Luke 20:27 – 40 Resurrection

Luke 20:27 – 40 Resurrection

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.' Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called 'Lord' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Some of the scribes said in reply, "Teacher, you have answered well." And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

The plot to try to discredit Jesus proceeds, this time with the Sadducees as the instigators. They construct this highly unlikely scenario of brothers and widows - times seven. Jesus answers patiently that in the age to come our past relationships and situations no longer apply. After resurrection we are not this one’s wife or that one’s husband. I imagine we also leave all our infirmities behind – age, illness, disability. No one knows for certain what it and we will be like. Resurrection itself is a matter of faith, but I like to think we will be bright souls, purified and buoyant individuals, forgiven for our past transgressions and judged for our good works and good qualities. Wouldn’t that be nice? What do you think?

Luke 20:20 – 26 Give to Caesar

Luke 20:20 – 26 Give to Caesar

They watched him closely and sent agents pretending to be righteous who were to trap him in speech, in order to hand him over to the authority and power of the governor. They posed this question to him, "Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is correct, and you show no partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful for us to pay tribute to Caesar or not?" Recognizing their craftiness he said to them, "Show me a denarius; whose image and name does it bear?" They replied, "Caesar's." So he said to them, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." They were unable to trap him by something he might say before the people, and so amazed were they at his reply that they fell silent.

Looking for any excuse to cause Jesus’ downfall, the Scribes and Pharisees send spies to try to trip Jesus up. They ask him whether they ought to pay taxes or not. If the Scribes and Chief Priests can get Jesus to deny the Roman’s authority perhaps the Romans will arrest Jesus. Jesus of course sees through their ploy and answers with the following statement: “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” This outfoxes his adversaries for the moment, but I want to look more closely at this statement. What does it really mean? What is Caesar’s? What is God’s?

Caesar is the civil authority. In return for taxes paid the population receives protection and services. At least that is what a government is supposed to do, although we can all attest to the fact that that government’s oppress, misuse resources and are subject to corruption and mistakes. They are the imperfect practical reality of our lives. But what is God’s? We know from our reading of scripture that God wants us to love him and love others as we love ourselves. He wants to be at the center of our lives. Our dealings with our government and the economy are not to be the primary relationships in our lives and receive our primary focus. Our love for God and those around us, our families, our neighbors, are where our true mission lies.

Luke 20: 1-19 Jesus’ Authority

Luke 20: 1-19 Jesus’ Authority

One day as he was teaching the people in the temple area and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and scribes, together with the elders, approached him and said to him, "Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Or who is the one who gave you this authority?" He said to them in reply, "I shall ask you a question. Tell me, was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin?" They discussed this among themselves, and said, "If we say, 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' then all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet." So they answered that they did not know from where it came. Then Jesus said to them, "Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things." Then he proceeded to tell the people this parable. "(A) man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and then went on a journey for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenant farmers to receive some of the produce of the vineyard. But they beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. So he proceeded to send another servant, but him also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. Then he proceeded to send a third, but this one too they wounded and threw out. The owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I shall send my beloved son; maybe they will respect him.' But when the tenant farmers saw him they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him that the inheritance may become ours.' So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 3 What will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and put those tenant farmers to death and turn over the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they exclaimed, "Let it not be so!" But he looked at them and asked, "What then does this scripture passage mean: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls." The scribes and chief priests sought to lay their hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people, for they knew that he had addressed this parable to them.

The Scribes and Pharisees think they can stop Jesus by challenging his authority. He turns the question of his authority back on them and they get caught up in their bad intentions. Jesus sees through them and refuses to let them off the hook. The then tells the Parable of the Tenants in which the owner of a vineyard sends a series of representatives to collect his share of the profits. The tenants deal harshly with those representatives, sending them away empty handed. The owner sends his son, his ultimate representative, who will surely receive the tenants’ respect. Instead the tenants see the son as the only thing standing between them and their possession of the vineyard they have been renting. They kill the son. “What will happen next?” Jesus asks the Pharisees. He answers his own question: The vineyard owner will make and end of the tenants and give the vineyard to others. This is a very thinly veiled description of their own situation, starring the Scribes and the Pharisees as the tenant farmers. Jesus predicts their fall and his vindication. They do not fail to get the point, but instead of repenting of their intentions they deepen their folly by continuing to plot Jesus’ downfall.

Luke 19:45-48 The Temple Traders

Luke 19:45-48 The Temple Traders

Then Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.'" And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.

As I noted earlier, Jesus upon entering Jerusalem had thrown down the gauntlet. By letting himself be called both “king” and “blessed who comes in the name of the Lord” he has challenged both the political and religious leaders. Now he goes after the merchants and traders who set up shop in the temple precincts adding (financial) injury to insult. The chief priests are unhappy to say the least and vow to destroy him. What is Jesus problem with the combination of worship and commerce? The temple is supposed to be a house of prayer. The priests are supposed to be looking after the spiritual well-being of God’s people and lead them in the worship of God. There is no need for merchants in the temple. Anything any one may want or need is available in the city in numerous locations. There is no reason to waylay the faithful their way to worship. It is at best a distraction and at worst an abuse of power since I assume that the priests benefit from allowing the merchants to sell in such a prime location. Jesus objects. This is not what a temple is for. Jesus is going to preach his message of repentance until his last breath. The Chief Priests and Scribes hear his message but instead of feeling the need to change, they plot his demise. The stage is set for betrayal.