Matthew 21:37-41 37And last of all, he sent his son to them saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and possess his inheritance.’ 39And after seizing him, they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40Therefore, when the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41They said to him, “He will destroy those evil people and lease the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will pay him the fruits in their seasons.”
The parable is even more surprising when the owner sends his son to collect the rent. Jesus as the narrator gives a look into the thoughts of the land owner. The listener/reader may think the owner is naive of the situation because of what happened to his servants, but he is actually fully aware and appeals more to personal presence and authority. Surely, the tenants will acknowledge the power and authority of the son, the heir to the estate. If they want to receive any mercy in the future, they should respect and obey the son.
However, they do the opposite and scheme about how to kill the son. Their thinking is skewed, and they have deceived themselves into thinking that the land and crops can be theirs if they just get rid of the son. They had idea, out of sight, out of mind, and so freedom to do as they wanted. The shock of the parable, and thus the primary message, comes in verse 39 when the tenants seize the son and kill him. The phrase out of the vineyard may be intentional because Jesus “suffered outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:12).
In verse 40, Jesus then checks in on those who heard the parable, especially the religious leaders. Were they listening, and did they understand the consequences for rejecting the son? The outcome for the tenants should be obvious and logical. With their answer, the religious leaders have just condemned themselves. Would they make the connection between the story and their current situation? Did they realize the seriousness of the direction they were headed by rejecting Jesus? They could be cast out of the vineyard.
With Isaiah 5 in the background, this vineyard would represent Israel, the people of God. The church became the extension of Israel to the nations. Others would become workers in the vineyard and the original tenants would be cast out and even experience a terrible death. These verses share a similar theme to Paul’s discussion of Israel in Romans 11 with the illustration of the olive tree. The tenants obviously did not know the land owner very well. They would be held accountable for their evil behavior of beating and killing the servants and then the son. The Jewish leaders were about the make the same mistake, which showed the condition of their heart. Rejecting the Son sent by the Father would have deathly consequences for them.
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