Luke 20:20-47

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

A Question the Religious Leaders Cannot Answer

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Unbelievers will question the lifestyle of believers.

  2. Unbelievers will ridicule the faith of believers.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Let’s use the authority of Scripture to teach skeptics.

  2. Let’s heed the warnings of Scripture to avoid snares.

QUESTIONS

  1. How did the Jewish leaders respond to the parable of the vineyard in the first half of this chapter?

  2. How were the unbelievers trying to undermine the Lord with their question in verse 22?

  3. What was the distinguishing theology of the Sadducees?

  4. How did the Lord respond to the Sadducees’ question?

  5. What was the Lord’s point when He quoted from the Messianic Psalm 110?

ANSWERS

  1. They did exactly what the parable predicted – they sent out spies to try and trap the Lord in some convicting political statement so that they could have Him arrested, convicted, and killed (verse 20).

  2. Did the Lord pay taxes to Rome or not? Was it right to pay taxes to a pagan government? With either answer they hoped to show that Jesus was somehow inconsistent in His teaching and compromising in His lifestyle.

  3. The Sadducees did not believe in miracles, and that included any resurrection of the dead.

  4. He taught them that believers who have died are still living with God; they have not ceased to exist. Also, in the age to come there is no marriage.

  5. His point was to teach these skeptics that the Messiah would be both Human – the descendant of David, and Divine – because David called the Messiah, Lord.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. The tactics that unbelievers used to try to discredit the Lord are the same tactics that unbelievers will use today to try to discredit Christians. Unbelievers may try to trap believers in inconsistencies or question their lifestyle. Have you seen this to be true in your own life of the lives of those you know?

  2. Another tactic of unbelievers is to ridicule the faith of believers. Have you experienced this? How do you respond?

CHALLENGE

  1. Notice that the Lord used Scripture to teach the skeptics. Many believers today think they can’t use Scripture in refuting critics, but the Word of God is powerful and full of truth. Let’s follow the Lord’s example and use the authority of Scripture to teach skeptics.

KEY VERSES

  • “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Luke 20:25

  • “Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” Luke 20:42-44



Luke, Talks, New TestamentDeb HarmsLuke 20:20-47