The Crisis of Authority: Are You Building on Christ, or Fighting the Cornerstone? (Luke 20:1-19)

The scene is set in the Temple, the heart of God’s covenant people, just days before the crucifixion. The Lord Jesus Christ is not quietly debating theology; He is teaching and preaching the Gospel with an authority that shook the foundations of the established religious elite. This absolute, sovereign claim to power made confrontation inevitable.

In Luke 20, we witness the unavoidable collision between divine sovereignty and human arrogance. The chief priests, scribes, and elders—the supposed spiritual builders of Israel—stormed the Temple courts with one central question: “Tell us, by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority?”.

This question remains the most crucial one for every soul today: Is Jesus Christ the absolute Authority in your life, or are you secretly trying to seize His kingdom for yourself? This passage from Luke 20 demands that we settle the crisis of Christ's authority once and for all.

1. The Trap of the Insincere Heart (Luke 20:1-8)

The religious leaders were not sincere seekers. They sought not truth, but a trap. If Jesus claimed His authority was divine, they would charge Him with blasphemy. If He claimed it was merely human, they would dismiss Him and quell the popular movement.

Jesus, the "Wisdom of the Cosmos" , masterfully refused the limiting terms of their manipulative question. He posed His own counter-challenge regarding the origin of John the Baptist’s ministry.  This question was a test of their sincerity. They had sufficient light to know John was a true prophet, yet they refused to accept his testimony about the Messiah.

Their response—“We do not know where it came from”—was not honest uncertainty; it was a cowardly lie. They feared man (being stoned by the people) more than they feared God.

For the Christian, this exchange is a stark warning against spiritual indecision, which the Scriptures treat as active rebellion. Do not hide behind the shallow excuse, "I don't know" or "I am confused."

> The Word of God warns: “Don’t excuse yourself by saying, ‘Look, we didn’t know.’ For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.” (Proverbs 24:12) 

Because these leaders revealed themselves to be cynical critics rather than sincere seekers, Jesus justly withdrew the very answer they demanded: "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things".[6] If you will not deal rightly with the truth already revealed in God's Word, you disqualify yourself from receiving further divine revelation.

2. The Danger of the Wicked Tenant (Luke 20:9-16)

Having exposed the hypocrisy of the leaders, Jesus immediately moved to the Parable of the Wicked Tenants. This narrative, instantly recognizable to the Jewish audience, identifies the vineyard as Israel and the tenants as the spiritual leaders entrusted with its care.

The Owner (God the Father) sent servants (the prophets) repeatedly to collect the fruit (obedience and righteousness). Time and again, the tenants shamefully rejected, beat, and killed these messengers. This shows the limitless depth of God’s love and patience, who did everything possible to call His people to repentance.

The climax is horrifying: the Owner sends His Beloved Son (Jesus Christ).[9] Driven by covetousness and a desire to seize ownership, the tenants murder the Son, casting Him out of the vineyard. This was the prophetic foreshadowing of Christ's death outside Jerusalem.

The Modern Rebellion: Seizing the Kingdom

The transfer of the vineyard to "others" refers to the New Covenant Church , and every believer is now a tenant, a steward, accountable to the Owner. The sin of the wicked tenant is repeated today when the Christian attempts to "seize the kingdom for ourselves".

We commit this ultimate rebellion when we:

 * Practice Selective Obedience: We determine which commands of God we will follow and which we will ignore.

 * Worship Our Own Way: We prioritize comfortable traditions, personal preferences ("what I want"), or institutional structures over the careful examination of and submission to the teachings of God’s Word.

 * Exhibit Spiritual Apathy: The absence of righteous living and spiritual growth (the lack of fruit) is not mere poor performance; it is active rebellion, a rejection of Christ's command to be fruitful.

We are called to produce the fruit that glorifies God—to grow in sanctification (purification from sin) and live a life of total submission.

3. The Binary Fate of the Rejected Cornerstone (Luke 20:17-19)

Jesus cemented His indictment by quoting Scripture: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”. The Cornerstone is the essential, crucial stone that sets the foundation and alignment for the entire building. The spiritual experts (the "builders") rejected the necessary foundation, but God established His new structure, the Church, entirely upon Him.

Jesus then issued the non-negotiable warning regarding two types of confrontation with this Cornerstone:

A. Falling on the Stone: Brokenness unto Life

“Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces”.

This is the necessary ruin of the human heart. To fall on the Stone is to have your pride, your self-will, and your arrogant claim to ownership shattered by the truth and holiness of Christ. This brokenness is repentance—the necessary spiritual humility that precedes salvation and leads to Justification (being declared righteous). If you submit to this brokenness now, your life is secured.

B. The Stone Falling Upon Man: Crushed unto Destruction

“But on whomever it falls, it will crush him”.

This is the final, total, and comprehensive judgment of God.It is reserved for the unrepentant, those who not only slight Christ but actively hate, oppose, and persecute Him. This ultimate crushing signifies Christ’s absolute victory, smashing all opposing worldly systems into dust. It is total, utter, and irreparable ruin for all who refuse submission.

The Call to Total Submission

The choice presented by the Cornerstone is unavoidable and absolute. You cannot be neutral. You must decide whether to be broken or to be crushed.

If you claim the title of a follower of Christ, you must choose brokenness. You must allow your self-will to be shattered by the Lordship of Christ, surrendering your personal desires and patterns. This is the daily “quiet time”  of dying to self, embracing the submission exemplified by Mary: "I am the Lord’s servant… May it be to me as you have said" (Luke 1:38).

Fall on the Stone now in humility, confession, and repentance. Let your pride be shattered so that you may receive salvation, before the inevitable day comes when the Cornerstone falls upon you in final, irreversible condemnation. Choose Christ. Choose to produce the fruit and give God the glory that He is worthy of receiving from you. 

DMMC 10-5-25