MPV Commentary
Read the modernized Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary, aligned with each Bible book and chapter, in clear, updated English.
Currently viewing commentary for Luke 20
Read the modernized Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary, aligned with each Bible book and chapter, in clear, updated English.
Currently viewing commentary for Luke 20
Entangling Questions about Tribute and the Resurrection
Jesus sent out his disciples to test him with clever questions after consulting with the Pharisees and Herodians (Matthew 22:15). They were trying to catch him off guard.
20-26. The spies, who were likely from the Pharisees and Herodians, approached Jesus with a question about tribute (tax) to Caesar. They hoped to flatter him into giving an answer that would be unpopular with the people.
21. We know that you are a truthful teacher, they said, hoping to throw him off his guard. But their real intention was to trap him.
22. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Jesus knew this question was designed to entangle him.
25. Things which belong to Caesar should be given to Caesar, and things that belong to God should be given to God. This answer dissolved the snare they had set for him, as it was impossible to dispute the principle of giving to whom something belongs.
26. And unto God - How profound is this addition to the maxim! It highlights the importance of acknowledging God's ownership in all things.
27-34. The Sadducees, who did not believe in a resurrection, asked Jesus about marriage and the afterlife. They thought they could catch him off guard with their question.
34. You are mistaken, Jesus said, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. This statement is crucial, as it sets the stage for his response to their question.
36. In the resurrection, there will be no marriage, as people will neither die nor experience the end of life. They will be like angels and children of God in that they will share in an undecaying existence (Romans 8:21, 23).
37-38. Even Moses, whom they had just quoted to entangle him, taught about the resurrection. Jesus pointed out that for all people, including those who have died, there is a conscious relation with God.
38. To God, no human being is dead or ever will be; but all sustain an abiding conscious relation to Him. However, Jesus was referring specifically to those who would be accounted worthy to obtain the world to come. These individuals sustain a gracious covenant relation to God that cannot be dissolved.
39. The scribes and Pharisees praised Jesus for his victory over the Sadducees, but they were afraid to ask him any more questions.