Lucas 20

Lucas 20

Calvin explains, “that believers, after…they have died in this world, lead a heavenly life with God." This deals with believers but does not really address the word "all" which would include unbelievers, therefore I believe MacArthur's comment is correct. MacArthur on all live to Him - All people—whether departed from their earthly bodies or not—are still living, and will live forever. No one is annihilated in death (cf. John 5:28–30). (Borrow The MacArthur study Bible) Nobody is dead and everybody who has ever lived is still living. -- Vance Havner Vance Havner on all live to HIm - God did not say, "I WAS the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but "I AM...." Always the great I AM whose infinitudes never put Him in the past tense, in His sight nobody WAS but everybody IS. Nobody is dead and everybody who has ever lived is still living. We are so accustomed to think of the dead as corpses lying in graveyards. But those bodies are only the remains, the temporary vehicles of their earthly stay. They themselves are still in existence somewhere. Moses and Elijah came back to the Mount of Transfiguration and the disciples recognized them. That raises questions as to what we will be like after death and before the resurrection but settles one major issue, we will still be living somewhere. God is not the God of the dead but of the living. Bock on all live to Him - The additional explanation is that all live “to Him” or “before Him” (BDF §192). All life exists in relationship to the living God. The sovereign God is responsible for life (Acts 17:28; Ro 11:36; Col. 1:16; 3:3-4; 2 Cor. 5:1-10; 1 Pet. 3:18; 4:6). In fact, all life takes place in His power, whether current life or the life to come. In addition, once one knows God, one has everlasting life. Contextually, the reference is to the resurrection, not to the Pauline concept of life “in Christ” (against Ellis 1974: 237, with Marshall 1978: 743). (Luke : 2 Volumes (Baker Exegetical Commentary) Cole discusses the inherent dangers of the denial of the resurrection - Jesus viewed the doctrine of the resurrection as a core issue. To deny that God raises the dead is to deny the doctrine of future rewards for the righteous and punishment for the wicked, which removes the major incentive for holy living. It is to deny the faithfulness of the covenant-keeping God, whose promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob clearly were not fulfilled in their lifetimes. Thus we make God out to be a liar. It is to deny hope for those who have lost loved ones or for those who suffer terribly in this life. As Paul argues in First Corinthians 15 (Take a moment and read once again Paul's great discussion of our hope of resurrection = 1 Cor 15:12-57, 1 Cor 15:58-note), if we deny the resurrection of the dead, then Jesus is not raised and our faith is utterly worthless. We are still in our sins. Thus Jesus taught that there is such a thing as doctrinal truth and error. (Why You Should Care About Doctrine) NET Note: Jesus’ point was that if God could identify himself as God of the three old patriarchs, then they must still be alive when God spoke to Moses; and so they must be raised. Swete says: “In quoting that passage (Ex 3:6) the Lord argues thus; In this place, God reveals Himself as standing in a real relation to men who were long dead. But the living God cannot be in relation with any who have ceased to exist; therefore the patriarchs were still living in His sight at the time of the Exodus; dead to the visible world, they were alive unto God…This argument establishes the immortality of the soul, but not, at first sight or directly, the resurrection of the body. But the resurrection of the body follows, when it is understood that the body is a true part of human nature. God would not leave men with whom He maintained relations, in an imperfect condition; the living soul must in due time recover its partner; the death of the body could only be a suspension of vital activities which in some form would be resumed.” (From Kenneth Wuest Wuest Word Studies - Eerdman Publishing Company Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3 - used by permission -- or Borrow Mark in the Greek New Testament for the English reader ) Bock writes that "Jesus endorses the resurrection and thereby sets up the hope that is central to faith in him. Such a teaching is especially important to God’s plan and to a Gentile audience, who struggled with the concept of life after death. Jesus’ resurrection is neither philosophical sophistry nor wishful thinking. Resurrection into an afterlife where one will face God and be evaluated by Him is not the illusion of a mind that cannot face death’s finality. All must be assured that the resurrection is the teaching of Scripture and Jesus. The work associated with resurrection is at the center of Christian belief. Resurrection is a reality, and its presence should affect how we see this world and live in it. As such, the pericope represents an endorsement of a fundamental doctrine of hope (SEE Believer's Blessed Hope). The afterlife is different, but it is real. All will answer to God, and only some will be found WORTHY. Sadducean doubt about resurrection will not do. Resurrection is God’s promise. It must be faced as a fundamental reality of existence. It is a joyous thing to fall into the hands of the living God, if one knows Him. In the afterlife, one need not wrestle with determining spouses, since the afterlife is about knowing God." (See Luke : 2 Volumes (Baker Exegetical Commentary) Vance Havner - God of the Living When the Sadducees asked our Lord about the woman who had had seven husbands and wanted to know whose wife would she be in the resurrection, He answered by analyzing their trouble as error born of ignorance—ignorance of the Scriptures and the power of God. He declared that in the resurrection we neither marry nor are given in marriage but are as the angels in heaven. Then He gave them God's own word, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" and ended with the declaration, "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (see Matthew 22:32). God did not say, "I WAS the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but "I AM...." Always the great I AM whose infinitudes never put Him in the past tense, in His sight nobody WAS but everybody IS. Nobody is dead and everybody who has ever lived is still living. We are so accustomed to think of the dead as corpses lying in graveyards. But those bodies are only the remains, the temporary vehicles of their earthly stay. They themselves are still in existence somewhere. Moses and Elijah came back to the Mount of Transfiguration and the disciples recognized them. That raises questions as to what we will be like after death and before the resurrection but settles one major issue, we will still be living somewhere. God is not the God of the dead but of the living. I found a dirt road behind the motel where I am staying this week in Michigan. I've been walking in the glorious September sunshine meditating on the God of the living. He does not deal in dead things. My loved ones are all alive on the other side. One of these days the trumpet will sound and their spirits will be joined to their new resurrection bodies and death will be swallowed up in victory. What a big swallow that will be! Corpses and funerals and cemeteries will be a thing of the past and we shall gather around the throne of the living God, the God of the living. He is the Author of life and there never would have been any death had not the devil invaded creation. But on that day Satan and his cohorts will be where they belong and we shall meet at the river of life around the tree of life to enjoy life everlasting. But I need not wait for that day for my eternal life to begin. It started when I trusted my Saviour and I have it as surely as I will ever have it, though not as completely as when I see my Lord on that "Great Getting-up Morning." But now I have the promise of my inheritance and the foretaste of glory divine and if this be the first installment, what will it be like when I am paid in full! Until then I shall taste the powers of the age to come and work up an appetite for the Supper of the Lamb where the celebration never ends. I worship the God of the living. My soul is not dwelling in the macabre realm of tombs and ghosts. Everybody past and present is alive. All who died in Christ are more alive than ever, they are but on His other side. We need to "come alive" in our thinking and walk with God in His Everlasting Now. (Though I Walk Through the Valley) Luke 20:39 Some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well." Luke 20:39 Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said. Teacher, You have spoken well Mt 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Acts 23:9 Parallel passages - Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27 Luke 20 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 20:27-40 Why You Should Care About Doctrine - Steven Cole Luke 20:27-40 The Savior Silences the Sadducees - John MacArthur "ADMIRATION" FROM THE PHARISEES Matthew adds "When the crowds heard this, they were astonished (imperfect tense) at His teaching." (Mt 22:33) Astonished is the vivid verb ekplesso which literally means expelled by a blow and figuratively means to drive out of one's senses by a sudden shock or strong feeling, or "to be exceedingly struck in mind". It means to cause to be filled with amazement to the point of being overwhelmed (struck out of one's senses). It encompasses the ideas of wonder, astonishment or amazement. Ekplesso expresses a stunned amazement that leaves the subject unable to grasp what is happening and in this case as described in Lk 20:40 unable to talk! The ability to silence an opponent in debate was viewed in Greek culture as one of the marks of a wise man and skillful orator Some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher (didaskalos), You have spoken well." - What an interesting comment. Notice as far as we can discern, the mouths of the Sadducees have been slammed shut. Jesus' arguments emphasizing the power of God and the Word of God have demolished their errant thinking about the resurrection! But while the Sadducees are silent, the Pharisee are "praising" Jesus, even though they will soon be calling for His punishment on the Cross. Taught about a double standard! They were quite pleased that finally, after all the years of being unable to refute the Sadducees' "Seven brothers, one wife marriage riddle," Jesus had given the answer! Their children could no longer be taunted by the children of the Sadducees with this specious argument that there will be no resurrection. It is interesting to note that Luke records a similar argument by Paul with a similar result in Acts 23:6-7+ But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” 7 As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. Scribes (1122)(grammateus from grapho = to write) was one skilled in Jewish law and theology. In short the scribes were the recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. The moniker "experts in the law" comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader. MacArthur on the relationship between scribes and Pharisees - Not all Pharisees were scribes, but the scribes were primarily Pharisees, who were interpreters and teachers of the law of Moses and the traditional rabbinic writings. Their teaching provided the theological framework for the Pharisees’ legalistic system of works-righteousness. The scribes were the dominant force in Judaism, not only theologically, but socially. Their views affected every aspect of life, and they also handled all legal matters, including property, estates, and contracts. They were revered, and given the respectful title of Rabbi (Matt. 23:7). That title was sometimes given to Jesus because He was a teacher (cf. John 1:38, 49; 3:2, 26; 6:25). It was commonly believed that Moses received the law, then gave it to Joshua, who gave it to the elders, who gave it to the prophets, who gave it to the scribes. (See Luke Commentary) Luke 20:40 For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything. Luke 20:40KJV And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. Pr 26:5; Mt 22:46; Mark 12:34 Parallel passages - Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27 Luke 20 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 20:27-40 Why You Should Care About Doctrine - Steven Cole Luke 20:27-40 The Savior Silences the Sadducees - John MacArthur JESUS SILENCES HIS OPPONENTS Mark's passage preceding Jesus' discourse on Psalm 110:1... Mark 12:34+ When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions. Matthew has a similar passage but it actually follows Jesus "exposition" of Psalm 110:1 (Mt 22:42-46). Matthew 22:46 No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question. For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything - Their attempt to trip up Jesus and show Him be ignorant had backfired demonstrating that these "Torah experts" were in fact ignorant of the true meaning of their own Scriptures! But the they in this passage is not just a reference to the Sadducees who have just been quashed, but to the entire tribe of religious hypocrites - Sadducees, Pharisees, Scribes, Herodians, elders, and whoever else is left opposing Jesus. They would cease asking questions, but would not cease to find another way to bring Jesus down. Have courage (boldness)(5111)(tolmao from tólma = courage in turn from tlao = to sustain, support, endure) means to have courage, to be bold, to dare to do something. To be so bold as to challenge opposition. They had lost their confidence to confront Christ having failed in all their challenges! Bock - On the topics of ministry, politics, and theology, Jesus has prevailed. There is nothing else they wish to raise before him publicly. Each encounter has left Jesus in the position of knowledge and authority. Rather than continue to confront him, they must withdraw. Jesus is too much in control of himself and his theology, so they do not dare to ask any more questions. The effect of these encounters is clear: who can guide the people in God’s way, the Jewish leadership or Jesus? The wise teacher has confounded the leaders with his answers and has shown himself knowledgeable. (See Luke Exegetical Commentary) R M Edgar - They are beaten in the field of debate. Jesus is Victor. There is no question now which they can ask him. All is over on the plane of intellectual and moral argument. Not even a Parthian arrow can be shot against him. But treachery and brute force remain, and they can have him betrayed and crucified whom they cannot refute. Resort to weapons like these is always proof of weakness. The weapons of our warfare should always be spiritual; with carnal weapons we only confess defeat and court everlasting shame. (Luke 20 Pulpit Commentary Homiletics) Jon Courson - Substituting Mark of the Cross for the Question Mark - Lest we are too quick to judge the Jewish leaders for their audacity in questioning Jesus, we would do well to listen to ourselves. Do we put Him on trial every time we wonder why we haven’t got the raise we deserve, why our marriage didn’t work out as we thought it would, why Mr. Right hasn’t yet come along, why we aren’t healed of our diseases? And when we don’t get the answers we think we are due, do we shake our fist at Him, apathetically shrug our shoulders toward Him, or almost imperceptibly walk away from Him? The scribes and Pharisees did not dare question Jesus anymore. Why? The words He spoke and the logic He displayed silenced their cynicism. You and I have an even greater proof before us than the words He spoke, for, unlike the scribes and Pharisees, we can look at the Cross. You who shrug your shoulders in apathy, look at His shoulder and see it ripped apart by the flagellum and bearing a Cross that should have been yours. You who shake your fist because things aren’t happening in the way you think they should, see His hand not clenched but open, pierced by a nail. You who have walked away from the Lord in anger or drifted away in busyness, look at His feet and see them pinned to a beam of wood, bleeding for you. The word “crux” meaning “cross,” the crux of every matter is indeed the Cross. Does God love me even when the job doesn’t work out as I thought it would, even when people don’t treat me the way I think they should, even if I’m not healed in the way I hoped I would be, even if I’m not understanding what’s happening presently? It is in Cross-examining that which is happening in my life; it is in looking at everything through the lens of Calvary, that I have absolute assurance that, although I may not understand it, everything taking place in my life is for my good. If Jesus loved me enough to die for me, surely He will do what’s best concerning me. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, perhaps the greatest of the modern German theologians, said, “The words why, when, where, and how are all words of the faithless. The only word spoken by a man or woman of faith is ‘who.’ And ‘who’ will lead you to Him.” What gave Bonhoeffer the authority to say this? Living in Germany in the 1940s, he began to publicly call for the overthrow of Hitler. As a result, in 1943, SS officers broke into the church where he was preaching and hauled him off to a concentration camp. Upon his arrival, the commandant said, “Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the famous preacher and writer, come up here and address the assembly. I will give you two minutes.” “I don’t need two minutes,” Bonhoeffer said, “just two words: Watch me.” Although the Nazis beat him mercilessly, every time they lifted a hand or used a club, Bonhoeffer would smile, lift his eyes toward heaven, and say, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.” He shared a portion of every meal with either a fellow prisoner or one of the Nazi guards. He was constantly smiling, constantly praying, constantly loving—to the point that revival began to break out in the concentration camp. It wasn’t because of a word he said, but because of what he did. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was killed April 9, 1945. He could have asked, “Why,” but instead He asked, “who”—and was satisfied. If I had the power, I would change the punctuation for the language of the believer. I would eradicate the question mark and replace it with the mark of the Cross. Whenever people ask questions, put the mark of the Cross at the end, and you’ll have the ultimate answer. If you have been wondering what’s happening, consider once more what the Lamb of God did for you—and you will find every question answered conclusively. (See Jon Courson's Application Commentary) Luke 20:41 Then He said to them, "How is it that they say the Christ (MESSIAH) is David's son? Luke 20:41KJV And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? NLT Then Jesus presented them with a question. "Why is it," he asked, "that the Messiah is said to be the son of David? CSB Then He said to them, "How can they say that the Messiah is the Son of David? NAB Then he said to them, "How do they claim that the Messiah is the Son of David? NRS Then he said to them, "How can they say that the Messiah is David's son? How is it that they say Mt 22:41,42; Mark 12:35-37 Christ is David's son Lk 18:38,39; Isaiah 9:6,7; 11:1,2; Jer 23:5,6; 33:15,16,21; Mt 1:1; John 7:42; Acts 2:30; Ro 1:3,4; Rev 22:16 Parallel passages - Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 12:35-37 Luke 20 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 20:41-47 True and False Religion - Steven Cole Luke 20:41-44 David's Son and Lord - John MacArthur Chart From Bible Knowledge Commentary IS THE MESSIAH DAVID'S SON? THE QUESTION OF THE AGES! For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything. 41 Then He said to them, “How is it that they say the Christ is David’s son? 42 “For David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, 43 UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”’ 44 “Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and how is He his son?” Gene Brooks - The Jerusalem debates conclude with three episodes in which Jesus challenges and rebukes the religious leaders. First, the question about David’s son (Luke 20:41-44), then a rebuke of the teachers of the law (Luke 20:45-47), and the account of the widow’s offering (Luke 21:1-4). BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW - What makes Lk 20:40-44 so important? As will be discussed Psalm 110:1 when properly interpreted shows that the Messiah would be a man (David's son) and would also be God (David's Lord). The Jews then believed Messiah would be human but not God. The Jews of Jesus' day believed Messiah would descend from the line of David. However, because all Jewish genealogy records were destroyed in 70 AD, there is no way a Jew today could even determine if a supposed Messiah was actually a descendant of David! So while Jesus was alive the Jews still had the ability to validate that His lineage was from David on both His father's and mother's side. While there is no Biblical record that His lineage was studied by the religious leaders, there is little doubt that they meticulously reviewed the Temple genealogy records. If they could have proven definitively from these records that Jesus did not fulfill the criterion of origin from the line of David, then they would have used that as evidence to demonstrate He could not possibly have been the Messiah. And not only is there no record of their refutation of His origin from the line of David, there is also not one Biblical record that the religious leaders ever questioned the authenticity of any of Jesus' miraculous works. It would have been difficult, for example, for them to question the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus because everywhere he went he was dramatic proof that Jesus had the power to raise the dead from the grave! Keep these background thoughts in mind as you study Jesus "exposition" on Psalm 110:1 which all the Jews of Jesus' day recognized and fully accepted as being a prophecy of the coming Messiah! Also for reference below is a quote from the Jewish website Judaism 101 which summarizes the belief of modern Jews regarding the idea of the coming Messiah (they do not accept that he has come but that he will come in the future) and note especially that while they mention the Messiah is ""mashiach ben David" (mashiach, son of David)" they have no genealogy records to prove any future Messiah candidate is actually from David's line! And this is not a minor but a major deficiency, because the Old Testament repeatedly testifies that the Messiah MUST COME FROM THE LINE OF DAVID! Thus you can see the major fallacy inherent in modern Jewish thinking regarding the identity of any prospective Messiah! Quote from Judaism 101 on Identity of the Messiah (this view is apparently generally held by modern orthodox Jews) - The mashiach will be a great political leader descended from King David (Jeremiah 23:5). The mashiach is often referred to as "mashiach ben David" (mashiach, son of David). He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments (Isaiah 11:2-5-my note). He will be a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example. He will be a great military leader, who will win battles for Israel. He will be a great judge, who makes righteous decisions (Jeremiah 33:15-my note). But above all, he will be a human being, not a god, demi-god or other supernatural being. It has been said that in every generation, a person is born with the potential to be the mashiach. If the time is right for the messianic age within that person's lifetime, then that person will be the mashiach. But if that person dies before he completes the mission of the mashiach, then that person is not the mashiach.... Jews do not believe that Jesus was the mashiach. Assuming that he existed, and assuming that the Christian scriptures are accurate in describing him (both matters that are debatable), he simply did not fulfill the mission of the mashiach as it is described in the biblical passages cited above. Jesus did not do any of the things that the scriptures said the messiah would do. (Source: Judaism 101) (Bold font added for emphasis) Comment: That last line in bold above is absolutely amazing! May God's Spirit open the eyes of the blind to see that Yeshua fulfilled every Messianic prophecy perfectly including Psalm 110:1 regarding which His first century Jewish hearers made no reply and no refutation (as far as the Biblical record testifies). As an aside, while I am not Jewish, I can personally testify that the Spirit of the Living God used the many truths of Messianic prophecy in the Old Testament (I was saved in the BSF study of the Minor Prophets!) to clarify in my mind the identify of the NT Jesus and ultimately to cause me to be born again (cf 1 Peter 1:3+). Related Resources: The Jewish Tradition Of Two Messiahs Messianic Prophecies Signs and Wonders - The miracles of Jesus The Miracles Of Jesus The Passion Of Christ: Reflecting On History’s Darkest Hour The Amazing Names of the Messiah