During the early phase of His ministry, Jesus taught Israel plainly, calling the nation to repentance and offering the Kingdom of Heaven if they would receive Him as their Messiah. His messages were clear and direct, inviting all to believe. However, as the nation’s leaders hardened their hearts—going so far as to accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan—Jesus began to speak in parables. These parables concealed truth from those who had rejected Him, while revealing the mysteries of the Kingdom to His true followers. This fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy about a people who would hear but not understand, see but not perceive.
These parables were not intended as doctrine for the Church, but as teachings for Israel during the period between the rejection of the King and His return. Yet they will have renewed significance during the future Tribulation period, when the 144,000 sealed Jewish evangelists and the Two Witnesses will proclaim the coming Kingdom of Christ. Then, these same parables will once again serve to teach truth to Jews and Gentiles who turn to the Lord during that time.
Words: 1286 / Time to read: 7 minutes
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
In the days leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus stood in the temple courts and addressed this parable directly to the religious leaders of Israel—the very men who were plotting His death. The tension between Jesus and the chief priests, scribes, and elders had reached a peak. They had questioned His authority, and He responded not with direct accusation, but with stories that laid bare their guilt before God.
Jesus began by painting a familiar scene. A landowner planted a vineyard, carefully preparing it with a wall, a winepress, and a watchtower—every detail provided for its success. Then, as was common, he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and went away. This imagery, drawn from Isaiah 5, would have immediately reminded His listeners of Israel’s identity as God’s vineyard. The landowner represented God; the vineyard, Israel; the tenants, the religious leaders charged with caring for God’s people.
When harvest time came, the landowner sent servants to collect his share of the fruit. But instead of fulfilling their duty, the tenants beat one servant, killed another, and stoned a third. These servants symbolized the prophets, sent by God throughout Israel’s history to call His people to faithfulness. And just as in the parable, the prophets were often rejected, mistreated, and killed.
Still, the landowner was patient. He sent more servants, but the results were the same. Finally, he sent his son, thinking surely they would respect him. But the tenants, consumed by greed and rebellion, saw an opportunity. They reasoned that by killing the heir, they could claim the inheritance. So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. In this chilling picture, Jesus foretold His own death at the hands of the very leaders He was addressing.
Jesus then turned the question back to His audience: What would the owner of the vineyard do to those wicked tenants? The leaders answered, perhaps without realizing the trap they had walked into: “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” In saying this, they condemned themselves. Jesus confirmed their words and quoted Psalm 118:22-23, declaring that the stone they had rejected—Himself—would become the cornerstone of God’s true Kingdom.
The Kingdom Message and Dispensational Significance
From a dispensational perspective, this parable lays out Israel’s history of rejecting God’s messengers, climaxing in the rejection of His Son. The vineyard was Israel—God’s cherished nation, carefully prepared and given every advantage to bear fruit for Him. The tenants were the leaders, entrusted with guiding the people, but instead they seized power for themselves. The servants were the prophets, and the son was Christ Himself.
Jesus’ pronouncement that the Kingdom would be taken away and given to others does not mean Israel was permanently cast aside. Rather, it means that the responsibility for advancing God’s Kingdom would shift—from corrupt leaders to a believing remnant, and ultimately to those who will receive the King when He returns. The destruction of the tenants prefigures the judgment that fell on Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and anticipates the far greater judgment during the Tribulation. Yet beyond judgment lies hope: God will restore His vineyard, and the true King will reign.
Christ as the Cornerstone and the Apostolic Witness
The imagery of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone echoes throughout the New Testament. Peter, standing before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4, declared that Jesus was the stone rejected by the builders, yet exalted by God. Paul wrote in Romans 9 that Israel stumbled over this stone because they sought righteousness by works rather than by faith. And Peter, in his first letter, described Christ as the living stone, precious to God but rejected by men. The parable of the wicked tenants thus connects seamlessly with the apostolic proclamation: the One rejected has become the foundation of God’s true people.
Cultural and Historical Context
Jesus’ parable reflected real-life practices familiar to His audience. Wealthy landowners often lived far from their estates and relied on tenant farmers to cultivate the land and share the harvest. To refuse the owner’s due was both illegal and deeply dishonorable. The tenants’ violence would have shocked Jesus’ listeners—not only were they lawbreakers, they were traitors to the one who had given them every opportunity.
The mistreatment of the servants paralleled Israel’s long history of rejecting prophets. The religious leaders knew this history well, and Jesus’ words cut to the heart. They were following the same tragic pattern, and soon they would reach the final step: rejecting and killing God’s Son.
Application and Reflection
This parable stands as both a warning and a promise. To Israel’s leaders, it was a call to repentance—a final opportunity to recognize their sin and turn to God. But instead, they hardened their hearts, fulfilling the very parable they had heard. For Israel as a nation, it foreshadowed coming judgment, but also the hope of future restoration when the true King returns.
For all who hear it today, the parable calls us to consider: are we bearing fruit for God, or are we clinging to our own kingdom? Do we honor the Son, or do we reject His rightful claim over our lives? The rejected stone has indeed become the cornerstone, and upon Him God is building His unshakable Kingdom.
Want to Go Deeper?
This post is adapted from my book, The Parables of Jesus: Covert Communication from the King (Grace and Knowledge Series, Book 7), where I explore each parable’s dispensational significance and prophetic meaning in greater depth.
Read the full book on Amazon →
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Related
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants – Matthew 21:33–46
Published by Brother Woody BrohmDuring the early phase of His ministry, Jesus taught Israel plainly, calling the nation to repentance and offering the Kingdom of Heaven if they would receive Him as their Messiah. His messages were clear and direct, inviting all to believe. However, as the nation’s leaders hardened their hearts—going so far as to accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan—Jesus began to speak in parables. These parables concealed truth from those who had rejected Him, while revealing the mysteries of the Kingdom to His true followers. This fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy about a people who would hear but not understand, see but not perceive.
These parables were not intended as doctrine for the Church, but as teachings for Israel during the period between the rejection of the King and His return. Yet they will have renewed significance during the future Tribulation period, when the 144,000 sealed Jewish evangelists and the Two Witnesses will proclaim the coming Kingdom of Christ. Then, these same parables will once again serve to teach truth to Jews and Gentiles who turn to the Lord during that time.
Words: 1286 / Time to read: 7 minutes
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
In the days leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus stood in the temple courts and addressed this parable directly to the religious leaders of Israel—the very men who were plotting His death. The tension between Jesus and the chief priests, scribes, and elders had reached a peak. They had questioned His authority, and He responded not with direct accusation, but with stories that laid bare their guilt before God.
Jesus began by painting a familiar scene. A landowner planted a vineyard, carefully preparing it with a wall, a winepress, and a watchtower—every detail provided for its success. Then, as was common, he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and went away. This imagery, drawn from Isaiah 5, would have immediately reminded His listeners of Israel’s identity as God’s vineyard. The landowner represented God; the vineyard, Israel; the tenants, the religious leaders charged with caring for God’s people.
When harvest time came, the landowner sent servants to collect his share of the fruit. But instead of fulfilling their duty, the tenants beat one servant, killed another, and stoned a third. These servants symbolized the prophets, sent by God throughout Israel’s history to call His people to faithfulness. And just as in the parable, the prophets were often rejected, mistreated, and killed.
Still, the landowner was patient. He sent more servants, but the results were the same. Finally, he sent his son, thinking surely they would respect him. But the tenants, consumed by greed and rebellion, saw an opportunity. They reasoned that by killing the heir, they could claim the inheritance. So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. In this chilling picture, Jesus foretold His own death at the hands of the very leaders He was addressing.
Jesus then turned the question back to His audience: What would the owner of the vineyard do to those wicked tenants? The leaders answered, perhaps without realizing the trap they had walked into: “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” In saying this, they condemned themselves. Jesus confirmed their words and quoted Psalm 118:22-23, declaring that the stone they had rejected—Himself—would become the cornerstone of God’s true Kingdom.
The Kingdom Message and Dispensational Significance
From a dispensational perspective, this parable lays out Israel’s history of rejecting God’s messengers, climaxing in the rejection of His Son. The vineyard was Israel—God’s cherished nation, carefully prepared and given every advantage to bear fruit for Him. The tenants were the leaders, entrusted with guiding the people, but instead they seized power for themselves. The servants were the prophets, and the son was Christ Himself.
Jesus’ pronouncement that the Kingdom would be taken away and given to others does not mean Israel was permanently cast aside. Rather, it means that the responsibility for advancing God’s Kingdom would shift—from corrupt leaders to a believing remnant, and ultimately to those who will receive the King when He returns. The destruction of the tenants prefigures the judgment that fell on Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and anticipates the far greater judgment during the Tribulation. Yet beyond judgment lies hope: God will restore His vineyard, and the true King will reign.
Christ as the Cornerstone and the Apostolic Witness
The imagery of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone echoes throughout the New Testament. Peter, standing before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4, declared that Jesus was the stone rejected by the builders, yet exalted by God. Paul wrote in Romans 9 that Israel stumbled over this stone because they sought righteousness by works rather than by faith. And Peter, in his first letter, described Christ as the living stone, precious to God but rejected by men. The parable of the wicked tenants thus connects seamlessly with the apostolic proclamation: the One rejected has become the foundation of God’s true people.
Cultural and Historical Context
Jesus’ parable reflected real-life practices familiar to His audience. Wealthy landowners often lived far from their estates and relied on tenant farmers to cultivate the land and share the harvest. To refuse the owner’s due was both illegal and deeply dishonorable. The tenants’ violence would have shocked Jesus’ listeners—not only were they lawbreakers, they were traitors to the one who had given them every opportunity.
The mistreatment of the servants paralleled Israel’s long history of rejecting prophets. The religious leaders knew this history well, and Jesus’ words cut to the heart. They were following the same tragic pattern, and soon they would reach the final step: rejecting and killing God’s Son.
Application and Reflection
This parable stands as both a warning and a promise. To Israel’s leaders, it was a call to repentance—a final opportunity to recognize their sin and turn to God. But instead, they hardened their hearts, fulfilling the very parable they had heard. For Israel as a nation, it foreshadowed coming judgment, but also the hope of future restoration when the true King returns.
For all who hear it today, the parable calls us to consider: are we bearing fruit for God, or are we clinging to our own kingdom? Do we honor the Son, or do we reject His rightful claim over our lives? The rejected stone has indeed become the cornerstone, and upon Him God is building His unshakable Kingdom.
Want to Go Deeper?
This post is adapted from my book, The Parables of Jesus: Covert Communication from the King (Grace and Knowledge Series, Book 7), where I explore each parable’s dispensational significance and prophetic meaning in greater depth.
Read the full book on Amazon →
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Related