Luke 20:13-16 13Then the lord of the vineyard said, ‘What will I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect this one.’ 14But when the tenants saw him, they dialoged together saying to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15And after throwing him out of the vineyard they killed him. What then will the lord of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.”
The parable takes another big turn after the tenant farmers rejected the owner’s servants, beat them, and sent them back empty handed. The crops seem quite important to the owner and must represent something significant in the parable. Jesus does not give the meaning of the crops, but we can consider that the harvest is something spiritual, like the message of God’s kingdom or purpose. The rhetorical question in verse 13 shows that the owner had become frustrated with the tenants. The servants he had sent went with his authority, but it was ignored. Now it was time to send someone with even more authority. He assumes that the tenants will recognize this authority and respect the son. The word perhaps (isōs) occurs only here in the New Testament and indicates God’s grace toward Israel’s leaders. This was their last chance to listen and follow God’s plan and purpose.
The tenants had faulty thinking, evidenced by their scheme to steal the inheritance. By killing the heir, they think they can take possession of the land. Squatters lose in this story. Another question of the parable is the meaning of the inheritance. The inheritance is somehow related to the crops and so is connected to God’s plan for humanity. It could represent how the religious leaders assumed control over the religion, the land thus spiritual life, of the people and built walls between them and God. Instead of helping bring the harvest of souls for God, they were controlling access to God’s truth and make it difficult for people to find God. More specifically, they were doing this in regard to Jesus’ preaching and God’s kingdom.
The biggest surprise of the parable is the treatment the tenants gave the son. Throwing him out of the vineyard was symbolic that they totally rejected his authority and any claim he hand on the farm and its harvest. Killing the son showed their hatred of the owner. Jesus ends the parable with a question for those listening. The time of grace had ended and justice was called for.
Three significant actions in verses 15-16 mirror three key events coming up in history. First, the parable is an obvious prediction of what would soon happen to Jesus and how the Jewish leaders would treat him. Second, the owner himself stepped in after that and condemned the tenants. Destroy is a strong term that creates a vivid image of wrath and condemnation to people who deserved it. The Jews who rejected Jesus would be judged by God and and lose out on God’s kingdom. Third, the kingdom, represented by the vineyard, would be given to the Gentiles. The disciples who heard this did not at first understand the significance of this prediction but later came to realize how accurately Jesus spoke. Those who reject God’s messengers reject him. Those who reject Jesus will experience God’s wrath and judgment. The Jewish leaders were in serious trouble but pushed through with their schemes in their hard-hearted spiritual blindness.
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