Luke 20:19

19 At this the Scribes and the High Priests wanted to lay hands on Him, then and there; only they were afraid of the people. For they saw that in this parable He had referred to them.

Luke 20:19 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 20:19

And the chief priests, and the Scribes, that same hour,
&c.] As soon as he had delivered the above parable, together with that of the two sons:

sought to lay hands on him;
they had a good will to it, being exceedingly gravelled with the question he put to them concerning John's baptism, which confounded them, and put them to silence; and with the parables he delivered, in which they were so manifestly pointed at:

and they feared the people;
lest they should rise and stone them, as in ( Luke 20:6 ) or rescue him out of their hands;

for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them:
and that they were the husbandmen that had used the servants of God so ill, and would put to death the son of God, the Messiah; and who would at length be destroyed themselves, and the kingdom of God be taken from them, though they seem to detest and deprecate it, saying in ( Luke 20:16 ) God forbid; that we should kill the heir, or that we should be destroyed, and the vineyard given to others: these things grievously nettled them, and exasperated them against him; but they knew not how to help themselves at present.

Luke 20:19 In-Context

17 He looked at them and said, "What then does that mean which is written, "`The Stone which the builders rejected has been made the cornerstone'?

18 Every one who falls on that stone will be severely hurt, but on whomsoever it falls, he will be utterly crushed."

19 At this the Scribes and the High Priests wanted to lay hands on Him, then and there; only they were afraid of the people. For they saw that in this parable He had referred to them.

20 So, after impatiently watching their opportunity, they sent spies who were to act the part of good and honest men, that they might fasten on some expression of His, so as to hand Him over to the ruling power and the Governor's authority.

21 So they put a question to Him. "Rabbi," they said, "we know that you say and teach what is right and that you make no distinctions between one man and another, but teach God's way truly.