Day 21 Advent reading - Luke Chapter 20

Chapter 20 has a series of questions Jesus is being asked by people trying to trip him up.  But, Jesus manages to turn the questions around with his own questions or answers the seem to deflect the question to another way of thinking about things.

Note that Jesus does not back down -- in fact, he seems to be forcing the hands of the religious authorities.  For example, when Jesus tells the parable of the wicked tenants (20: 9-19), it finishes with the owner (God) coming and destroying the tenants (the religious authorities).  At that point, the scribes and chief priests want to do something to him, but they were afraid of the crowds.   It raises the question, what happens in the coming days that leads to the crowds turning away from Jesus and supporting the authorities as they persecute him?

The parable is followed by more difficult questions.  The chapter finishes with Jesus denouncing the scribes with derogatory comments on the way they treat the people (20: 45-47).