Luke 20 — Clausal Layout (English)

independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended

Flush-left = a main (independent) clause. Each dependent line begins directly beneath the word it attaches to in the line above — the anchor word is dotted-underlined, and lights up when you hover its dependent clause; each tag also names the attachment. A dashed border marks verbless, elliptical, or suspended lines. Where a long sentence's staircase runs wider than the page, the diagram scrolls sideways. (In print, or without JavaScript, lines fall back to stepped indent columns.)

The authority question — John's baptism as counter-dilemma 20:1–8

vv. 1–2 — the confrontation: the Sanhedrin demands credentials

And it came to pass on one of the days,independent — Lukan Septuagintal ἐγένετο-formula — one of the passion-week temple days

as he was teaching the people in the templeparticipial — genitive absolute — the ongoing temple teaching as backdrop (19:47)

and preaching the gospel,participial — second genitive absolute — εὐαγγελίζομαι, the Lukan kingdom-keyword

the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came upon him,independent — ἐφίστημι — a sudden hostile standing-over; the three Sanhedrin groups together

and they spoke, saying to him:independent — pleonastic εἶπαν λέγοντες — the Septuagintal 'said, saying'

'Tell us:content — peremptory aorist imperative — the demand for credentials

by what authority you do these things,content — indirect question — ἐξουσία, the chapter's first keyword; ταῦτα: the temple-cleansing and the teaching

or who it is that gave you this authority.'content — the second horn — source and giver both demanded; a human conferral assumed

vv. 3–4 — the counter-question

And answering,participial — Semitic 'answering' participle — leans on εἶπεν

he said to them:independent — the rabbinic counter — question for question

'I too will ask you a question;content — emphatic κἀγώ — the dilemma about to be thrown back

and tell me:content — their own imperative (v. 2) returned to them

Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?'content — the dilemma — 'from heaven,' the reverent circumlocution for God; John's verdict settles Jesus' own

vv. 5–6 — the inner deliberation: both horns fatal

And they reasoned among themselves,independent — συλλογίζομαι — they calculate together (whence 'syllogism')

saying:participial — speech-participle with recitative ὅτι — the deliberation overheard

'If we say, From heaven,conditional — first horn — the protasis with its embedded answer, leaning on ἐρεῖ

he will say:content — the anticipated rejoinder

'Why did you not believe him?'content — the exposure they fear — unbelief toward the prophet they never dared judge

but if we say, From men,conditional — second horn — leaning on καταλιθάσει

all the people will stone us,content — καταλιθάζω, a NT hapax — Luke alone makes the feared reprisal lethal

for they stand convinced that John was a prophet.'cause — periphrastic perfect — a settled, abiding conviction

vv. 7–8 — evasion answered with refusal

So they answered that they did not know where it was from.independent — the guardians of Israel's teaching plead ignorance — a self-condemning evasion

And Jesus said to them:independent — the refusal-frame

'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.'content — οὐδὲ ἐγώ matches their evasion — yet the parable that follows answers the question in fact

The vineyard and the tenants — the beloved son and the stone 20:9–19

vv. 9–12 — the lease and the three sendings

Then he began to tell the people this parable:independent — ingressive ἤρξατο + infinitive — spoken to the people, aimed at the leaders (v. 19)

'A man planted a vineyard,content — Isa 5:1–2 — Israel as God's vineyard; Luke prunes Mark's fence, vat, and tower

and let it out to tenant farmers,content — the lease — the tenants are Israel's entrusted leaders

and went abroad for a long time.content — χρόνους ἱκανούς — Luke's added note of long absence: the span of Israel's history

And at the season he sent a servant to the tenants,content — the first sending — ἀποστέλλω, the verb of prophetic mission; καιρῷ, at vintage

that they should give him some of the fruit of the vineyard;purpose — the errand — the owner's rightful share; future indicative in ἵνα, a Koine touch

but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.content — ἐξαπέστειλαν answers ἀπέστειλεν — the ironic counter-sending; κενόν, the rent refused

And he proceeded to send another servant;content — προσέθετο + infinitive — the LXX Hebraism 'he added to send'

but that one too they beat and dishonored and sent away empty-handed.content — the escalation — ἀτιμάζω: insult now added to assault

And he proceeded to send a third;content — the third sending — the Hebraism repeated

but this one too they wounded and cast out.content — τραυματίζω … ἐκβάλλω — the violence peaks short of murder, which is reserved for the son

vv. 13–15a — the beloved son: the owner's hope and the tenants' plot

Then the lord of the vineyard said:content — the soliloquy-frame — ὁ κύριος, in the allegory God himself

'What shall I do?content — deliberative future — the τί ποιήσω of Luke's parable-soliloquies (12:17; 16:3)

I will send my beloved son;content — ἀγαπητός — the baptism-and-transfiguration title (3:22; 9:35)

perhaps they will respect him.'content — ἴσως, a NT hapax — the hope that misreads the tenants; τοῦτον fronted

But the tenants, seeing him,participial — preposed participle — the recognition before the plot; leans on διελογίζοντο

reasoned with one another,content — διαλογίζομαι — the tenants' deliberation mirrors the leaders' own (v. 5)

saying:participial — the plot-frame — inner speech one deeper

'This is the heir;content — the recognition that damns — they know exactly who he is

let us kill him,content — hortatory plot — cf. Gen 37:20, Joseph's brothers

that the inheritance may become ours.'purpose — the motive — ἡμῶν fronted: the inheritance seized

And casting him out of the vineyard,participial — preposed participle — in Luke the expulsion precedes the killing (cf. Heb 13:12, death outside); leans on ἀπέκτειναν

they killed him.content — the parable's climax — one word

vv. 15b–18 — the verdict, the recoil, and the stone

What then will the lord of the vineyard do to them?content — Jesus asks the verdict-question himself (cf. Isa 5:4) — the owner's τί ποιήσω returns as τί ποιήσει

He will comecontent — and answers it — the owner's visitation in judgment

and destroy those tenants,content — the tenants destroyed

and give the vineyard to others.'content — ἄλλοις — new stewards, left unnamed: the allegory's open edge

And hearing this,participial — preposed participle — leans on εἶπαν

they said:independent — the people's response — Luke alone records the recoil

'May it never be!'content — volitive optative of horrified deprecation — elsewhere in the NT only Paul's; a full finite clause, not verbless

But he, looking at them,participial — ἐμβλέψας — the fixing gaze; leans on εἶπεν

said:independent — the citation-frame

'What then is this that is written:content — the counter-question — if the verdict never falls, what can the Scripture mean?

The stone which the builders rejected — this has become the head of the corner?content — Ps 117:22 LXX — prolepsis: Λίθον drawn forward, resumed by οὗτος; the rejected son becomes the cornerstone

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces,content — Luke's addition to the psalm — the stone of stumbling (Isa 8:14–15)

but on whomever it falls,conditional — indefinite relative as virtual protasis (typed cnd) — leaning on λικμήσει

it will crush him.'content — λικμάω — the pulverizing Danielic stone (Dan 2:34–35, 44–45)

v. 19 — the hearers convict themselves

And the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in that very hour,independent — the arrest attempted — ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ, at once

but they feared the people;independent — adversative καί — popular favor restrains the leaders

for they perceivedcause — the narrator's γάρ — the parable landed

that he had told this parable against them.content — πρὸς αὐτούς — told against them; they convict themselves

Caesar's coin — the spies and the tribute question 20:20–26

v. 20 — the trap set: spies for the governor

And watching him closely,participial — παρατηρέω — surveillance, lying in wait; leans on ἀπέστειλαν

they sent spiesindependent — ἐγκάθετος, a NT hapax — suborned agents; the parable's sending-verb now the plotters' own

pretending to be righteous,participial — attributive participle — ὑποκρίνομαι, the actor's verb: feigned sincerity

that they might catch him in a word,purpose — the verbal snare — ἐπιλαμβάνομαι + genitive

so as to hand him over to the rule and authority of the governor.purpose — ὥστε + infinitive, contemplated result (typed pur) — παραδοῦναι, the passion verb; ἐξουσία now Rome's

vv. 21–22 — the flattery and the dilemma

And they questioned him,independent — the approach

saying:participial — pleonastic speech-participle

'Teacher,phrase modifier — vocative of address — the respectful mask

we knowcontent — the flattery begins — and every word of it is accurate

that you speak and teach rightlycontent — ὀρθῶς — the correctness they mean to weaponize

and do not receive the face,content — the Semitism — 'receive the face' = show partiality

but teach the way of God in truth.content — the positive counterpart — impartiality pressed toward political recklessness

Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?'content — the dilemma — φόρος, the Roman tribute: 'yes' loses the crowd, 'no' is treason

vv. 23–25 — the coin and the verdict

But perceiving their craftiness,participial — preposed causal participle — πανουργία seen beneath the flattery; leans on εἶπεν

he said to them:independent — Luke omits Mark's 'why do you test me?' — the reply goes straight to the coin

'Show me a denarius.content — the counter-move — the coin summoned; he carries none

Whose image and inscription does it bear?'content — εἰκών and ἐπιγραφή — the argument's two hinges

And they said:independent — the answer extracted

'Caesar's.'content — one word, verbless — their own mouths concede his sphere

And he said to them:independent — the verdict-frame

'Then give back the things of Caesar to Caesar,content — τοίνυν draws the inference; ἀπόδοτε — give back what is owed: the coin bears his image

and the things of God to God.'content — elliptical — the verb carried over; the unstated premise: what bears God's image (Gen 1:26) is owed to God

v. 26 — the trap fails

And they were unable to catch him in a saying before the people;independent — the ἵνα of v. 20 frustrated — ἐναντίον τοῦ λαοῦ, the audience the plot required

and marveling at his answer,participial — preposed participle — leans on ἐσίγησαν

they fell silent.independent — ingressive aorist — the first of the chapter's silencings (cf. v. 40)

The Sadducees and the resurrection — the God of the living 20:27–40

vv. 27–28 — the questioners and their Torah premise

Then some of the Sadducees, coming up —participial — preposed participle — the third delegation; leans on ἐπηρώτησαν

those who say there is no resurrection —relative — articular participle as relative — the party defined by its denial (Acts 23:8)

questioned him,independent — the interrogation opens

saying:participial — pleonastic speech-participle — the frame for the riddle

'Teacher, Moses wrote for uscontent — Deut 25:5 (with Gen 38:8) — the levirate law, cited from the Torah they accept

that if someone's brother dies having a wife,conditional — protasis inside the citation — leaning on the ἵνα-apodosis below

and he is childless,conditional — second protasis — ἄτεκνος, the line at risk

his brother should take the wifecontent — imperatival ἵνα as apodosis — the levir's duty

and raise up offspring for his brother.content — ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα — the LXX idiom: ironically a 'raising' verb inside an anti-resurrection argument

vv. 29–33 — the constructed case: seven brothers, one wife

Now there were seven brothers;content — the hypothetical opens — οὖν applies the law to the contrived chain

and the first, taking a wife, died childless;content — the first childless death — the internal participle kept in line

and the second —content — elliptical — the verb gapped; the best text abbreviates against the Matthew/Mark assimilation

and the third took her,content — the pattern rolls on

and likewise also the seven left no childrencontent — ὡσαύτως — the narration telescopes to the sum

and died.content — the chain closed

Afterward the woman also died.content — the stage cleared for the punch

In the resurrection, then, whose wife does the woman become?content — the punch — resurrection presumed to mean resumed marriage

For the seven had her as wife.'cause — the γάρ that presses the supposed absurdity

vv. 34–36 — the two ages: marriage belongs to this one

And Jesus said to them:independent — the answer begins

'The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,content — the two-age scheme — 'sons of this age,' a Semitism for those belonging to the present order

but those counted worthy to attain that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage;content — the antithesis — καταξιωθέντες: God's verdict of worthiness; the riddle's premise dissolves

for neither can they die anymore,cause — the ground — deathless, so procreation and its institution lapse

for they are equal to angels,cause — ἰσάγγελος, a NT hapax — angel-like in deathlessness, not disembodiment

and are sons of God,cause — coordinate ground — the sonship of the deathless

being sons of the resurrection.participial — causal participle — their divine sonship grounded in being raised

vv. 37–38 — Moses at the Bush: the God of the living

But that the dead are raised —phrase modifier — fronted content-topic with ὅτι — leans on ἐμήνυσεν

even Moses disclosed, at the Bush,content — μηνύω — the Torah made to testify against its keepers; ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου read as a passage-locator ('at the Bush,' the section of Exodus)

when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.comparative — Exod 3:6 — the covenant self-naming, present tense centuries after the patriarchs died

Now he is not God of the dead but of the living,content — the inference clinched — the covenant bond implies the patriarchs' life

for to him all are alive.'cause — Luke's own widening — αὐτῷ, in God's reckoning; cf. 4 Macc 7:19

vv. 39–40 — commendation and silence

And some of the scribes, answering,participial — preposed participle — Pharisaic scribes applaud the rout of their Sadducean rivals; leans on εἶπαν

said:independent — the commendation-frame

'Teacher, you have spoken well.'content — καλῶς — an unexpected approval amid the controversies

For they no longer dared to ask him anything.cause — the narrator's γάρ — all questioners silenced; the ground is cleared for Jesus to ask (v. 41)

David's son and David's Lord 20:41–44

But he said to them:independent — Jesus becomes the questioner — the initiative reversed

'How can they say that the Christ is David's son?content — the counter-riddle — the scribal formula true as far as it goes (cf. 18:38–39), but is it the whole truth?

For David himself says in the book of Psalms:content — the citation-frame — Luke names the βίβλος ψαλμῶν where Mark invokes the Spirit

'The Lord said to my Lord:content — Ps 109:1 LXX (110:1 MT) — the two κύριοι set the riddle: YHWH speaks to David's Lord

Sit at my right handcontent — the enthronement at the right hand — the position of honor and authority

until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'conditional — temporal ἕως ἄν (typed cnd) — the subjugation awaited; ὑποπόδιον for Mark's ὑποκάτω, closer to the LXX

David therefore calls him Lord;content — the premise restated — οὖν draws the inference

so how is he his son?'content — πῶς — in what sense his son? more than David's descendant; the riddle left standing

Beware of the scribes 20:45–47

And in the hearing of all the people,participial — genitive absolute — the exposure is public; leans on εἶπεν

he said to his disciples:independent — the warning-frame — disciples addressed, everyone meant to hear

'Beware of the scribes,content — προσέχετε ἀπό — guard against; the party that opened the chapter (v. 1) closes it under indictment

who like to walk about in long robesparticipial — attributive participle — the paraded στολαί

and love greetings in the marketplacesparticipial — second attributive participle — φιλέω: the settled craving for public deference

and chief seats in the synagoguesphrase modifier — second object of the loving — the front bench facing the congregation

and places of honor at feasts —phrase modifier — the couch of honor at table (cf. 14:7–8) — precedence craved in every sphere

who devour widows' housesrelative — the indictment sharpens — predation on the protected class; the widow of 21:1–4 enters at once

and for a pretense pray at length —relative — προφάσει — long prayers as cover for the greed

these will receive the greater condemnation.'content — resumptive οὗτοι — the heavier sentence closes the chapter on its note of judgment

Analysis. Luke 20 is the temple gauntlet — every party in Jerusalem sends its question, and Jesus answers, out-asks, and ends the chapter as the only questioner left. The narrative frames hold the flush-left purple column (they came upon him, they sent, he said, they fell silent), and the chapter's weight hangs blue beneath the verbs of speaking: the parable of the tenants runs as a coordinate cnt catena under λέγειν (v. 9) — planted, leased, left, then the three sendings with their escalating participles — with the owner's soliloquy (Τί ποιήσω; v. 13, the deliberative question of Luke's parable-monologues) and the tenants' plot (v. 14) each a speech-within-the-speech one level deeper. Protases lean forward anchor-less: the ἐάν-pair of the leaders' inner dilemma (vv. 5–6) one deeper than the dreaded apodoses (as in Mark 11), the levirate ἐάν-chain of v. 28 one deeper than its imperatival-ἵνα apodosis, and ἐφ’ ὃν δ’ ἂν πέσῃ (v. 18) treated the same way as a virtual protasis. Three Scripture citations hang as cnt with sources in the tags: Ps 117:22 LXX under τὸ γεγραμμένον (v. 17), extended by Luke's crushing-stone logion fusing Isa 8:14–15 with Dan 2:34–35 (v. 18); Exod 3:6 under Moses' ἐμήνυσεν, with ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου read as a passage-locator ('at the Bush,' the section of Exodus) rather than a place; and Ps 109:1 LXX under David's λέγει ἐν βίβλῳ ψαλμῶν (vv. 42–43). The cruxes are taken openly: the tribute verdict's suppressed premise (the coin bears Caesar's εἰκών and goes back to him; what bears God's image is owed to God — the second colon verbless, its verb carried over); the sons-of-this-age / sons-of-that-age antithesis with ἰσάγγελοι (v. 36) read as deathlessness, not disembodiment; πάντες γὰρ αὐτῷ ζῶσιν (v. 38) as Luke's own widening of the God-of-the-living conclusion; and Μὴ γένοιτο (v. 16) — the crowd's horrified recoil, the only non-Pauline NT instance — kept as a full finite line, not verbless. The chapter closes where it opened: the scribes who demanded Jesus' credentials stand exposed under Προσέχετε, their wanting-catalogue hanging from θελόντων and φιλούντων, the devoured widows' houses of v. 47 already anticipating the widow of 21:1–4.