The Via Delarosa (The Road of Suffering)—A Walk to the Cross
Jesus’ Authority Is Questioned
In Luke 20:1-19 addresses the authority of Jesus Christ (the Son of God who is God). The scene opens with Jesus teaching the people and preaching the gospel in the temple. The chief priests, scribes, and elders represent the growing opposition to Jesus. Like our enemy, the devil, they were seeking to destroy Jesus (John 10:10). We should always expect opposition when we are following Christ. These Jewish leaders asked Jesus to tell them by what authority do you do these things. “These things” certainly referred to cleansing the temple in the previous pericope. However, Robert Stein suggests they were asking about his ministry as a whole including his authority to forgive sins, heal on the Sabbath, and his demand for total obedience.[1] The religious leaders demanded to know where Jesus’ received his authority and who authorized such authority.
Jesus Knows Our Motives
Jesus responded to the Jewish leaders by using the effective teaching method of answering a question by asking a question. He asked the Jewish leaders, “Was John’s baptism from God or from man?” (Luke 20:4). They were not really searching for the answer to their question. Rather, their motive was to gain ammunition to build a case against Jesus. They were looking for reasons to accuse Jesus.
Caught in Their Own Trap
The chief priests, scribes, and elders faced the horns of a dilemma.[2] If they said that John’s baptism was from God, why did the leaders refuse to believe him, repent of their sin, and seek baptism from John? If they said that John’s baptism was from man, the people would be angry with them and perhaps stone them because they were convinced that John was a prophet. In light of what the Jewish leaders believed to be unacceptable alternatives, they feigned ignorance and refused to answer Jesus’ question because of the insincerity, political correctness, and open hypocrisy. The Lord knew their motives and reasoning in formulating a response to him. Jesus told them since they refused to answer his question, he would not tell them by what authority he did these things either.
The Parable of the Wicked Stewards
Jesus began to tell the people a parable, but it was intended more for the Jewish leaders than for the people. God takes stewardship very seriously. It is the responsibility of believers to give to the Lord through the local church. The tithe, or ten percent, is an excellent starting point. We give to God because he has given so much to us, including eternal life through the person and work of Christ. During interim periods and times of tension and conflict, many people hold back their tithes and offerings using the rationalization that they want to see who the Lord leads to the church as a pastor or how the tension is resolved before giving to the church. How are you going to explain that to God when you stand before Him to give an account of your life. We are really giving to God, not the church. If all church members simply tithed, there would be adequate resources for every ministry to which God calls the church. God has blessed us immensely. Because of our love for him and all that he has done for us, we should give regularly and generously.
The Key Elements of the Parable
In this parable, four elements are presented. First, the vineyard represents the children of Israel who enjoyed a favored status as the chosen people of God. While Israel had been blessed so they could bless others, they preferred to hoard their blessings rather than share them. This conduct ultimately led to judgment, exile, captivity, and the destruction of the temple and the nation in 70 AD. Second, the wicked stewards were the chief priests, scribes, and elders, those who sought to destroy Jesus. Third, the servants represented the faithful followers of God, especially the prophets who spoke the Word of the Lord. Fourth, the beloved son is Jesus, the one and only son of God.
The Content of the Parable
A man planted a vineyard and rented it to stewards. The expectation was that the stewards would work the crops and keep a portion of it at the harvest time. The owner would also receive some of the crops. The owner went to another country for a long while. When the harvest time arrived, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crops. The tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. God had chosen Israel to be his own. When he sent the prophets to them to warn them of the coming judgment because of their disobedience, they beat and rejected them. Jesus’ teaching was clear to his audience and to the religious leaders. The man sent another servant, but the stewards treated him even more harshly and sent him away without any of the crops. The man sent a third servant. They wounded him and sent him away empty-handed. Then the owner sent his beloved son, thinking surely they would respect him. Jesus was pointing to himself as the son of God. The wicked stewards threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him. Jesus was taken out of the city to Golgotha where he was crucified by the leaders. Jesus asked, “What will the owner do?” The owner will come and destroy the wicked servants and give the vineyard to others.
Responses to the Parable
When the people heard this they cried out, “Surely not!” Jesus, looking directly at the crowd, stated, “It is written, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.’” This is a quote from Psalm 118:22. The cornerstone was a key part of the foundation of any building. It supported the corner of the building. Jesus is the cornerstone. All who stumble and fall on the stone will be broken to pieces. They will be judged for rejecting Jesus. When the stone falls on anyone, it will crush them (Isaiah 8:14-15).
The rejected cornerstone was a snare for Israel and Judah. Though they were chosen as God’s own people, their continual rebellion and wickedness led to the destruction of the nation in 70 AD. The land of Israel was given to others (the Gentiles). When the Jews rejected the Messiah, the message of the gospel took root among the Gentiles.
The passage closes with a continuing sad commentary. The scribes and chief priests remained unrepentant. If fact, their opposition to the Messiah, who is the God they claimed to serve, only grew more desperate. They sought to lay hands on Jesus, for they knew this parable was spoken against them, but they were afraid of the people who believed Jesus and his message.
Applying God’s Word
So, what are the applications of these texts? First, we need to recognize that the authority of Jesus is not from the church or political leaders. His authority is from God the Father who is one with the Son. Second, God always knows our motives. We cannot hide behind our words or religious pretenses. Third, we cannot hide our sins through insincerity or hypocrisy as the religious leaders attempted to do. Last, the unrepentant sinner will be judged by God. The tragedy in these texts is that the religious leaders and many of the people continued in their sins, rejecting the prophetic warning. How will you respond to Jesus today? How will you apply the lessons of these texts to your
[1]Luke H. Stein, Luke, The New American Commentary, vol. 24 (Nashville: Broadman, 1992), 488.
[2]Ibid., 488-89.