Authority Questioned and Denied

Luke 20:1-19 

Jesus' Authority Questioned

1 Now 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, 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 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 then did you not believe him?' 6 But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, 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

9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 10 Now at vintage-time he 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 heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and 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 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:

The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone'?

18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but 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 feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

Jesus’s authority was questioned by the chief priests and the scribes and elders of Israel as He taught the people and preached the gospel to them as the account is recorded here for us to see and hear.  The people were listening but the religious leaders thought that they would lose followers and their control over them by this teaching of the gospel which they rejected along with Jesus.  They rejected His authority and the Lord then told a parable to expose their questioning rejection of His divine authority.  Before He did this, however, Jesus first questioned them in return as to the authority given John the Baptist to baptize people for repentance and preparation for the gospel which the Lord then brought.  They refused to acknowledge the authority of John and would not commit to an answer of whether he baptized in the purview of God in heaven or from man.  Jesus wisely pointed out that their answer was a refusal to answer honestly and either reject God’s work or confess it.  The. The parable of the wicked vinedressers was told to expose those who had been given the word of God and His commandments but refused to follow or acknowledge them as God gave them, substituting their own rules in place of God’s word and rejecting the prophets who were sent to check their stew of that word time and again.  Their ancestors did as the greedy and corrupt winedressers of the parable, mistreating, beating, and murdering (Matthew 23:34-36, Acts 7:52, 1 Thessalonians 2:15) the ones sent by the Master to hold them accountable.  They had rejected their solid foundation of Jesus the Christ as the Rock of their deliverance and cornerstone which the house of God is built upon.  When confronted with the truth of their dealings against God and man they tried to lay hands on Him to beat and kill as well, but the time was not right yet according to God’s plan of the suffering death and resurrection to come soon for redemption of those who did listen and hear without rejecting Jesus, but believing and receiving Him and His word of the gospel.  May all who hear draw near in this same faith and not kick against the goads of God’s Spirit urging them to repentance and faith!