1 Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went away. 2 When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. 5 Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?”
12 When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.
Prayer Focus: When Jesus wants to teach, he uses parables. So he begins a parable about a man with a vineyard who continues to send slaves and hired hands to come and collect his share of the produce. The tenants refuse to pay, beating and even killing those who were sent by the owner. Finally the owner decides to send his son to collect. But the tenants decide that if they kill the heir to the vineyard, they might claim the inheritance for themselves. This parable is not subtle and the chief priests, elders, and scribes realize Jesus is telling it against them. But they are afraid of the crowds, so they do nothing. Pray that you might not take what belongs to others. Pray that you might give glory to God, for God is the source of all the goodness you produce.
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