THE PARABLE OF THE TENANTS

Passage: Luke 20:9-19

Key verse: 17

NIV

The Parable of the Tenants(A)

9 He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,(B) rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time.(C) 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love;(D) perhaps they will respect him.’

14 “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants(E) and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”

17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone’[a]?(F)

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”(G)

19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him(H) immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.(I)

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Footnotes
  1. Luke 20:17 Psalm 118:22
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

9 (A)And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted (B)a vineyard and (C)let it out to tenants and (D)went into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant[a] to the tenants, so that (E)they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. (F)But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 (G)And (H)he sent another servant. But they also beat and (I)treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 (J)And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my (K)beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, (L)‘This is the heir. (M)Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 And they (N)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 (O)He will (P)come and destroy those tenants and (Q)give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17 But he (R)looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

(S)“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone’?[b]

18 (T)Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls (U)on anyone, it will crush him.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

19 (V)The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

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Footnotes
  1. Luke 20:10 Or bondservant; also verse 11
  2. Luke 20:17 Greek the head of the corner
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. The owner and the tenants (9-12)

In this parable, Jesus puts himself and his church in historical perspective. The owner of the vineyard is God. He planted his vineyard to have fruit. God wanted Israel to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex 19:4-6). He wanted to bless all the nations of the world through his chosen people. The tenants were selfish. They wanted to enjoy the blessings, but they didn't want to give anything to anyone.

2. The Rejected Stone (13-19)

Just as the owner sent servants to get some of the harvest, so God sent his prophets to his people. Just as the tenants rejected and mistreated the servants, so Israel rejected the prophets. When the owner sent his Son, he thought they would surely respect him--but they didn't. They killed him and claimed ownership of the vineyard. When Israel rejected Jesus, they rejected the privilege of being God's people. God took the Rejected Stone, Jesus, and through him built a new Israel to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (1Pe 2:9).

Prayer: Lord, make me a good tenant in your vineyard, and a good steward of your blessings.

One Word: Give fruit to God