What does Luke 20:46 mean?
In the mirrored arrangement of Luke 20, this is Jesus' counter to Luke 20:1–2, There, religious leaders challenged Jesus' authority to make decisions regarding the worship practices of the people (Luke 19:45–46). In this verse, Jesus challenges their authority. However, He offers no invitation for them to present their defense. Rather, He gives a warning to the people that they should not follow these faulty religious leaders. Jesus needs neither witnesses nor their confession to judge them.Jesus is speaking to a crowd of His disciples in the courtyard of the Temple Mount. Religious leaders are there, as well as Jews who have traveled long distances to reach Jerusalem for the Passover. Jesus' current targets are scribes: experts in religious texts and interpretations. Sadducee scribes would focus on the Torah; Pharisee scribes would also know the Hebrew Scriptures and Oral Law.
Jesus doesn't discuss what the scribes teach, He points out what they do: specifically, what they do to draw attention to themselves and elicit honor from the people.
They "walk around in long robes;" this refers to both the volume of the scribes' robes and the length of their tassels. In the ancient Middle East, cloth was not quite as easy to produce as it is in the modern world. Long robes require lots of fabric and were expensive.
In Numbers 15:37–41, God gave Moses instructions about tassels. The people were to "make tassels on the corners of their garments…[and]…put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner" (Numbers 15:38). The tassels serve as a reminder to the people to avoid idolatry and obey the Law. In Jesus' era, some rabbis make them unnecessarily long and obvious (Matthew 23:5). Long robes and big tassels aren't inherently sinful. But they can be a sign of pride, and if they're used to impress other people, they're not being worn according to their intended use.
In this case, wearing a long, flowing robe is a way to get attention in the marketplace. The extra-biblical teachings in the Talmud require people to greet rabbis. This assumption of public attention is consistent with the honor-shame culture of the ancient Middle East but inconsistent with Jesus' teaching (Matthew 6:2–4, 16–18).
The "best seats in the synagogues," probably near the front by the ark that holds the Torah, are another sign of honor. The "places of honor at feasts" are next to the host. Jesus told a parable about this in Luke 14:7–11. Seating arrangements at banquets are strictly determined by rank. As guests file in, they look each other over and try to determine who should sit where. The closer to the host, the more honored the guest. Jesus explained that it is safer to sit at the foot of the table. If a guest sits at the place of honor and someone of a higher rank walks in, the host will send the first man to a lower seat in front of everyone. But if a guest sits at the foot of the table, the host may escort him to a higher seat, perhaps even displacing someone else.
Jesus' point is that when He cleared the temple court of merchants and money changers, He facilitated the right worship of God. The scribes do what they can to draw worship to themselves. They do not deserve authority over the people.
