Luke 20:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’

NIV: "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

NASB: But when the vine-growers saw him, they discussed with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’

CSB: "But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’

NLT: But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’

KJV: But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.

NKJV: But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’

In this parable, the tenants have taken care of the owner's vineyard since he planted it. That might have gone on for five years (Leviticus 19:23–25). They have patiently tended the vines to maturity, waiting for the first grape harvest. Just as the grapes are ready, a man shows up, claiming to work for the owner. He says he's there to collect some of the harvest to take back to the owner. The tenants are angry. Perhaps they think the owner has been gone too long. Or, that they've put so much work into the vineyard that they have earned this harvest. They beat up the servant and force him out empty-handed (Luke 20:9–11).

Another servant shows up. They do the same to him. Then another, and they do the same. Now the owner's son has come. This presents an opportunity for the hired laborers. The owner is apparently too busy to come himself, but if they get rid of the son, they can keep the vineyard (Luke 20:12–13).

That attitude simplifies the wrong-headed thinking of Jerusalem's religious authorities. God established His nation and chose leaders to ensure the people worshiped Him alone. Throughout the years, God sent prophets to keep the leaders on track. Often, the leaders saw the prophets as a threat to their authority, so they beat and killed them.

In the moment Luke is recording, God's Son is right there, on the Temple Mount. Like the tenants, the Jewish leadership is jealous of Jesus. He is drawing the people away from them. But if they kill Him, maybe things will go back to normal—or so they think—and they can continue receiving the honor and the money of the people.

In the parable of the wicked tenants (Luke 20:9–18), Jesus explains that that's not how the story ends. God will not ignore these corrupted leaders; He will destroy them. Then He will find other men to lead His people. Despite a warning that could not be clearer, the leaders continue to work out how they can destroy Jesus (Luke 20:15–20).

Luke 20:9–18 records Jesus' response to religious leaders who challenged His authority (Luke 20:1–8). This comes in the form of the parable of the wicked tenants. The underlying meaning is that as the Son of God, Jesus has proper authority over religious leaders. However, the leaders of His era will kill Him, and God will destroy them. In the mirrored structure of Luke 20, the parallel argument is that Jesus is also superior to the line of the Jewish kings (Luke 20:41–44). In between, religious leaders foolishly challenge Jesus' understanding of the Mosaic law (Luke 20:19–40). This passage echoes the records in Matthew 21:33–46 and Mark 12:1–12.

After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus find Himself in conflict with the city's religious leaders. Elders, priests, scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees all attempt to discredit Him. This comes mostly in challenging Jesus with trick questions. Jesus deftly handles those challenges without falling into the trap. He provides several teachings about His role as the Son of God and directly warns the Jewish people against their generation of scribes, who are arrogant and pretentious.

Luke 20 is a chiasm about authority. Jesus has entered Jerusalem and cleansed the temple (Luke 19:28–46). Now, the priests and teachers attack Jesus' authority in religion, law, and doctrine; Jesus defends Himself and shows their sinful lifestyles disqualify them for authority. After holding up a widow as a better role model (Luke 21:1–4), Jesus warns His disciples about the challenges they will face in the coming years, including the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 21:5–38). The events in Luke 20 are also discussed in Matthew 21—23 and Mark 11—12.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.