Charles Ellicott Commentary Luke 20
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Luke 20
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Luke 20
"And it came to pass, on one of the days, as he was teaching the people in the temple, and preaching the gospel, there came upon him the chief priests and the scribes with the elders; and they spake, saying unto him, Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said unto them, I also will ask you a question; and tell me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why did ye not believe him? But if we shall say, From men; all the people will stone us: for they are persuaded that John was a prophet. And they answered, that they knew not whence [it was]. And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things." — Luke 20:1-8 (ASV)
[Verses 1-8] And it came to pass.—See Notes on Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27–33.
And preached the gospel.—The Greek verb (to evangelise) is one specially characteristic of St. Luke. Neither St. Mark nor St. John use it at all; St. Matthew once only (Matthew 11:5), in a passive sense; St. Luke ten times in the Gospel, fifteen times in the Acts. So in the Epistles, neither St. John nor St. James use it; St. Peter once; St. Paul twenty times. It, too, was clearly one of the words which the two friends and fellow-workers had in common.
Came upon him.—The Greek word, like the English, expresses something of a sudden, and, it might be, concerted movement.
[Verse 2] Tell us, by what authority . . .?—The form of the question is nearly identical in the three Gospels.
[Verse 6] All the people will stone us.—St. Luke gives the more vivid utterance in place of the more general “we fear the people” in the other Gospels. As indicating the readiness of the people of Jerusalem to proceed to extremities of this kind, we may refer to their treatment of our Lord (John 8:59; John 10:31) and Stephen (Acts 7:58–59).
"And he began to speak unto the people this parable: A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country for a long time." — Luke 20:9 (ASV)
Then began he to speak to the people.—See Notes on Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1–12. The presence of this, as well as of the last section, in the first three Gospels, with so little variation, indicates the impression which these facts and teaching made at the time, and probably also that they occupied a prominent place in the early records that served as the basis of our present Gospels.
A certain man planted a vineyard.—The absence of the fuller detail in St. Matthew and St. Mark shows that St. Luke’s report was not derived from them, but probably from a version, orally repeated, of that which they reported more fully. On the other hand, the addition of for a long time is peculiar to St. Luke, and reminds us of the like phrase in Matthew 25:19.
"And at the season he sent unto the husbandmen a servant, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty." — Luke 20:10 (ASV)
Beat him, and sent him away empty.—The description agrees almost verbally with St. Mark.
"And he sent yet another servant: and him also they beat, and handled him shamefully, and sent him away empty." — Luke 20:11 (ASV)
And sent him away empty.—The emphatic repetition of the words that had been used in the previous verse is peculiar to St. Luke.
"And he sent yet a third: and him also they wounded, and cast him forth." — Luke 20:12 (ASV)
They wounded him also.—The verb is peculiar to St. Luke, and has a characteristic half-surgical ring in it. It is used by him again in Acts 19:16.
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