Luke 20:17
Ver. 17. And he beheld them,.... Looked very earnestly and wistly at them, speaking as it were by his looks, signifying, that verily so it would be, as he had said; that they would reject the Messiah, and put him to death, and bring utter ruin upon themselves, and deprive their posterity of many advantages and privileges:
and said, what is this then that is written; that is, what else is the meaning of such a Scripture? is not the sense of that perfectly agreeable to what has been said, that the Messiah shall be rejected by the principal men among the Jews in church and state, and yet he shall be exalted, who will then take vengeance on them?
the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? The passage is in Ps 118:22.See Gill on "Mt 21:42". Luke 20:18Ver. 18. Whosoever shall fall on that stone, shall be broken,.... Not who shall fall upon Christ by faith, and build upon him as the foundation stone, for such shall be saved; but that stumble at him, and are offended with him, and fall by unbelief and hardness of heart; such do themselves much hurt and mischief and expose themselves to danger and ruin; they bid very fair for destruction:but on whomsoever it shall fall; as it did with its full weight upon the Jews at their destruction, and as it will upon all Christless sinners at the last day:it will grind him to powder; the ruin of such will be unavoidable, and there will be no recovery;See Gill on "Mt 21:44". Luke 20:19Ver. 19. And the chief priests, and the Scribes, that same hour,.... As soon as he had delivered the above parable, together with that of the two sons:sought to lay hands on him; they had a good will to it, being exceedingly gravelled with the question he put to them concerning John's baptism, which confounded them, and put them to silence; and with the parables he delivered, in which they were so manifestly pointed at:and they feared the people; lest they should rise and stone them, as in Lu 20:6 or rescue him out of their hands;for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them: and that they were the husbandmen that had used the servants of God so ill, and would put to death the son of God, the Messiah; and who would at length be destroyed themselves, and the kingdom of God be taken from them, though they seem to detest and deprecate it, saying in Lu 20:16 God forbid; that we should kill the heir, or that we should be destroyed, and the vineyard given to others: these things grievously nettled them, and exasperated them against him; but they knew not how to help themselves at present. Luke 20:20Ver. 20. And they watched him,.... What he said, and what he did, and where he went, that they might take an advantage against him, or know where he was, to send to him, as they should think fit, and take the best opportunity of so doing. The Syriac and Persic versions leave out this clause:and sent forth spies which should feign themselves just men: of virtue and religion, conscientious men, that would do nothing but what was just and right, and were desirous of being exactly informed of the truth of things, that they might act right in every punctilio:that might take hold of his words; improve them, and form a charge upon them, of sedition and treason:that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor; the Roman governor, and by him be put to death. These men were some of them the disciples of the Pharisees, and others were Herodians; see Mt 22:16. Luke 20:21Ver. 21. And they asked him, saying, master,.... Rabbi, or doctor; hoping, by this flattering title, and the flattering words used by them, to work him up to an openness and freedom of conversation with them:we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly; rightly dividest the word of God, and deliverest out sound doctrine according to it: and this he certainly did, though they spoke these words hypocritically, not believing what they themselves said; at least, they did not care that others should believe this of him:neither acceptest thou the person of any. The Persic version very wrongly renders it, "and lookest not upon the countenance, and heart of any one whomsoever"; for though Christ did not look upon the countenances of men, and judge according to the outward appearance, nor regard men on account of outward circumstances, as riches, honours, learning, &c. yet he looked upon the heart, and knew what was in it, and respected sincerity and uprightness wherever he found it, and which were wanting in these men:but teachest the way of God truly; the way of worshipping God, and of enjoying him, both in this world, and in that to come;See Gill on "Mt 22:16". Luke 20:22Ver. 22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?] The Syriac and Persic versions here, as in the other evangelists, render it, "head money". The phrase, "for us", is here added, and on it lies the emphasis, and stress of the question; for the doubt pretended, was not whether it was lawful for the Romans to pay tribute to Caesar, but whether it was lawful for them who were Jews, were Abraham's seed, and, as they boasted, were never in bondage, but were the Lord's free people, to pay tribute to an Heathen emperor, or no. Luke 20:23Ver. 23. But he perceived their craftiness,.... Knowing what was in them, and being a discerner of the thoughts and intents of their hearts, he clearly saw that their view was either, that they might have a charge against him to the Roman governor, should he declare against payment of tribute; or that they might expose him to the people of the Jews, should he assert the lawfulness of it:and said unto them, why tempt ye me? with this ensnaring question. Luke 20:24Ver. 24. Show me a penny,.... A Roman denarius, value seven pence halfpenny of our money. The Persic version adds, "they showed it, he asked of them"; and the Ethiopic version, "and they brought it, and he said unto them", as follows;whose image and superscription hath it? for the penny had an head upon it, with something written, as the name of the emperor, whose image it was, his titles, the date of the coin, or some motto on it:they answered and said, Caesar's; very likely Tiberius Caesar's, who was at that time emperor of Rome; See Gill on "Mt 22:20" andSee Gill on "Mt 22:21". Luke 20:25Ver. 25. And he said unto them, render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's,.... The Arabic version renders it, "give to the king what is the king's"; the tribute that was due to him; since they were under his government, and were protected by him, and traded with his money; the currency of which among them was an acknowledgment of him as their sovereign:and unto God the things which be God's; which relate to his worship, honour, interest, and kingdom; See Gill on "Mt 22:21". Luke 20:26Ver. 26. And they could not take hold of his words before the people,.... Which was what they wanted; that if he had dropped any seditious and treasonable expressions against the government, they might be witnesses against him; or if he had not vindicated the liberties of the people, and the rights of the Jewish nation, these might be exasperated against him, and leave him:and they marvelled at his answer; which was so formed, as to give them no handle against him either way:and held their peace; they were silenced, and had nothing to say to him, nor against him, but left him, and went their way. Luke 20:27Ver. 27 Then came to him certain of the Sadducees,.... That is, "to Jesus", as the Persic version expresses it; and it was the same day, as Matthew says, on which the disciples of the Pharisees, and the Herodians, had been with him, putting the question about tribute to him: Mt 22:16which deny that there is any resurrection; that is, of the dead; that there ever was any instance of it, or ever will be: this was the distinguishing tenet of that sect; see Ac 23:8and they asked him, the following question, after they had put a case to him. Luke 20:28Ver. 28. Saying, master, Moses wrote unto us,.... In De 25:5 where the substance of what follows is contained, though not in express words:if any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother; the meaning of which is, that if a man died without issue, and left a wife behind him, his next brother, if unmarried, was to marry his wife, and the first child born of her, was to be reckoned the deceased's, and to inherit his estate;See Gill on "Mt 22:24". Luke 20:29Ver. 29. There were therefore seven brethren,.... In the place where these Sadducees dwelt; or, however, that were known by them; at least they supposed such a case, and it might be fact:and the first took a wife, and died without children; son or daughter, and so had none to keep up his name, and to possess his inheritance. Luke 20:30Ver. 30. And the second took her to wife,.... As he was obliged by the above law, or pluck off the shoe:and he died childless: as his eldest brother before him. Luke 20:31Ver. 31. And the third took her,.... To wife, by virtue of the same law:and in like manner the seven also; the other four, one after another, when all seven married her:and they left no children, and died; or they died, leaving no children behind them. Luke 20:32Ver. 32. Last of all the woman died also. Having had no children by either of her seven husbands. Luke 20:33Ver. 33. Therefore in the resurrection,.... At the time of the resurrection of the dead, in that state, supposing there will be such an one, which they denied;whose wife of them is she? the first, or the last, or any of the intermediate ones?for seven had her to wife; and she had no child by either of them; so that their claim seems to be alike; this they thought unanswerable, and sufficient to set aside the notion of a resurrection. Luke 20:34Ver. 34. And Jesus answering, said unto them,.... After he had observed that their error arose from ignorance of the Scriptures, and the power of God:the children of this world marry, and are given in marriage that is, such who live in this world, in the present mortal and imperfect state, being mortal men, and die, and leave their estates and possessions: these marry, and have wives given them in marriage; and it is very right, and fit, that so it should be, in order to keep up a succession of men, and that they may have heirs to enjoy their substance when they are gone. Luke 20:35Ver. 35. But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world,.... The world to come, eternal life and happiness; not by their own works and merits, but through the blood, sacrifice, and righteousness of the Messiah;and the resurrection from the dead; that is, the first resurrection, the resurrection unto life, which only the dead in Christ will enjoy; otherwise all will be raised: but some to the resurrection of damnation:these neither marry, nor are given in marriage; there will be no need of any such practice, for the reasons that follow. Luke 20:36Ver. 36. Neither can they die any more,.... Therefore there will be no need of marrying to procreate children, to keep up a succession of men, any more than there is among the angels:for they are equal unto the angels; in spirituality, purity and immortality; See Gill on "Mt 22:30"and are the children of God: as they are now by adopting grace; but, as yet, it does not appear as it will then, what they are and will be:being the children of the resurrection; as Christ was declared to be the son of God by his resurrection, so will they appear to be the children of God by their resurrection to eternal life; for though others will rise, yet not to everlasting life, and thus appearing to be children of God, they will also be heirs of God, and enjoy the inheritance, which they will always live to possess in their persons; and therefore the case being different with them from the children of the world, they will not marry, nor be given in marriage, as they are. Luke 20:37Ver. 37. Now that the dead are raised,.... Or that there will be a resurrection of the dead, this is a proof of it:even Moses showed at the bush: when the Lord appeared to him out of it, and he saw it burning with fire, and not consumed; when the Lord called to him out of it by the following name, as he has recorded it in Ex 3:6. Hence it is said,when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; for though the Lord called himself so, yet Moses likewise calls him by these names, when he gives an account of this affair, and when he went from him to the children Israel; See Gill on "Mt 22:32". Luke 20:38Ver. 38. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living,....See Gill on "Mt 22:32"for all live unto him. The Persic version, reads, "all these live unto him"; namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for though they are dead to men, they are not to God; their souls live with him, and their bodies will be raised by him: he reckons of them, as if they were now alive, for he quickens the dead, and calls things that are not, as though they were; and this is the case of all the saints that are dead, as well as of those patriarchs. The Ethiopic reads, "all live with him"; as the souls of all departed saints do; the Arabic version reads, all live in him; so all do now, Ac 17:28. Luke 20:39Ver. 39. Then certain of the Scribes, answering said,.... Who believed the doctrine of the resurrection, which the Sadducees denied, and so were pleased with our Lord's reasoning on this subject:master, thou hast well said; thou hast spoken in a beautiful manner, reasoned finely upon this head, and set this matter in a fair and clear light; See Gill on "Mr 12:28" Luke 20:40Ver. 40. And after that, they durst not ask him any question at all. Neither the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, nor Herodians. Luke 20:41Ver. 41. And he said unto them,.... The Ethiopic version reads, "to the Pharisees"; and so it appears, that it was to them he spoke, from Mt 22:41how say they? The Syriac version reads, "how say the Scribes?" as in Mr 12:35 and the Persic version, how say the wise men, the doctors in Israel,that Christ is David's son? that which nothing was more common among the Jews. Luke 20:42Ver. 42. And David himself saith in the book Psalms,.... In Ps 110:1the Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand; which words were delivered by David, as inspired by the Spirit of God; and contain a speech of God the Father to his son Jesus Christ, upon his ascension to heaven, after his sufferings, death, and resurrection from the dead; when he was bid to sit down in human nature, at the right hand of God, in token of having done his work on earth to full satisfaction; and in the relation of which David calls Christ his Lord; and is the reason of their being mentioned. Luke 20:43Ver. 43. Until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Which words are a continuation of the citation out of the above Psalm Ps 110:1; and for the application of these words, with the preceding, to the Messiah, See Gill on "Mt 22:44". Luke 20:44Ver. 44. David therefore called him Lord,.... Or, "my Lord", as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions read; or, "his Lord", as the Arabic version. This is the inference from the words before cited Ps 110:1, upon which the following question is asked,how is he then his son? how can these things be reconciled? in what sense can he be both his Lord and son?See Gill on "Mt 22:45". Luke 20:45Ver. 45. Then in the audience of all the people,.... Whilst they were about him, and hearing him, and for their sakes too;he said unto his disciples; yea, he spake to the multitude, as well as to the disciples, as appears from Mt 23:1. Luke 20:46Ver. 46. Beware of the Scribes,.... And also of the Pharisees; for they are joined together in Matthew:which desire to walk in long robes: the rule for the length of a scholar's garment was this {a};"his flesh must not appear under his garments, as the light linen garments, and the like, they make in Egypt; nor must his garments be drawn upon the ground, as the garments of proud men, but must reach to his heel, and his glove must reach the top of his fingers.''According to this rule, the garments of the doctors were to be so long as to cover the whole body, even down to their heels, but were not to be any longer; and by this it appears their garments were very long; but they did not always go by this rule; some had their garments so long as to have a train after them;See Gill on "Mt 23:5"and love greetings in the markets; or in courts of judicature; they loved to be saluted with the titles of Rabbi, Master, and the like:and the highest seats in the synagogues; which were next to the place where the book of the law was read and expounded, and where they might be seen by the people:and the chief rooms at feasts; the uppermost;See Gill on "Mt 23:6" andSee Gill on "Mt 23:7".{a} Maimon Hilch. Dayot, c. 5. sect. 9. Vid. T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 57. 2. & Gloss. in ib. Luke 20:47Ver. 47. Which devour widows' houses,.... As the characters of them, in the preceding verse, expose their pride, this shows their avarice; they were very voracious and cruel; they did not spare widows, but devoured their substance:and for a show make long prayers; to cover their wickedness, pretending great devotion and religion;the same shall receive greater damnation: than openly profane sinners; doing such wickedness under a cloak of religion, will aggravate their condemnation; See Gill on "Mt 23:14".
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.