Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
Luke 20:1-8
One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know.
8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know.
8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Commentary:
20:1–8 The Authority of Jesus Challenged. The question concerning Jesus’ authority (vv. 1–2) is closely associated with his cleansing of the temple (19:45–48). Jesus’ counter-question (20:3–4) confounds his opponents (vv. 5–7). as Jesus was teaching. Cf. 19:47. Do these things describes Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, but also his healing and teaching in the temple (and throughout his ministry), because he is neither an official priestly authority nor a scribal authority, according to his questioners’ sectarian standards. Was the baptism (i.e., the ministry) of John … from heaven (that is, “from God”; 15:7, 18, 21) or from man, i.e., did it have a merely human origin? To avoid the dilemma posed by Jesus’ question (Luke 20:4), his opponents say they do not know, because they feared the consequences of speaking against John the Baptist whose divinely authorized ministry was also carried out apart from official Jewish authority. Their confession of ignorance, however, demonstrates that they have no basis upon which to assess Jesus’ ministry. If they do not know whether John the Baptist was from God, they do not know whether Jesus is, either. Faced with such hostility, Jesus refuses to answer his opponents’ question, and exposes their ignorance.
20:9–18 The Parable of the Wicked Tenants. This parable, while spoken to the people (vv. 1, 9), is directed to Jesus’ opponents (19:47; 20:1, 19) and is intended as an analogy (with many referents) to show that God (the “owner,” v. 13) is taking away the kingdom from Israel.
20:9–18 The Parable of the Wicked Tenants. This parable, while spoken to the people (vv. 1, 9), is directed to Jesus’ opponents (19:47; 20:1, 19) and is intended as an analogy (with many referents) to show that God (the “owner,” v. 13) is taking away the kingdom from Israel.
Questions:
- The religious leaders of Jesus' day were only concerned with public opinion. All they cared about was how they looked to other people. They had a real "fear of man" problem. This led them to not giving an answer. And when it comes to Jesus and truth, no answer is an answer. There is no middle ground. Are there ever times you back off of the truth in order to not ruffle someone's feathers? Do you ever not obey God because of what someone will think of you?
- A consistent theme throughout Jesus' teaching and ministry is that there is no neutrality when it comes to His divinity. He said more than once that if you weren't for Him, you were against Him. So to not give an answer IS an answer. He's either God and Lord or He is not. Every person must answer that question, and it's one we can't afford to get wrong. Is there anyone in your life that hasn't made Jesus Lord of their life? Write their names down and pray this week that God would open doors for you to share with them the good news of the gospel.
Pray:
That you would fear God, not man.
That you would be faithful to pray for those in your life that need Jesus.
That you would be faithful to pray for those in your life that need Jesus.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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