Luke 20:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

NIV: They discussed it among themselves and said, 'If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?'

NASB: They discussed among themselves, saying, 'If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

CSB: They discussed it among themselves: "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why didn't you believe him? '

NLT: They talked it over among themselves. 'If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John.

KJV: And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

NKJV: And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

A group of Jewish leaders has challenged Jesus, asking who gave Him the authority to drive out merchants and money changers from the Temple Mount. These were businesses from which Jesus' accusers probably made money. If Jesus says He received His authority from heaven, the Old Testament lawyers can accuse Him of blasphemy. Jesus goes a different direction: He challenges them to declare whether they believe John the Baptist, the witness who claimed Jesus' authority came from heaven (Luke 19:45—20:4).

This puts the group in a bind. They would love to be able to say that John the Baptist was a heretic. But it is the week before Passover. Jerusalem is filled with hundreds of thousands of Jews, many of whom had once flocked to John and took his baptism of repentance. The love of John is so strong that years later, Paul will meet twelve men in Ephesus who still follow John's message. As John intended, that message prepared them to accept Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 19:1–7).

Despite how much Jesus' accusers would like to disavow John, they're afraid. They're surrounded by people who are listening to Jesus teach—the same Jesus whom John claimed is the Lamb of God, the Son of God (John 1:29–34). The leaders want Jesus arrested, but they want to not be stoned by the people more (Luke 20:6). So, they will take the least honest and safest approach: to lie about their convictions to avoid trouble (Luke 20:7).

Luke 20:1–8 begins the religious leaders' attack on Jesus' authority. Chief priests, scribes, and elders question Jesus' religious authority regarding the cleansing of the temple (Luke 19:45–46). In turn, Jesus challenges them to judge John the Baptist, the witness to Jesus' authority. Afraid of the crowd who believed John was a prophet, the religious leaders refuse to answer. Jesus responds with a parable about the Son of God (Luke 20:9–18). In the mirror image of this segment, Jesus will describe how the scribes' own sinful actions prove them unqualified to lead (Luke 20:45–47). Matthew 21:23–27 and Mark 11:27–33 also give accounts of this interaction.

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.