What Does a Good Tenant Look Like? "The Parable fo the Tenants" Matthew 21:33-46

The Parable of the Tenants

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 

Jesus uses another parable, which seems to be a "polemic" (aka a strong verbal attack on something or someone) against the Jews.  Note in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was called the "True Vine of God".  The landowner does everything in his power to provide the right environment for a productive vineyard.  I.e. He planted the vineyard, dug a wine press to bring out the wine, built a wall to protect it from intruders, hired farmers to do the work, and built a watchtower for the farmers to stay in. 

With all these preparations in place, the owner now felt comfortable enough to move to another place. Most intepret the landowner as God, and the farmers the people of Israel. 

34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

The natural next step was to send his servants to collect the fruit. Most interpret the servants as the Old Testament prophets.

35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 

But the farmers were not on board with the plan.  Somehow they thought they owned the farm now and the grapes were theirs to keep. So they beat the servants.  This corresponds to the people of Israel mistreating the prophets and in some cases killing them when God sent them to call Israel to repentance.  The three servants could represent three of the major prophets. I.e. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. 

36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 

As we know there were more than three prophets sent to Israel.  There were many other "minor prophets".  I.e. Micah, Jonah, Amos ...

37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

In alignment with all the previous interpretations this is obviously God's Son, Jesus. 

38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 

We know how jealous the Jewish leaders were of Jesus.  They were the hired workers to manage the temple, the Law and the people of Israel.  After everyone started going after Jesus, they began to plot to kill him.  John 11:35

39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

This is Good Friday, when the only Son of God was nailed to a tree by the very people he came to save, the Jews.  Jesus was thrown out of Jerusalem and crucified on Calvary. 

40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

This could refer to Jesus' return to judge the living and the dead.  And judgment begins at the house of the Lord.  

41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

In 70 A.D. the Jewish temple was destroyed by the Romans, just 35 years after Jesus was crucified, died and rose from the dead three days later.  The other tenants could represent the Gentiles, who the apostle Paul went to to once his fellow Jews rejected him and the gospel about Jesus.  

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

This is from Psalm 118.

"Jesus quoted this from Psalm 118 to remind them that their rejection of Him said more about their guilt and coming judgment than it said about Jesus Himself. Though they reject Him, He is still the chief cornerstone, fulfilling the great Messianic Psalm 118." (Guzik)

43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 

"Jesus warned the religious leaders that if they continued their rejection of God and His Messiah, they could expect that God would pass the leadership of His work on earth to others." (Guzik)

“The doom is forfeiture of privilege, the kingdom is taken from them and given to others.” (Bruce)

Though it is easy to focus solely on Israel in this parable, it equally applies to us today.  We have been given the kingdom and told to put our gifts to work through the church to bear much fruit.  The fruit is disciples who follow Jesus and make other disciples.  Jesus says in John 15, "I appointed you to bear fruit, and fruit that will last."  John 15:16

44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

"The choice before the religious leaders is the choice before every person. We can be broken in humble surrender before God or be completely broken in judgment." (Guzik)

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 

Despite their anger and their eventual plot to kill Jesus at least one thing is clear to the leaders, Jesus is talking about them.  

46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

Jesus was now a threat to their pride, position and power.  He would need to be dealt with, but not right now because they knew the crowds would turn against them. 

How do we in some ways resemble the people of Israel? Who are the prophets that God has sent to the church?  How do we know they are true prophets?  What would be their message?  Where are you bearing fruit in your life?  What is the key to bearing fruit that lasts?  Read all of John 15!