Whose vineyard is it anyways?

Imagine this

A grand pristine estate that is leased out to tenants while the owners are on extended travel. The owners send messengers during the time of harvest to collect some of the fruit of the harvest but they are rejected. Finally they send their son, surely they will respect him, but no, they beat him and kill heritance. That is what we see in this story, but yet it does mimic a true story in Florida where a film crew shot a scene in the front yard of a home with the tenants permission, but they were only tenants and they destroyed the yard, the real owners found out and were furious for the tenants had no authority to do that, it was not theirs to allow them to destroy.

In our passage today, Jesus is still addressing the previously asked question about authority, who gave you this authority. And he is confronting the religious leaders who questioned His authority. The story of the vineyard is not just a rebuke — it’s a mirror held up to all who claim spiritual leadership but resist divine accountability. This parable is the answer to the question posed in (Lk20:2).

Our Study Passage

Luke 20:9–10 NASB95

9 And He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. 10 “At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

Luke 20:11–12 NASB95

11 “And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. 12 “And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out.

Luke 20:13–14 NASB95

13 “The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 “But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’

Luke 20:15–16 NASB95

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 destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!”

Luke 20:17–18 NASB95

17 But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone’? 18 “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

Is there anything that sticks out to you in this passage?

What “facts” do you find in (vv.9-10)?

He, Jesus was speaking to the people, but really still addressing the Chief Priests, Scribes and Elders (v.1).

He was speaking a parable about a man who planted a vineyard

He rented out the vineyard to vine-growers and went on a journey for a long time

Harvest time came and he sent a salve to the vine-growers that he may collect some of the produce, but they beat him and he left empty handed

OK, now in (vv.11-12) what facts do you see? Are they similar to the other verses?

Yes they are a second and a third slave.

Now we do see some differences in (vv.13-14) what do you see here?

I will send my beloved son, perhaps they will respect him

This time they did reason with themselves yet they decided to kill him so that they inheritance will be theirs.

What does Jesus say the Vineyard owner would do after they kill his beloved Son to those who killed Hi (vv15-16)?

Destroy the vine-growers and give the vineyard to others

They, being the chief priests, scribes and elders say “may it never be.”

Look how Jesus responds (vv.17-18)?

The stone the builders rejected (Jesus) has became the corner stone.

But on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust. Meaning those He falls on are crushed in judgment

Vineyard and Tenants

God has repeatedly attempted to reach the people through the prophets. The people have continually rejected and killed the prophets. This illustrates God’s patience and long-suffering love. Think about it, today, we can still oftentimes ignore God’s messages in our lives today. We need to be people to encourage one another to actively seek and heed God’s voice.

The vineyard represents Israel (cf. Isa5:1-7)

The Tenants represent religious leaders entrusted with God’s people

The servants represent the prophets sent again and again, abused.

The Sent Son

This is a foreshadowing of the Son of God, of Jesus the Christ. This demonstrates the depth of God’s love and the seriousness of rejecting God’s love and the seriousness of rejecting His ultimate expression of grace. Consider, do you accept Christ’s Lordship in your life? For we know we want to avoid the pitfalls of the tenants rebellion.

The owner of the vineyard sends his beloved son

Instead of honoring him, the tenants plot his death

A clear picture of Jesus’ rejection and crucifixion

The Judgment and transfer

I do not think we need to be reminded that Jesus is our rock, He is our cornerstone. He is the foundation, and rejecting Him leads to spiritual destruction. Yet for those who accept Him, he is the rock of salvation that cannot be moved. We should reevaluate our foundation often, are we tried and true, are we securely fastened to our cornerstone? Are we deeply rooted in Christ?

This portion says the vineyard will be taken and given to others (Gentiles, faithful followers)

“The stone which the builders rejected. . . has become the chief cornerstone (ps118:22).”

Divine reversal: rejection leads to exaltation, meaning Jesus, rejected by men, is exalted by God.

Up for some questions?

What does the vineyard represent in this parable? How about today what could the vineyard represent?

How does the owner’s patience reflect God’s character?

Why do the tenants reject the son, and what does this reveal about their hearts?

What does Jesus mean by the “Stone the builders rejected”?

How does this parable answer the question of Jesus authority?

Application

This parable calls for us to examine our response to Jesus as God’s Son and the cornerstone of our faith. Sometimes we can reject the owner’s authority (God’s) authority and His call in our lives through pride, selfishness, or indifference.

Individually: Have I accepted Jesus as the cornerstone of my life, or am I resisting His authority and lordship over my life?

Church: We are entrusted with God’s vineyard. Are we producing fruit worthy of His investment?

Witness: The parable shows both God’s patience and justice . It reminds us to share Christ urgently, because rejecting him leads to judgment.

Encouragement: Even though Jesus was rejected, God exalted Him. That gives us confidence when we face rejection for our faith.

Drawing a conclusion

This parable is both a warning and an invitation. The religious leaders rejected the Son, but the cornerstone still remains. We must decide: will we stumble over Him, or build our lives upon Him?

When the people in this parable heard Jesus’ words, they said, “may it never be!” Yet many of them still walked away unchanged. Hearing truth does not guarantee responding to truth. We can be stirred in the moment and yet remain unmoved in the heart.

This week, let’s ask ourselves: What fruit is God expecting from my life right now offering Him my best, or am I withholding what’s rightfully His. The vineyard belongs to Him. We are only tenants, managers of what He owns. That means every gift, every resource, every opportunity, and every relationship is on loan from Him.

So it all comes down to this — what will we do with Jesus? Will He be our foundation, or a stone of judgment. Let’s live each day remembering that we do not own the vineyard, we serve the One who does. May we be found faithful when the Owner comes to collect His harvest.