Luke 20:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

NIV: Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.

NASB: And so they watched Him closely, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could hand Him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor.

CSB: They watched closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so that they could catch him in what he said, to hand him over to the governor’s rule and authority.

NLT: Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus.

KJV: And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

NKJV: So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.

Jesus has told a parable which local religious leaders rightly interpret as a warning directed at themselves: He is the Son of God and if they kill Him, God will destroy them. They become so angry that they try harder to kill Him. A major problem for these spiteful leaders is that Jesus is immensely popular with the common people; the leaders crave the crowd's adoration, not their anger (Luke 20:9–19).

Since Jesus came, the religious leaders have had to work harder to maintain the goodwill of the people. They can't compete against miracles of healing and meals for thousands of people. Just recently Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43–45). Their scheme not only requires killing Jesus, but it also means taking out Lazarus as well (John 12:9–11).

The topics at hand are power and authority. The leaders want to trick Jesus into either disenfranchising the people or breaking a law which would result in arrest by the Romans. Jesus recently cleared the temple court (Luke 19:45–46); the religious leaders don't like that, but when they tried to challenge Jesus' authority, He threatened their standing with the crowd (Luke 20:1–8).

The leaders try again. The only way they see to destroy Jesus without dirtying their hands is to trick Him into breaking the Roman law. During Jesus' earthly ministry, the people and lands of Judea are under occupation by the Romans. Even though Jews have received special permission to worship their own God, they still need to pay the census tax. The assumption behind their impending trick (Luke 20:22) is that Jesus must choose one of two bad options: to endorse Rome, thereby alienating the Jews, or to speak against the occupiers, thereby being viewed as an enemy of Rome.

The scribes are from the Pharisee sect and they send in their disciples as spies. Herodians who have been conspiring with the Pharisees to destroy Jesus since the beginning of His ministry also join in (Matthew 22:15–16; Mark 3:6). The priests are mostly Sadducees. The only popular sects not mentioned are the zealots, who want to conquer the Romans with violence, and the Essenes, semi-mystics who generally stick to the desert.

First the Pharisees (Luke 20:19–26) and then the Sadducees (Luke 20:27–40) discover Jesus can't be tricked. The priests later try to find people willing to falsely accuse Him (Mark 14:55–56). When the "witnesses" can't agree, their last resort is coercing the Roman governor to execute Jesus by threatening accusations of treason (John 19:12–16).

Luke 20:19–26 continues a long discussion about authority. Chief priests and Old Testament lawyers try to force Jesus into a difficult choice: follow unpopular Roman law or show rebellious loyalty to the Jewish nation. If the trap succeeds, either Jesus' disciples will reject His authority or the Romans will arrest Him. Jesus disarms the trap by pointing out that the people are responsible for following both principles. Next, the Sadducees challenge His authority on doctrinal matters but fail so miserably Jesus' attackers withdraw (Luke 20:27–40). This interaction is also recorded in Matthew 22:15–22 and Mark 12:13–17.

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.