Luke 20:1-19
Sez Who?

I. The Crisis of Cultural Authority
1. Who says something is wrong or right or forbidden or required or what something means?
2. A psychologist was forced out of academics because she documented the harm done to children being given drugs for “gender dysphoria.” She’s to be admired for some integrity.
3. If all you have is your psyche, then why believe your biology? Males have x-y chromosomes.
4. The ethic is if it feels good to me and doesn’t hurt anyone else then it is good.
5. When people are “free” of any authority, then they are free to tell others that they are wrong.
6. Relativism is the idea that there is no truth, no standards, no authority. There is no truth to learn.
7. The Closing of the American Mind has led to political correctness and now the cancel culture.
8. Here they ask Jesus who says that He can drive out the merchants from the temple.
9. The leaders thought they were who said what could be done so they’re going to cancel Jesus.
II. Who’s In Charge of the Temple? (20:1-8)
1. The religious leaders think if Jesus says, ‘God gave me authority,’ they can get Him for blasphemy.
2. They ask Jesus in public, so the people will see because they want to embarrass Him before the crowd.
3. The Lord Jesus answers the question by getting to the root of what they got wrong.
4. He asks, did God inspire John to baptize people or was that just something he made up himself?
5. Nowhere in the discussion of the religious leaders does truth enter in. They don’t think about truth.
6. They weren’t brave enough to say what they thought was true. They had no integrity.
7. Jesus answers the question by exercising authority. ‘If you’re not going to answer My question …’
III. Who’s In Charge of the Kingdom? (20:9-18)
A. The Parable of the Tenants (20:9-16)
1. The owner did the hard work of planting the vineyard. Then he lets it out to tenants.
2. Then he goes off to another country, for “a long while.” The tenants begin to think they own it.
3. They beat up the servants sent to get rent. So he sends his son, “my beloved son” (like 3:22).
4. Jesus asks the crowd, “What will the owner of the vineyard do to them?”
5. The vineyard is the Kingdom of God. God expects fruit. He sent His prophets to get it.
6. Then God sent His Son, His “beloved Son.” They killed the Son. So He will destroy them.
7. The owner – God – will give the Kingdom to other people, the church. The crowd finds it stunning.
8. They shout back, “May it never be!,” . ‘That’s impossible,’ they thought.
9. Jesus looked directly at them. He fixed His stare at them to make sure they were paying attention.
B. The Stone (20:17-18)
1. He quotes from Psalm 118:22, a “Psalms of ascent,” people on their pilgrimages to Jerusalem.
2.
IV. Invitation