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 to the power and authority of the governor.
they watched.
Psalm 37:32,33 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him…
Psalm 38:12 They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
Isaiah 29:20,21 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: …
feign.
2 Samuel 14:2 And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
1 Kings 14:2-6 And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people…
Psalm 66:3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
they might deliver.
Matthew 27:2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
John 18:28-32 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover…
and sent spies who pretended to be sincere.
The leaders employed deceit by sending spies, indicating their desperation and cunning. These spies were to feign righteousness, a tactic that echoes the serpent's deception in Genesis 3. The use of pretense highlights the moral corruption of the leaders, contrasting with Jesus' call for genuine righteousness in Matthew 5:20. This act of hypocrisy fulfills Isaiah's prophecy about people honoring God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13).
They were hoping to catch Him in His words
Their goal was to trap Jesus in His speech, a common tactic used by adversaries throughout His ministry (see Matthew 22:15). This reflects the wisdom literature's warnings about the power of words (Proverbs 18:21) and the snares of the wicked (Proverbs 12:13). The leaders' intent was to manipulate Jesus' words to accuse Him, similar to how Daniel's enemies sought to find fault with him (Daniel 6:4-5).
in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of the governor.
The ultimate aim was to deliver Jesus to the Roman authorities, as the Jewish leaders lacked the power to execute capital punishment (John 18:31). This reflects the political tension of the time, where Roman rule was resented yet necessary for maintaining order. The mention of the governor foreshadows Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate, fulfilling the prophecy of the suffering servant who would be "numbered with the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12). This phrase also underscores the leaders' rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, choosing instead to align with secular power.
• Jesus had just spoken a parable that exposed the religious leaders’ hypocrisy (Luke 20:9-19). Stung by His words, they began monitoring every move He made, much like the wicked who “lie in wait for the righteous” (Psalm 37:32).
• Their vigilance shows how light exposes darkness—when truth confronts sin, those clinging to sin often resort to surveillance and scheming (John 3:19-20).
• The intensity of their scrutiny fulfills earlier patterns: after Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the scribes and Pharisees “watched Him closely” (Luke 6:7), indicating an ongoing plot line of opposition.
• Mark 12:13 and Matthew 22:15-16 record the same incident, naming the Pharisees and Herodians as the ones dispatched. By sending others in their place, the leaders hoped to stay behind the scenes while still controlling the outcome.
• This tactic mirrors the serpent’s subtlety in Genesis 3:1 and the enemies of Nehemiah who hired false prophets (Nehemiah 6:12-13). Deception is a hallmark of those resisting God’s purposes.
• Their use of “spies” shows how far religious leaders were willing to go—using political intrigue rather than honest engagement with Jesus’ teaching.
• Appearance without integrity recalls Isaiah 29:13—“This people draws near with their mouths… yet their hearts are far from Me.”
• Pretended sincerity is especially dangerous because it mimics genuine faith, making it harder to discern. Jesus later warned, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15).
• The contrast is stark: Jesus embodies truth (John 14:6), while His opponents cloak lies in pious language.
• Their aim was not understanding but entrapment, echoing Psalm 56:5—“All day long they twist my words.”
• Luke 11:53-54 notes they “lying in wait… seeking to catch Him in something He might say.” This shows a persistent agenda to turn Christ’s words into a weapon against Him.
• The irony: every attempted snare only reveals His wisdom. In the very next verses (Luke 20:21-26), Jesus’ reply about paying taxes to Caesar stuns them into silence, fulfilling Proverbs 26:27—“Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.”
• The leaders’ ultimate goal was political execution. Only Rome could authorize capital punishment (John 18:31), so they needed charges that would concern Pilate.
• By labeling Jesus a threat to Roman authority, they hoped to neutralize Him without openly taking responsibility (John 11:48-50).
• Yet even their plotting fit God’s sovereign plan: Acts 2:23 states Jesus was “delivered up by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge,” showing that human schemes cannot thwart divine redemption.
Luke 20:20 reveals a calculated effort by religious authorities to destroy Jesus. They surveil Him, deploy covert agents, feign devotion, distort His words, and seek governmental power to eliminate Him. Each step exposes the contrast between deceitful human schemes and the flawless integrity of Christ. While His enemies maneuver in darkness, Jesus continues to shine as the embodiment of truth, turning their traps into opportunities to reveal His wisdom and ultimately fulfilling God’s redemptive plan on the cross.
(20-26) And they watched him.--See Notes on Matthew 22:15-22 and Mark 12:13-17.And sent forth spies.--The noun is, again, one of St. Luke's characteristic words not used by any other New Testament writer. It expresses rather the act of those who lie in ambush, than that of "spies" in the strict sense of the words. St. Luke is, on the one hand, less definite as to the parties to the conspiracy than the other Gospels, and on the other hand more explicit as to its aim. They wanted materials for an accusation before Pilate, as well as for one before the Sanhedrin. On the omission of the name of the Herodians, see Note on Luke 6:11.
Power and authority.--We have again the characteristic combination of the two substantives. (See Note on Luke 12:11.)
Verses 20-26 - The question of the tribute money. Verse 20. - And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take held of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. In their intense hatred, conscious that the populace were on the whole in sympathy with Jesus, the Sanhedrim, to carry out their design on his life, determined to avail themselves of the hated Roman military police. Their hope henceforward is to substantiate a charge of treason against him. This was, in those troublous times, when insurrection against the detested Gentile rule was ever being plotted, a comparatively easy matter. The incident of the tribute money, which immediately follows, was part of this new departure in the Sanhedrin policy respecting the murder they so longed to see carried out.