Posted: 1/21/05
LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Jan. 30
Jesus Christ is the capstone of his church
Luke 20:8-19
By Pakon Chan
Chinese Baptist Church, Arlington
The authority of Jesus (Luke 20:1-8)
The chief priests, scribes and elders were the component parts of the Sanhedrin, the supreme Council and governing body of the Jews. They were the religious aristocracy who ran the temple and exercised their own authority over it.
When they saw Jesus entering Jerusalem, cleansing the temple and then teaching in the temple courts, they asked him a series of questions. The Jewish authorities wanted to trap Jesus with those questions so they could charge him with some sort of wrongdoing.
When they confronted Jesus about his authority to teach in the temple, they expected an answer from Jesus would lead to a charge of blasphemy. But instead of giving them a direct answer, Jesus asked them to answer a question, “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”
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Jesus knew their motivation was not to seek understanding, so he did not give them an answer. He used their own tactics to silence them, for Jesus knew they could not give any answer to his question (vv. 5-7).
People still approach Jesus with the same attitude. They do not want to know who Jesus is. All they want is to prove Jesus is not God or the Savior. They cannot accept any higher authority that will overpower them.
The rebellious tenants (Luke 20:9-16)
After his conversation with the religious leaders, Jesus told the people the parable of the tenants. In this parable, the beloved son represents Jesus (v. 13). God sent many prophets (servants) to Israel (vineyard) but they were martyred by her leaders (tenants).
In this parable, the landowner was depicted as very kind and patient. The rebellion of the tenants already was proven by their reaction to the servants who had been sent, but the landowner still wanted to give them one more chance. So he sent his beloved son and hoped they would respect him. It ended tragically in violence, and the son of the landowner was murdered by them.
When the religious leaders heard of this parable, they knew Jesus was speaking against them. Even though they understood the meaning of the parable, they did not accept it. Instead, they were even more eager to find a way to arrest Jesus (v. 19).
The parable points out very clearly that those who rebel against God will be punished. God has given people many chances to repent and accept Jesus, but if they keep ignoring this invitation, they will perish in eternity.
This parable was not only a warning to the Jewish religious leaders of those days; it is a warning for us too. We, as Christians, have the responsibility to tell our non-Christian friends to grasp the chance while it still is there to accept Jesus as their Savior. It is going to be very horrifying to see friends and family members one day perishing in eternity.
If we realize the seriousness of this parable, shouldn’t we take action now to lead people to Christ? We can make plans for this year to lead at least one person to Christ. When we do as we are commanded by the great commission, Jesus has promised to be with us. He will empower us and give us wisdom to share the gospel message with our friends. We can share our plan with our church leaders and ministers, and they will help us to accomplish it. The Apostle Paul has encouraged us that “by all possible means we might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
Jesus is the capstone (Luke 20:17-19)
Man cannot change God’s plan. The religious leaders thought that by killing Jesus, his message and influence would be eliminated. But things did not happen as they wished. Jesus cited Psalm 118:22-23 to refer to a new temple he was going to build. He was the capstone of this new temple. The temple built by the Jewish people grew old and would be destroyed. The Messiah they were going to kill would become the capstone of the new temple not built by men. We are the new temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). Jesus is the living stone and the capstone of his church (1 Peter 2:4-5).
Discussion questions
What is your response after hearing this parable of the rebellious tenants?
Do you want to make a plan to lead one person to Christ for this year? Share your plan with your Sunday school class members.
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