Ennathinks

When the religious leaders of Jesus’ time challenged His authority, Jesus did not answer them directly. Instead, He gave a trilogy of parables. We already reflected on the Parable of the Two Sons. (To read https://ennathinks.blog/2026/01/12/when-yes-lord-is-not-enough/). Now Jesus moves deeper and sharper with another story—the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Matthew 21:33–46).

When Jesus told this parable, His hearers immediately understood the setting. At least the opening part of the story was very familiar.

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it (for security), dug a wine-press (expecting a good harvest), and built a watchtower (for storage and protection). The landowner did everything within his capacity to make the vineyard fruitful. The listeners would have instantly recalled Isaiah 5, where God is portrayed as the landowner and Israel as the vineyard. God had done everything possible to make His people a fruitful nation.

Then the landowner leased the vineyard to tenants and went away. This too was common practice in Jesus’ time. The agreement was simple: the tenants would give the owner his share of the produce at harvest time. The tenants represent the leaders of Israel, entrusted with the responsibility of guiding the nation to fruitfulness.

The landowner did not abandon the vineyard. He knew the seasons. At the right time, he sent his servants to collect what was rightfully his. But shockingly, the tenants beat one servant, killed another, and stoned another. Still, the landowner patiently sent more servants. This patience itself is striking. Any ordinary owner would have acted immediately, but this landowner kept sending messenger after messenger.

Finally, he sent his son, saying, “They will respect my son.” But the tenants saw an opportunity. “This is the heir,” they said. “Let us kill him and take his inheritance.” They threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him. This would have stunned Jesus’ audience. How could tenants think they could own what was never theirs?

Jesus then asked the question that trapped His listeners: “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They answered correctly: he would put those wretches to a miserable death and lease the vineyard to others who would give him his share of the harvest.

Jesus then quoted Psalm 118:22,23
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”
The Son whom the tenants rejected would become the foundation of a new community. And Jesus declared plainly: “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” Fruitlessness leads to judgment.

Lessons from the Parable

1. Everything we have is entrusted to us; nothing truly belongs to us.

Life, calling, leadership, resources, and influence are gifts, not possessions. When we begin to act like owners instead of tenants, we drift away from submission. Corrie Ten Boom is right when she said, “Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.”

2. God patiently expects fruit from the life He has carefully planted.

God’s patience is not permission to delay obedience. He waits, sends reminders, and gives time—but He still looks for fruit.

3. Rejecting God’s messengers ultimately means rejecting God’s Son.

This does not mean uncritically accepting every preacher or voice. The messengers represent God’s revealed Word and His repeated calls to repentance. When we consistently ignore Scripture, correction, and truth, we are not rejecting people—we are resisting God Himself.

4. Fruitlessness in God’s vineyard finally invites judgment.

This judgment is not only future; it often begins now—loss of joy, loss of witness, loss of spiritual authority. The vineyard is not destroyed, but stewardship can be transferred.

A Word for the Church

This parable also speaks to the church as a community built on the rejected Son who has become the cornerstone. The church is God’s vineyard, not our possession. Everything we have—doctrine, leadership, structure, resources, and influence—is entrusted to us, not owned by us. God patiently looks for fruit from the church He has carefully planted, not merely activity or programs. When a church repeatedly ignores God’s Word—choosing comfort, control, or popularity over obedience—it is not resisting human voices but resisting Christ Himself. Fruitlessness at the community level brings consequences: loss of vitality, loss of witness, and sometimes loss of privilege. The vineyard remains, but it may be entrusted to others who will bear fruit.

Conclusion

The tragedy of the wicked tenants is not ignorance but refusal. They knew the owner, knew the agreement, and knew what was expected. Yet they chose control over submission and possession over obedience. Jesus, the rejected Son, now stands as the cornerstone. The question remains—for individuals and for the church: will we bear fruit for the Owner, or will we attempt to own what was never ours? May we live as faithful tenants, joyfully offering back to God the fruit of lives surrendered to His authority.

Watson Selvasingh