| Book | Chapter | Verse | Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luke | 20 | 1 | One day as Jesus was teaching and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests and teachers of religious law and other leaders came up to him. |
| Luke | 20 | 2 | They demanded, "By whose authority did you drive out the merchants from the Temple? Who gave you such authority?" |
| Luke | 20 | 3 | "Let me ask you a question first," he replied. |
| Luke | 20 | 4 | "Did John's baptism come from heaven, or was it merely human?" |
| Luke | 20 | 5 | They talked it over among themselves. "If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn't believe him. |
| Luke | 20 | 6 | But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us, because they are convinced he was a prophet." |
| Luke | 20 | 7 | Finally they replied, "We don't know." |
| Luke | 20 | 8 | And Jesus responded, "Then I won't answer your question either." |
| Luke | 20 | 9 | Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: "A man planted a vineyard, leased it out to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. |
| Luke | 20 | 10 | At grape-picking time, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. |
| Luke | 20 | 11 | So the owner sent another servant, but the same thing happened; he was beaten up and treated shamefully, and he went away empty-handed. |
| Luke | 20 | 12 | A third man was sent and the same thing happened. He, too, was wounded and chased away. |
| Luke | 20 | 13 | "'What will I do?' the owner asked himself. 'I know! I'll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.' |
| Luke | 20 | 14 | "But when the farmers saw his son, they said to each other, 'Here comes the heir to this estate. Let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves!' |
| Luke | 20 | 15 | So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him. "What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to those farmers?" Jesus asked. |
| Luke | 20 | 16 | "I'll tell you--he will come and kill them all and lease the vineyard to others.But God forbid that such a thing should ever happen," his listeners protested. |
| Luke | 20 | 17 | Jesus looked at them and said, "Then what do the Scriptures mean? 'The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone.' |
| Luke | 20 | 18 | All who stumble over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls." |
| Luke | 20 | 19 | When the teachers of religious law and the leading priests heard this story, they wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was pointing at them--that they were the farmers in the story. But they were afraid there would be a riot if they arrested him. |
| Luke | 20 | 20 | Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent secret agents pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. |
| Luke | 20 | 21 | They said, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You sincerely teach the ways of God. |
| Luke | 20 | 22 | Now tell us--is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not?" |
| Luke | 20 | 23 | He saw through their trickery and said, |
| Luke | 20 | 24 | "Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?Caesar's," they replied. |
| Luke | 20 | 25 | "Well then," he said, "give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God." |
| Luke | 20 | 26 | So they failed to trap him in the presence of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they were silenced. |
| Luke | 20 | 27 | Then some Sadducees stepped forward--a group of Jews who say there is no resurrection after death. |
| Luke | 20 | 28 | They posed this question: "Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will be the brother's heir. |
| Luke | 20 | 29 | Well, there were seven brothers. The oldest married and then died without children. |
| Luke | 20 | 30 | His brother married the widow, but he also died. Still no children. |
| Luke | 20 | 31 | And so it went, one after the other, until each of the seven had married her and died, leaving no children. |
| Luke | 20 | 32 | Finally, the woman died, too. |
| Luke | 20 | 33 | So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!" |
| Luke | 20 | 34 | Jesus replied, "Marriage is for people here on earth. |
| Luke | 20 | 35 | But that is not the way it will be in the age to come. For those worthy of being raised from the dead won't be married then. |
| Luke | 20 | 36 | And they will never die again. In these respects they are like angels. They are children of God raised up to new life. |
| Luke | 20 | 37 | But now, as to whether the dead will be raised--even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' |
| Luke | 20 | 38 | So he is the God of the living, not the dead. They are all alive to him." |
| Luke | 20 | 39 | "Well said, Teacher!" remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there. |
| Luke | 20 | 40 | And that ended their questions; no one dared to ask any more. |
| Luke | 20 | 41 | Then Jesus presented them with a question. "Why is it," he asked, "that the Messiah is said to be the son of David? |
| Luke | 20 | 42 | For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms: 'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in honor at my right hand |
| Luke | 20 | 43 | until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.' |
| Luke | 20 | 44 | Since David called him Lord, how can he be his son at the same time?" |
| Luke | 20 | 45 | Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his disciples and said, |
| Luke | 20 | 46 | "Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they love to parade in flowing robes and to have everyone bow to them as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and at banquets. |
| Luke | 20 | 47 | But they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property, and then, to cover up the kind of people they really are, they make long prayers in public. Because of this, their punishment will be the greater." |
| Luke | 21 | 1 | While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people putting their gifts into the collection box. |
| Luke | 21 | 2 | Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two pennies. |
| Luke | 21 | 3 | "I assure you," he said, "this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. |
| Luke | 21 | 4 | For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has." |
| Luke | 21 | 5 | Some of his disciples began talking about the beautiful stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, |
| Luke | 21 | 6 | "The time is coming when all these things will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another." |
| Luke | 21 | 7 | "Teacher," they asked, "when will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time?" |
| Luke | 21 | 8 | He replied, "Don't let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, claiming to be the Messiah and saying, 'The time has come!' But don't believe them. |
| Luke | 21 | 9 | And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately." |
| Luke | 21 | 10 | Then he added, "Nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other. |
| Luke | 21 | 11 | There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and epidemics in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs in the heavens. |
| Luke | 21 | 12 | "But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will be accused before kings and governors of being my followers. |
| Luke | 21 | 13 | This will be your opportunity to tell them about me. |
| Luke | 21 | 14 | So don't worry about how to answer the charges against you, |
| Luke | 21 | 15 | for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply! |
| Luke | 21 | 16 | Even those closest to you--your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends--will betray you. And some of you will be killed. |
| Luke | 21 | 17 | And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. |
| Luke | 21 | 18 | But not a hair of your head will perish! |
| Luke | 21 | 19 | By standing firm, you will win your souls. |
| Luke | 21 | 20 | "And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. |
| Luke | 21 | 21 | Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Let those in Jerusalem escape, and those outside the city should not enter it for shelter. |
| Luke | 21 | 22 | For those will be days of God's vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled. |
| Luke | 21 | 23 | How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies. For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. |
| Luke | 21 | 24 | They will be brutally killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be conquered and trampled down by the Gentiles until the age of the Gentiles comes to an end. |
| Luke | 21 | 25 | "And there will be strange events in the skies--signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. |
| Luke | 21 | 26 | The courage of many people will falter because of the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth, because the stability of the very heavens will be broken up. |
| Luke | 21 | 27 | Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with power and great glory. |
| Luke | 21 | 28 | So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!" |
| Luke | 21 | 29 | Then he gave them this illustration: "Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. |
| Luke | 21 | 30 | When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. |
| Luke | 21 | 31 | Just so, when you see the events I've described taking place, you can be sure that the Kingdom of God is near. |
| Luke | 21 | 32 | I assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these events have taken place. |
| Luke | 21 | 33 | Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever. |
| Luke | 21 | 34 | "Watch out! Don't let me find you living in careless ease and drunkenness, and filled with the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware, |
| Luke | 21 | 35 | as in a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. |
| Luke | 21 | 36 | Keep a constant watch. And pray that, if possible, you may escape these horrors and stand before the Son of Man." |
| Luke | 21 | 37 | Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. |
| Luke | 21 | 38 | The crowds gathered early each morning to hear him. |