Luke 20 records a tense day in Jerusalem, when Jesus is teaching in the temple and religious leaders try to trap him with questions about his authority, taxes, and life after death. These study questions are written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal reading. Each section gives you a question, a leader’s note, and a place to slow down and listen to what the text actually says.
Luke 20 at a Glance
The chapter moves through a series of confrontations. The chief priests and scribes first challenge Jesus about where his authority comes from, and he answers with a question about John the Baptist. He then tells a parable about a vineyard owner whose servants and son are mistreated by tenants, followed by a warning drawn from Psalm 118.
From there the questions keep coming: a trap about paying taxes to Caesar, a challenge from the Sadducees about the resurrection, and finally a question about how the Messiah can be David’s son. Jesus closes by warning the crowd about religious leaders who use their status to devour the vulnerable.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an opinion. Ask the group to point to the exact words in the passage, and resist explaining until the text has been read slowly at least once. Observation keeps the discussion honest.
Luke 20:17
But he looked at them, and said, “Then what is this that is written, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the chief cornerstone?’
(WEB)
Read this verse slowly to open the group’s attention to Jesus’ identity. It names him as the stone the builders rejected, a picture that anchors the whole chapter in the question of who he is and how people respond to him.
Luke 20:25
He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
(WEB)
This short verse gives the group a memorable line about loyalty and allegiance. Reading it aloud helps people hear the balance Jesus strikes and sets up the discussion about how faith relates to civic life.
Luke 20:37-38
37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.”
(WEB)
These verses present Jesus’ argument for the resurrection from the story of the burning bush. Hearing the reasoning spoken aloud helps the group follow how he moves from Scripture to a confident claim about the living God.
Luke 20:43-44
43 Until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.”’ 44 “David therefore calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”
(WEB)
Read the psalm quotation and Jesus’ follow-up question together so the group can feel the puzzle he poses. The reading makes clear why the messianic title raised more questions than it answered.
Luke 20:46-47
46 “Beware of those scribes who like to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts; 47 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these will receive greater condemnation.”
(WEB)
End the reading with this warning, which gives the group a sober challenge about religious pride. Speaking it aloud sets a serious tone for the application questions that follow.
Memory Verse for Luke 20
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you grateful for the truth spoken in your house and for the Son who answered every trap with wisdom. Help us to bring our questions honestly, to rest our authority in him, and to give you the things that are yours. Teach us to hold our hopes in the resurrection with courage, and to serve quietly where no one is watching. Keep us from pride that devours the vulnerable, and make our lives a faithful response to the living God we have come to know. Amen.
