The Gospel According to Luke, chapters 20 - 22
20 ONE DAY, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling them
the good news, the priests and lawyers, the elders with them, came
upon him and accosted him. 'Tell us', they said, 'by what authority you are
acting like this; who gave you this authority?' He answered them, 'I have
a question to ask you too: tell me, was the baptism of John from God or
from men?' This set them arguing among themselves: 'If we say, "from
God", he will say, "Why do you not believe him?" and if we say, "from
men", the people will all stone us, for they are convinced that John was a
prophet.' So they replied that they could not tell. And Jesus said to them,
'Then neither will I tell you by what authority I act.'
He went on to tell the people this parable: 'A man planted a vineyard,
let it out to vine-growers, and went abroad for a long time. When the
season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share
of the produce; but the tenants thrashed him and sent him away empty-
handed. He tried again and sent a second servant; but he also was thrashed,
outrageously treated, and sent away empty-handed. He tried once more
with a third; this one too they wounded and flung out. Then the owner of
the vineyard said, "What am I to do? I will send my own dear son;
perhaps they will respect him." But when the tenants saw him they talked
it over together. "This is the heir," they said; "let us kill him so that the
property may come to us." So they flung him out of the vineyard and killed
him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come
and put these tenants to death and let the vineyard to others.'
When they heard this, thy said, 'God forbid!' But he looked straight
at them and said, 'Then what does this text of Scripture mean: "The stone
which the builders rejected has become the main corner-stone"? Any
man who falls on that stone will be dashed to pieces; and if it falls on a man
he will be crushed by it.'
The lawyers and chief priests wanted to lay hands on him there and then,
for they saw that this parable was aimed at them; but they were afraid of
the people. So they watched their opportunity and sent secret agents in the
guise of honest men, to seize upon some word of his as a pretext for hand-
ing him over to the authority and jurisdiction of the Governor. They put
a question to him: 'Master,' they say, 'we know that what you speak and
teach is sound; you pay deference to no one, but teach in all honesty the
way of life that God requires. Are we or are we not permitted to pay taxes
to the Roman Emperor?' He saw through their trick and said, 'Show me a
silver piece. Whose head does it bear, and whose inscription?' 'Caesar's',
they replied. 'Very well then,' he said, pay Caesar what is due to Caesar,
and pay God what is due to God.' Thus their attempt to catch him out in
public failed, and astonished by his reply, they fell silent.
Then some Sadducees came forward. They are the people who deny
that there is a resurrection. Their question was this: 'Master, Moses laid
it down for us that if there are brothers, and one dies leaving a wife but no
child, then the next should marry the widow and carry on his brother's
family. Now, there were seven brothers: the first took a wife and died child-
less; then the second married her, then the third. In this way the seven of
them died leaving no children. Afterwards the woman also died. At the
resurrection whose wife is she to be, since all seven had married her?'
Jesus said to them, 'The men and women of this world marry; but those
who have been judged worthy of a place in the other world and of the
resurrection from the dead, do not marry, for they are not subject to death
any longer. They are like angels; they are sons of God, because they share
in the resurrection. That the dead are raised to life again is shown by Moses
himself in the story of the burning bush, when he calls the Lord, "the God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob". God is not God of the dead but of the living;
for him all are alive.'
At this the lawyers said, 'Well spoken, Master.' For there was
no further question that they ventured to put to him.
He said to them, 'How can they say that the Messiah is son of David?
For David himself says in the Book of Psalms: "The Lord said to my
Lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.' "
Thus David calls him "Lord"; how then can he be David's son?'
In the hearing of all the people, Jesus said to his disciples: 'Beware of the
doctors of the law who love to walk up and down in long robes, and have
a great liking for respectful greetings in the street, the chief seats n our
synagogues, and places of honour at feasts. These are men who eat up
the property of widows, while they say long prayers for appearance' sake;
and they will receive the severest sentence.'
21 He looked up and saw the rich people dropping their gifts into the chest
of the temple treasury; and he noticed a poor widow putting in two tiny
coins. 'I tell you this,' he said: 'this poor widow has given more than any
of them; for those others who have given had more than enough, but she,
with less than enough, has given all she had to live on.'
SOME PEOPLE WERE TALKING about the temple and the fine stones
and votive offerings with which it was adorned. He said, 'These things
which you are gazing at — the time will come when not one stone of them
will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.' 'Master,' they asked,
'when will it all come about? What will be the sign when it is due to
happen?'
He said, ;'Take care that you are not misled. For many will come claim-
ing my name and saying, "I am he", and, "The Day is upon us." Do not
follow them. And when you hear of wars and insurrections, do not fall into
a panic. These things are bound to happen first; but the end does not follow
immediately.' Then he added, 'Nation will make war upon nation, kingdom
upon kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and famines and plagues
in many place; in the sky terrors and great portents.
'But before all this happens they will set upon you and persecute you.
You will be brought before synagogues and put in prison; you will be haled
before kings and governors for your allegiance to me. This will be your
opportunity to testify; so make up your minds not to prepare your defence
beforehand, because I myself will give you power of utterance and a
wisdom which no opponent will be able to resist or refute. Even your
parents and brothers, your relations and friends, will betray you. Some of
you will be put to death; and all will hate you for your allegiance to me.
But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By standing firm you will win true
life for yourselves.
'But when you see Jerusalem encircled by armies, then you may be sure
that her destruction is near. Then those who are in Judæa must take to the
hills; those that are in the city itself must leave it, and those who are out
in the country must not enter; because this is the time of retribution, when
all that stands written is to be fulfilled. Alas for women who are with child
in those days, or have children at the breast! For there will be great distress
in the land and a terrible judgement upon the people. They will fall at the
sword's point; they will be carried captive into all countries; and Jeru-
salem will be trampled down by foreigners until their day has run its
course.
'Portents will appear in sun, moon, and stars. On earth nations will
stand helpless, not knowing which way to turn from the roar and surge of
the sea; men will faint with terror at the thought of all that is coming
upon the world; for the celestial powers will be shaken. And then they
will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with great power and glory.
When all this begins to happen, stand upright and hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near.'
He told them this parable: 'Look at the fig-tree, or any other tree. As
soon as it buds, you can see for yourselves that summer is near. In the
same way, when you see all this happening, you may know that the kingdom
of God s near.
'I tell you this: the present generation will live to see it all. Heaven and
earth will pass away; my words will never pass away.
'Keep a watch on yourselves; do not let your minds be dulled by dissipa-
tion and drunkenness and worldly cares so that the great Day closes upon
you suddenly like a trap; for that day will come on all men, wherever they
are, the whole world over. Be on the alert, praying at all times for strength
to pass safely through all these imminent troubles and to stand in the pre-
sence of the Son of Man.'
His days were given to teaching in the temple; and then he would leave
the city and spend the night on the hill called Olivet. And in the early
morning the people flocked to listen to him in the temple.
22 NOW THE FESTIVAL of Unleavened Bread, known as Passover, was
approaching, and the chief priests and the doctors of the law were
trying to devise some means of doing away with him; for they were afraid
of the people.
Then Satan entered in to Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve;
and Judas went to the chief priests and officers of the temple guard to
discuss ways and means of putting Jesus into their power. They were
greatly pleased and undertook to pay him a sum of money. He agreed, and
began to look out for an opportunity to betray him to them without
collecting a crowd.
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover victim
had to be slaughtered, and Jesus sent Peter and John with these instruc-
tions: 'Go and prepare for our Passover supper.' 'Where would you like
us to make preparations?' they asked. He replied, 'As soon as you set
foot in the city a man will meet you carrying a jar of water. Follow him into
the house that he enters and give this message to the householder: "The
Master says, 'Where is the room in which I may eat the Passover with my
disciples?' " He will show you a large room upstairs all set out: make the
preparations there.' They went and found everything as he had said. So
they prepared for Passover.
When the time came he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him;
and he said to them, 'How I have longed to eat this Passover with you
before my death! For I tell you, never again shall I eat it until the time
when it finds its fulfilment in the kingdom of God.'
Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, 'Take this and share
it among yourselves; for I tell you, from this moment I shall drink from the
fruit of the vine no more until the time when the kingdom of God comes.'
And he took bread, gave thanks, and broke it; and he gave it to them, with
the words: 'This is my body.'
'But mark this — my betrayer is here, his hand with mine on the table.
For the Son of Man is going his appointed way; but alas for that man by
whom he is betrayed!' At this they began to ask among themselves which of
them it could possibly be who was to do this thing.
Then a jealous dispute broke out: who among them should rank highest?
But he said, 'In the world, kings lord it over their subjects; and those in
authority are called their country's "Benefactors". Not so with you: on the
contrary, the highest among you must bear himself like the youngest, the
chief of you like a servant. For who is greater — the one who sits at table or
the servant who waits on him? Surely the one who sits at table. Yet here
am I among you like a servant.
'You are the men who have stood firmly by me in my times of trial; and
now I vest in you the kingship which my Father vested in me; you shall eat
and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones as judges of the
twelve tribes of Israel.
'Simon, Simon, take heed: Satan has been given leave to sift all of you
like wheat; but for you I have prayed that your faith may not fail; and when
you have come to yourself, you must lend strength to your brothers.'
'Lord,' he replied, 'I am ready to go with you to prison and death.' Jesus
said, 'I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow tonight until you have three
times over denied that you know me.'
He said to them, 'When I sent you out barefoot without purse or pack,
were you ever short of anything?' 'No", thy answered. 'It is different now,'
he said; 'whoever has a purse had better take it with him, and his pack too;
and if he has no sword, let him sell his cloak to buy one. For Scripture says,
"And he was counted among the outlaws", and these words, I tell you,
must find fulfilment in me; indeed, all that is written of me is being ful-
filled.' 'Look, Lord,' they said, 'we have two swords here.' 'Enough,
enough!' he replied.
THEN HE WENT OUT and made hi way as usual to the Mount of Olives,
accompanied by the disciples. When he reached the place he said to them,
'Pray that you may be spared the hour of testing.' He himself withdrew
from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and began to pray: 'Father,
if it be thy will, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but thine be
done.'
And now there appeared to him an angel from heaven bringing him
strength, and in anguish of spirit he prayed the more urgently; and his
sweat was like clots of blood falling to the ground.
When he rose from prayer and came to the disciples he found them
asleep, worn out by grief. 'Why are you sleeping?' he said. 'Rise and pray
that you may be spared the test.'
WHILE HE WAS STILL SPEAKING a crowd appeared with the man
called Judas, one of the Twelve, at their head. He came up to Jesus to
kiss him; but Jesus said, 'Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with
a kiss?'
When his followers saw what was coming, they said, 'Lord, shall we use
our swords?' And one of them struck at the High Priest's servant, cutting
off his own right ear. But Jesus answered, 'Let them have their way.' Then he
touched the man's ear and healed him.
Turning to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the
elders, who had come to seize him, he said, 'Do not take me for a bandit,
that you come out with swords and cudgels to arrest me? Day after
day, when I was in temple with you, you kept your hands off me. But
this is your moment — the hour when darkness reigns.'
Then they arrested him and led him away. They brought him to the
High Priest's house, and Peter followed at a distance. They lit a fire in the
middle of the courtyard and sat round it, and Peter sat among them. A
serving-maid who saw him sitting in the firelight stared at him and said,
'This man was with him too.' But he denied it: 'Woman,' he said, 'I do
not know him.' A little later someone else noticed him and said, 'You also
are one of them.' But Peter said to him, 'No, I am not.' About an hour
passed and another spoke more strongly still: 'Of course this fellow was
with him. He must have been; he is a Galilean.' But Peter said, 'Man, I do
not know what you are talking about.' At that moment, while he was still
speaking, a cock crew; and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter
remembered the Lord's words, 'Tonight before the cock crows you will
disown me three times.'
The men who were guarding Jesus mocked at him. They beat him, they
blindfolded him, and they kept asking him, 'Now, prophet, who hit you?
Tell us that.' And so they went on heaping insults upon him.
WHEN DAY BROKE, the elders of the nation, chief priests, and doctors
of the law assembled, and he was brought before their Council. 'Tell us,'
they said, 'Are you the Messiah?' 'If I tell you,' he replied, 'you will not
believe me; and if I ask questions, you will not answer. But from now on,
the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of Almighty God.' 'You
are the Son of God, then?' they all said, and he replied, 'It is you who say I
am.' They said, 'Need we call further witnesses? We have heard it our-
selves from his own lips.'
The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970
Posted Jun 2, 2018, 3:06 AM UTC · edited
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