Luke 20:9-26

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

9 ¹And he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted ²a vineyard and ³let it out to tenants and ⁴went into another country for a long while.

10 When the time came, he sent a servant^[a] to the tenants, so that ⁵they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. ⁶But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

11 ⁷And ⁸he sent another servant. But they also beat and ⁹treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.

12 ¹⁰And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out.

13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my ¹¹beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.'

14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ¹²'This is the heir. ¹³Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.'

15 And they ¹⁴threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

16 ¹⁵He will ¹⁶come and destroy those tenants and ¹⁷give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Surely not!"

17 But he ¹⁸looked directly at them and said, "What then is this that is written: ¹⁹"'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?^[b]

18 ²⁰Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls ²¹on anyone, it will crush him."

Paying Taxes to Caesar

19 ²²The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

20 ²³So they ²⁴watched him and sent spies, who ²⁵pretended to be sincere, that they might ²⁶catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of ²⁷the governor.

21 So they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and ²⁸show no partiality,^[c] but truly teach ²⁹the way of God.

22 Is it lawful for us to give ³⁰tribute to ³¹Caesar, or not?"

23 But he perceived their ³²craftiness, and said to them,

24 "Show me ³³a denarius.^[d] Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's."

25 He said to them, "Then ³⁴render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

26 And they were not able in the presence of the people ³⁵to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 9-19, see Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12
• 2. Psalms 80:8; Isaiah 5:1; Matthew 21:28
• 3. Song of Songs 8:11, 12
• 4. Matthew 25:14, 15; [Mark 13:34]
• 5. [See ver. 9 above]
• 6. Matthew 5:12; Matthew 22:6; Matthew 23:34, 37; [2 Chronicles 24:19; 2 Chronicles 36:15, 16; Nehemiah 9:26; Jeremiah 37:15; Jeremiah 38:6; Acts 7:52; 2 Corinthians 11:24-26; 1 Thessalonians 2:15; Hebrews 11:36, 37]
• 7. Matthew 22:4
• 8. [See ver. 10 above]
• 9. Acts 5:41(Gk.)
• 10. [See ver. 10 above]
• 11. See Matthew 3:17
• 12. Hebrews 1:2; [John 1:11; Romans 8:17]
• 13. [1 Kings 21:19]
• 14. Hebrews 13:12
• 15. [Luke 19:27]
• 16. [Matthew 24:50; Matthew 25:19]
• 17. Matthew 21:43; Acts 13:46; Acts 18:6; Acts 28:28; [Matthew 8:11, 12]
• 18. See Mark 10:21
• 19. Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7; Cited from Psalms 118:22
• 20. Isaiah 8:14, 15; Romans 9:32, 33; 1 Peter 2:8
• 21. Dan. 2:34, 35, 44, 45
• 22. Luke 19:47, 48
• 23. For ver. 20-38, see Matthew 22:15-32; Mark 12:13-27
• 24. Luke 14:1; Mark 3:2
• 25. [1 Kings 14:6]
• 26. ver. 26; Luke 11:54
• 27. Matthew 27:2, 11; Matthew 28:14; See Acts 23:24
• 28. See Acts 10:34
• 29. Acts 18:25, 26; [Acts 13:10]
• 30. Matthew 17:25
• 31. Luke 2:1; Luke 3:1
• 32. 1 Corinthians 3:19; 2 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 4:14; [2 Corinthians 12:16]
• 33. See Matthew 18:28
• 34. Romans 13:7
• 35. ver. 20

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek bondservant; also verse 11
• [b]. Greek the head of the corner
• [c]. Greek and do not receive a face
• [d]. A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer