Luke 20-21

New King James Version

Jesus’ Authority Questioned^(A)

20 Now ^(B)it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him ² and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, ^(C)by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?”

³ But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: ⁴ The ^(D)baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?”

⁵ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why ^[a]then did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, ^(E)for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it was from.

⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers^(F)

⁹ Then He began to tell the people this parable: ^(G)“A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to ^[b]vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. ¹⁰ Now at ^[c]vintage-time he ^(H)sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ ¹⁴ But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the ^(I)heir. Come, ^(J)let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ^(K)ours.’ ¹⁵ So they cast him out of the vineyard and ^(L)killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to ^(M)others.”

And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”

¹⁷ Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

¹⁸ Whoever falls on that stone will be ^(O)broken; but ^(P)on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

¹⁹ And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they ^[d]feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

The Pharisees: Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar?^(Q)

^20 (R)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.

²¹ Then they asked Him, saying, ^(S)“Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: ²² Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³ But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ^[e]“Why do you test Me? ²⁴ Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”

²⁵ And He said to them, ^(T)“Render^[f] therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²⁶ But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?^(U)

^27 (V)Then some of the Sadducees, ^(W)who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, ²⁸ saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second ^[g]took her as wife, and he died childless. ³¹ Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven ^[h]also; and they left no children, and died. ³² Last of all the woman died also. ³³ Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”

³⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those who are ^(X)counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶ nor can they die anymore, for ^(Y)they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, ^(Z)being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ^(AA)‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ ³⁸ For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for ^(AB)all live to Him.”

³⁹ Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ But after that they dared not question Him anymore.

Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?^(AC)

⁴¹ And He said to them, ^(AD)“How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? ⁴² Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms:

⁴⁴ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; ^(AF)how is He then his Son?”

Beware of the Scribes^(AG)

^45 (AH)Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, ^46 (AI)“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, ^(AJ)love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, ^47 (AK)who devour widows’ houses, and for a ^(AL)pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Two Mites^(AM)

21 And He looked up ^(AN)and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, ² and He saw also a certain ^(AO)poor widow putting in two ^(AP)mites.^{[i] 3} So He said, “Truly I say to you ^(AQ)that this poor widow has put in more than all; ⁴ for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings ^[j]for God, but she out of her poverty put in ^(AR)all the livelihood that she had.”

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple^(AS)

^5 (AT)Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was ^[k]adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, ⁶ “These things which you see—the days will come in which ^(AU)not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.”

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age^(AV)

⁷ So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?”

⁸ And He said: ^(AW)“Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ ^[l]Therefore do not ^[m]go after them. ⁹ But when you hear of ^(AX)wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”

^10 (AY)Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ And there will be great ^(AZ)earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. ^12 (BA)But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and ^(BB)prisons. ^(BC)You will be brought before kings and rulers ^(BD)for My name’s sake. ¹³ But ^(BE)it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. ^14 (BF)Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will ^[n]answer; ¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom ^(BG)which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or ^[o]resist. ^16 (BH)You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put ^(BI)some of you to death. ¹⁷ And ^(BJ)you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. ^18 (BK)But not a hair of your head shall be lost. ¹⁹ By your patience possess your souls.

The Destruction of Jerusalem^(BL)

^20 (BM)“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. ²² For these are the days of vengeance, that ^(BN)all things which are written may be fulfilled. ^23 (BO)But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. ²⁴ And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles ^(BP)until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man^(BQ)

^25 (BR)“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; ²⁶ men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, ^(BS)for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see the Son of Man ^(BT)coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because ^(BU)your redemption draws near.”

The Parable of the Fig Tree^(BV)

^29 (BW)Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. ³¹ So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. ^33 (BX)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My ^(BY)words will by no means pass away.

The Importance of Watching^(BZ)

³⁴ “But ^(CA)take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with ^[p]carousing, drunkenness, and ^(CB)cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. ³⁵ For ^(CC)it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ^36 (CD)Watch therefore, and ^(CE)pray always that you may ^[q]be counted ^(CF)worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and ^(CG)to stand before the Son of Man.”

^37 (CH)And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but ^(CI)at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet. ³⁸ Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.