The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost: October 26, 2025

Holy Trinity Church – Tom Mount

 

Scripture reading: Luke 19:41-44

Luke 19:45-46: Jesus condemns Israel’s corrupt temple practices

45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.”

  • Not “cleansing” the temple but judging it through a “prophetic act.” Recall 19:41-44.
  • He cites two texts. 1) “House of prayer [for all the nations]” (Isa 56:7): this was the only place for believing Gentiles to pray; 2) “den of robbers” (Jer 7:11): sold sacrificial goods at highly inflated prices and charged huge surcharges for exchanging money into Tyrian shekels. The temple had become a lucrative religious cartel!
  • Jesus’ actions also signaled that God was terminating the Old Covenant and Israel’s privileged relationship with him and introducing the New Covenant (Lk 22:20). “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Lk 21:24; Rom 11:25). Jesus predicted this in John 4:21, 23.

Luke 19:47-20:8: Jesus questioned about his authority

47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law the leaders among the people were trying to kill him 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

1One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” 3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?” 5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.” 8 Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

  • Brilliant strategy. In the next section, we will see more of this (cf. Ps 18:26).

Luke 20:9-19: Jesus decrees the end of Israel’s privileged arrangement with Yahweh

9 He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and 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 kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!” 17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

  • It’s very clear who represents whom in the parable (See Isa 5:1-7).
  • “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others” – who are the others? (Matt 21:43)
  • “The stone the builders rejected” – Ps 118:22; Jesus as the cornerstone (Eph 2:20).
  • “Everyone who falls…” – Isa 8:14-15; He is a rock of salvation but some trip on him.
  • “Anyone on whom it falls will be crushed” – Dan 2:34, 44-45; Jesus smashes all earthly kingdoms and his kingdom continues to fill the earth.

Takeaway

Jesus is the one true King and we are his subjects. How does he extend his kingdom? Does the way you live your life show that he is King over your time? Your money? Your priorities? Your family? Your future plans?