the sword or they were taken as prisoners. Jerusalem was trampled on by the Romans.

Up to the first half of verse 24, the Lord has been talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. In the second half of verse 24, he refers to the ‘times of the Gentiles’. It’s only a few words, but in those few words the Lord refers to the rest of history. We’re now living in the times of the Gentiles, because he’s referring to the expansion of Christ’s kingdom throughout the Gentile world which is currently taking place. After the Lord’s resurrection, he commanded his apostles to make disciples of all nations. In other words, they were to go to the Gentiles and command them to repent and believe. And that’s still happening. And it will continue to happen until Christ comes again.

And in verses 25 to 27 the Lord refers to his second coming. He says there will be signs in heaven and the nations will be in anguish and perplexity. Men will faint from terror and will be apprehensive about what is happening. And then Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, will come with power and great glory. The king will return to deal with his enemies who did not believe and to bring his people into the new heavens and earth.

In verse 28, the Lord says that when ‘these things’ begin to take place, we should stand up and lift up our heads, because our redemption is drawing near. A lot of the commentators think that when the Lord refers to ‘these things’ he’s referring to what he said in verses 25 to 27 about his second coming. I’m more inclined to think he’s referring to everything he has said since verse 8. In other words, in every generation, Christians should stand up tall and lift up our heads in triumph and expectation, because we know that Christ our King is coming to redeem us completely. That is, he’s coming to deliver us completely. He’s coming to deliver us completely from the sin and misery of this life and to bring us into the life to come in the new heavens and earth where there will be no more sin and there will be no more misery, but only perfect peace and rest and happiness forever. And since he’s coming, then lift up you head in triumph and expectation and don’t be bowed down by the trials of life.

He then told them a parable about the fig-tree. During the winter, it sheds its leaves. But as summer approaches, and the temperature rises, its leaves begin to sprout and grow. And so, people would look at the leaves on the tree and know that summer is near. And in a similar way, when we see ‘these things’ happening, we should know that the kingdom of God is near. What things? The things the Lord has been speaking about since verse 8 including the destruction of Jerusalem and the times of the Gentiles. The destruction of Jerusalem has already taken place. We’re now living in the times of the Gentiles. Therefore everything is on track for the coming of Christ the King. He’s not here yet, but his coming is near in the sense that it’s the next big event on God’s calendar. So, after Christ’s incarnation and death and resurrection and ascension and the Day of Pentecost and the destruction of Jerusalem and the ongoing preaching of the gospel to the nations, there’s nothing else on God’s calendar until the day when Christ returns.

‘[This] generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.’ That’s a difficult verse, but — as I explained when I preached on Matthew’s version of this passage — the people living at that time saw the destruction of Jerusalem and they saw the beginning of the times of the Gentiles. Therefore, before they passed away and died, they saw the beginning of these things happen. And since the beginning of these things happened as the Lord said, then we should believe that the rest of what he said will happen. In other words, he will come again one day. We can be sure of it.

21:34–38

And since the King is coming again, we should pay attention to his words in verses 34 to 36. He says we’re to be careful lest our hearts are weighed down with dissipation (or indulgence) and drunkenness and the anxieties of life. Some people just want to party: to eat, drink and be merry; and they give no thought to the future. Other people are anxious about many things and they’re distracted by the ordinary, day to day cares of the world. They have no time to think about the future, because they’re too distracted by what is happening today.

But Christians are not to be like that. Instead we’re to keep watch for Christ’s coming and we’re to pray that we’ll be able to stand before him when he comes.. That is, we’re to pray for God’s help to persevere and to keep trusting in Christ and to keep walking in his ways so that, in the end, we’ll be able to stand in triumph before the Son of Man, who has promised his people everlasting life in the new heavens and earth where we will see God in the face of Christ and where we’ll be happy for ever and for ever.