Lk. 20:16. But those who heard it said: God forbid!
As you hear, the Evangelist Luke says that the Lord spoke these words: the master of the vineyard will destroy the ungrateful vinedressers and will give the vineyard to others, and that the Pharisees, hearing this, said: "God forbid!" But the Evangelist Matthew says it differently, namely: the Lord asked, what will the owner of the vineyard do to those vinedressers? And the Jews answered: "He will miserably destroy those wicked men... and will let out the vineyard to others" (Matt. 21:40–41). Is this not a contradiction? Not at all. For probably both things happened: first they themselves pronounced the judgment, as the Evangelist Matthew relates; and then, having realized to whom the parable referred, namely that it was spoken against them, they said again what the Evangelist Luke now relates, namely: "God forbid!"
Lk. 20:17. But He looked at them and said: what then is this that is written: the stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner?
What then does Christ do? He brings forward another testimony from the Psalms of David (Ps. 118:22), calling Himself the stone, and the teachers themselves the builders, just as the prophet Ezekiel also says: "and when he builds a wall, they plaster it with mud" (Ezek. 13:10), that is, those who speak to please and cover up the faults of the people, and therefore as it were smear with mud the injuries of the people, as of some wall. How then did they "reject" this stone? When they said: "This Man is not from God" (John 9:16).
Lk. 20:18. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken, and on whomever it falls, it will crush him.
The Lord speaks here of a twofold destruction. One is the destruction of their souls, which they suffered because they were scandalized. For everyone who falls on this stone will be broken. The other is the destruction from the captivity which this stone brought upon them for their rejection of Him. For "on whomever it falls," it says, "it will crush him." The Jews were crushed and scattered like chaff from one threshing floor — Palestine — into the whole world. Note, then, that first they fell upon this stone, that is, they were scandalized, and then the stone fell upon them and punished them. For first the sin is committed by me, and then the righteous punishment from God overtakes me. But the Jews rejected this stone. And it was so good and chosen that it was placed as the head of the corner and joined and united two walls, that is, the old and the new. Though they ought to have listened to Isaiah, who says: "Sanctify Him, and He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread! And He shall be a sanctuary and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense" (Isa. 8:13–14).
Lk. 20:19. And the chief priests and the scribes sought at that very time to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people, for they understood that He had spoken this parable about them.
But even then, when they understood that the Lord was speaking this parable against them, they plotted against Him and would have laid hands on Him, had they not feared the people. The Law also says: "Do not put to death the innocent and the righteous" (Ex. 23:7); but they do not heed it, and instead fear the wrath of men, and, refraining from openly laying hands on Him, they contrive other snares against Him.
Lk. 20:20. And watching Him closely, they sent out spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might catch Him in some word, so as to deliver Him to the rule and authority of the governor.
Lk. 20:21. And they asked Him: Teacher! we know that You speak and teach rightly and do not show partiality, but truly teach the way of God;
Lk. 20:22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
The Pharisees prepared a net which, in their opinion, the Lord would find difficult to escape, but in this net "their foot was caught" (Ps. 9:16). See what cunning! If the Lord says that tribute ought to be given to Caesar, then they will accuse Him before the people of bringing into slavery the people who are "Abraham's seed" and never served anyone (Jn. 8:33). If He forbids giving tribute, then they will lead Him to the governor as a seditious person.
Lk. 20:23. But He, having perceived their craftiness, said to them: why do you tempt Me?
Lk. 20:24. Show Me a denarius: whose image and inscription is on it? They answered: Caesar's.
Lk. 20:25. He said to them: Therefore, render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's.
But the Lord escapes their snares like a "gazelle," for so the Bride called Him in the Song of Songs (Song 2:9), and He teaches that bodily subjection to the one who rules over our bodies, whether he be a king or a tyrant, in no way hinders us from spiritually pleasing the God of spirits. "Therefore render," He says, "unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." And notice, He did not say "give," but "render." This, He says, is a debt, therefore pay what is owed. Your sovereign protects you from enemies and makes your life peaceful; for this you owe him tribute. And in another sense: the very thing that you contribute, that is, the coin, you have from him himself. Therefore, return the emperor's coin to him (the emperor) again. Meanwhile, you too have derived benefit from it for yourself, exchanging it and obtaining the necessities of life.
So too must one render unto God what is God's. He gave you a mind: return it to Him through rational activity. He gave you reason: return it to Him, not likening yourself to irrational animals, but acting in all things as one endowed with reason. And in general He gave you soul and body: return everything to Him and restore His image for Him, living by faith, with hope, in love.
And in another sense one must render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. Each of us bears upon himself either the image of God or the image of the prince of this world. When we become like Caesar, becoming sons of the devil, we bear his image upon ourselves. This image must be given back to him and cast off, so that he may have what is his own with him, and find nothing belonging to him in us. Through this the image of God can also be preserved in us in purity. Therefore the Apostle Paul also urges that just as we have borne the image of the earthly, so we should bear the image of the heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49); and in another place: "to put off the former manner of life of the old man" (Eph. 4:22). What is expressed here by the word "render" is expressed by Paul with the word "put off," and what is here called the image of "Caesar" is there called the image of "the earthly," undoubtedly of Adam who sinned, and of "the old man." For the image of the earthly is nothing other than corruption and sin, an image which we bear because we have made ourselves like the apostate, and not the King.
Lk. 20:26. And they were unable to catch Him in His word before the people, and, marveling at His answer, they fell silent.
The Pharisees could not catch Jesus in His word before the people. For their special concern was to slander Him before the people as one who was enslaving the nation to the Romans. But this they could not achieve because of His most wise answer.
Lk. 20:27. Then some of the Sadducees, who deny the resurrection, came and asked Him:
Lk. 20:28. Teacher! Moses wrote for us that if someone's brother dies, having had a wife, and dies childless, then his brother must take his wife and raise up seed for his brother.
Lk. 20:29. There were seven brothers, and the first, having taken a wife, died childless;
Lk. 20:30. The second took that wife, and he died childless;
Lk. 20:31. And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also, and they died, leaving no children;