Luke 20:9-26

Parable of the Vine-growers

9 ¹And He began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time.

10 "At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

11 "And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed.

12 "And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out.

13 "The owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will ²respect him.'

14 "But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, 'This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.'

15 "So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

16 "He will come and ³destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others." When they heard it, they said, "⁴May it never be!"

17 But Jesus looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: '⁵THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME ⁶THE CHIEF CORNER stone'?

18 "⁷Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever * it falls, it will scatter him like dust."

Tribute to Caesar

19 The scribes and the chief priests ⁸tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them.

20 ⁹So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order ¹⁰that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of ¹¹the governor.

21 They questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial * to any, but teach the way of God in truth.

22 "Is it lawful for us ¹²to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

23 But He detected their trickery and said to them,

24 "Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's."

25 And He said to them, "Then ¹³render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

26 And they were unable * to ¹⁴catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.

Cross References

• 1. Luke 20:9-19: {Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12}
• 2. Luke 18:2
• 3. Matthew 21:41; Mark 12:9; Luke 19:27
• 4. Rom 3:4, 6, 31; Romans 6:2, 15; Romans 7:7, 13; Romans 9:14; Romans 11:1, 11; 1 Corinthians 6:15; Galatians 2:17; Galatians 3:21; Galatians 6:14
• 5. Psalms 118:22
• 6. Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6
• 7. Matthew 21:44
• 8. Luke 19:47
• 9. Luke 20:20-26: {Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17;} Mark 3:2
• 10. Luke 11:54; Luke 20:26
• 11. Matthew 27:2
• 12. Matthew 17:25; Luke 23:2
• 13. Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17
• 14. Luke 11:54

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "tenant farmers," also vv 10, 14, 16
• [b]. Lit "lord"
• [c]. Lit "lord"
• [d]. Lit "He"
• [e]. Lit "falsely represented themselves"
• [f]. Lit "take hold of His word"
• [g]. Lit "do not receive a face"
• [h]. Or "permissible"
• [i]. The denarius was a day's wages
• [j]. Lit "image"
• [k]. Lit "catch His statement"