9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to [a]vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 10 Now at [b]vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ 14 But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.”
And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”
17 Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone’?18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they [c]feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.
Luke 20:9-19
The parable of the wicked vinedressers. Here Jesus very clearly judges the Sanhedrin. He speaks of a man who leased his vineyard to vinedressers, as God gave the promised land to Israel. Every servant sent to retrieve fruit was beaten and cast out, as were the prophets sent to Israel while the leaders hid behind the law of Moses.
Many were more than beaten, martyred. Finally the man sends his son, thinking he will be respected. Instead the vinedressers murder him in the hopes of stealing his legacy. The Jewish leadership had Christ crucified to protect their power over the people. We know how that worked out for them. Legalism still exists but the temple and pharisees are long gone.
The owner of the vineyard, the God of Israel, returned as Jesus Christ and opened the vineyard, the promised land, to the gentiles. He made it so all could be saved by the very cornerstone they tried – and failed – to destroy. As much as they wanted to take Him away as he completed this parable, they feared the people, so they did not.
They didn’t fear God any more than the vinedressers feared the owner of the vineyard.
