Luke 20:20

And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

Cross-references

Luke 20:26 Historical context

In Luke 20:26, the spies cannot catch Jesus in his words, revealing their plot fails.

Luke 20:23 Historical context

In Luke 20:23, Jesus perceives their craftiness, showing he sees through the trap they set.

Luke 23:2 Historical context

In Luke 23:2, they later accuse Jesus before Pilate, fulfilling the plan to deliver him to the governor.

Luke 16:15 Related theme

In Luke 16:15, Jesus says God knows hearts, exposing the hypocrisy of self-justifiers — exactly the pretended sincerity of the spies here.

Luke 14:1 Parallel

Luke 14:1 notes Pharisees watching Jesus at a meal — the same surveillance to find fault, like the spies here.

Luke 11:53 Parallel

Luke 11:53 describes Pharisees provoking Jesus to catch him in his words — same trapping intent as the spies feigning righteousness.

Luke 6:7 Parallel

Luke 6:7 has scribes and Pharisees watching Jesus to accuse him — identical to the spies' mission here.

Luke 19:48 Historical context

In Luke 19:48, the leaders couldn't act because the people hung on Jesus' words, so they resort to sending spies.

Jeremiah 20:10 reveals friends watching for his fall and whispering denunciations — parallels the spies lying in wait.

Mark 12:15 Parallel

In Mark 12:15, Jesus perceives their hypocrisy and challenges them to produce a denarius, continuing the scene.

Mark 12:13 Parallel

In Mark 12:13, the same plot names the Pharisees and Herodians as those sent to entrap Jesus.

Matthew 27:2 Prophetic fulfillment

In Matthew 27:2, Jesus is bound and delivered to Pilate, fulfilling the leaders' plan to hand him over from Luke 20:20.

Matthew 22:18 adds that Jesus knew their malice and exposed their test — revealing his awareness not stated here.

Matthew 22:15 records the same event: Pharisees plotting to entangle Jesus in his words, confirming the context.

Jeremiah 18:18 shows enemies plotting to attack with words and slander — same scheme the spies use against Jesus.

Jeremiah 11:19 has the prophet like a lamb led to slaughter while plots are made — a type of Jesus being conspired against.

In John 18:28-32, the leaders bring Jesus to Pilate, revealing their hypocrisy in avoiding defilement while plotting his death.

Psalm 37:32 Allusion

Psalm 37:32 describes the wicked watching the righteous to kill him — exactly what the spies do to Jesus in this verse.

Psalm 38:12 Parallel

Psalm 38:12 depicts enemies laying snares and plotting deceit — the same tactic the spies use to entangle Jesus.

Isaiah 29:21 describes those who ensnare the reprover with words — directly mirrors the spies trying to catch Jesus in his speech.

Psalm 140:5 Parallel

Psalm 140:5 uses trap/snare imagery — the spies set a verbal trap to catch Jesus.

In 1 Kings 14:6, Ahijah sees through Jeroboam's wife's disguise — a similar pretense to the spies' feigned sincerity here.

Psalm 41:6 Parallel

Psalm 41:6 describes a visitor with empty words and a heart full of iniquity — exactly the spies' false sincerity.

Psalm 55:21 Parallel

Psalm 55:21 depicts smooth speech masking war — parallels the spies' hidden malice behind innocent questions.

Psalm 56:6 Parallel

Psalm 56:6 shows enemies gathering, hiding, and watching — mirrors the spies' surveillance of Jesus.

Psalm 62:4 Parallel

Psalm 62:4 describes those who bless with mouths but curse inwardly — same deceitful strategy as the spies.

Psalm 83:3 Parallel

Psalm 83:3 speaks of crafty plans against God's people — the conspiracy against Jesus is a direct parallel.

Mark 3:6 Parallel

Mark 3:6 shows Pharisees conspiring to destroy Jesus after watching — here they plan to deliver him to the governor.

Mark 3:2 Parallel

Mark 3:2 describes watching Jesus to accuse him — the same surveillance tactic appears here with spies.

Psalm 141:9 Parallel

Psalm 141:9 prays for deliverance from traps laid by evildoers — exactly the situation Jesus faces here.

John 8:6 Parallel

In John 8:6, the Pharisees also test Jesus to accuse him — a parallel trap.

Matthew 2:8 Parallel

Matthew 2:8 has Herod feigning worship to kill Jesus — both use deceptive intentions to destroy God's anointed.

Daniel 6:4 Parallel

Daniel 6:4 shows officials seeking occasion against Daniel — similarly, Jesus' enemies watch for a word to accuse him.

Proverbs 29:5 says flattery spreads a net — the spies' feigned justice is exactly that net to trap Jesus.

Proverbs 10:18 describes concealing hatred with lying lips, exactly the spies' behavior here.

2 Peter 2:3 Parallel

In 2 Peter 2:3, false teachers use deceptive words for gain, similar to the spies' deceitful words to trap Jesus.

Proverbs 26:28 warns that a flattering mouth works ruin — the spies' feigned righteousness is such flattery aimed at destroying Jesus.

In 1 Kings 14:2-6, Jeroboam sends his wife in disguise to a prophet, another example of feigned identity to gain an advantage.

In 2 Samuel 14:2, Joab sends a woman pretending to be a mourner to deceive David—a similar tactic of sending a false pretender.