Luke 20:9-19 - Parable of the Wicked Tenants

What is a parable?

Notes from ESV Bible on the last page of the Gospel of Mark.

Luke 20:9-19 is a narrative parable. Jesus is telling a fictional story with common images to teach his audience.

Context

Historical:

Luke is recounting for Theophilus the life of Jesus that he may have confidence concerning the things that he has heard about him.

At this point in Luke’s gospel, Jesus is now in Jerusalem, and is moving closer toward his death on the cross.

Literary context:

He has cleansed the temple already, displaying a righteous anger against the greed and false piety of the religious leaders.

Immediately preceding the parable, he also had an exchange with the religious leaders focused on the source of his authority. So, as we continue to read, that question should still be fresh in our minds.

Old Testament passages providing background for the vineyard image:

Psalm 80:8-13; Isaiah 27:2-3; Isaiah 5:1-7

Luke 20:9-19

Let’s work through the parable together and make observations as we go.

Who are the characters in the parable? Who do they represent?

Man with a vineyard: God the Father

tenants: People of Israel, especially but not exclusively the religious leaders

Beloved Son: Jesus

Vineyard: Israel; the promises of God

vs. 9

to whom is Jesus’ speaking?

all the people, not just the religious leaders.

What is the situation introduced here in vs. 9?

Land-owner; tenants; left for a long time.

This was a common situation in Jesus’ day.

vs. 10

As we continue with the parable in vs. 10, do you see any significance in Luke’s comment in vs. 9 that the landowner went away “for a long time?”

The tenants had plenty of time to produce fruit on the land.

This was a normal request and the socially and legally expected response would’ve been a payment from the tenants to the landowner.

Given that understanding of the culture, what would’ve been the feeling among Jesus’ hearers when they heard the end of vs. 10?

outrage; sympathizing with the landowner.

One thing that movie makers often do a good job of is creating characters that you will hate, or sympathize with, or love.

Jesus is telling this parable in such a way that his hearers will start to be angry with the tenants and know that the tenants are in the wrong!

vs. 11

In vs. 11, do you notice any change from the way Jesus’ describes the treatment of the servant in vs. 10?

“and treated him shamefully”

their wrong behavior is escalating

We see that in vs. 12 as well: wounded and cast out!

vs. 13

What does the landowner consider to do in response to the way his servants have been treated?

Send his son.

Within this culture, with the given legal and social context, what would the audience be thinking about the landowner?

Foolishly benevolent. The patience and benevolence would have been striking to Jesus’ audience.

“Why does this landowner continue to give these tenants an opportunity to give him His rightful portion? Why doesn’t he just strike them down?”

Jesus is not communicating that the Father is foolishly benevolent, but that He is abundantly benevolent. This is where we have to be careful with parables not to read too much into them.

Another example is the earlier parable in Luke 18 of the widow and the unjust judge. Jesus uses the unjust judge to teach something about God the Father, but it would be wrong to conclude that Jesus is teaching that the Father is unjust.

So too here, Jesus is communicating the Father’s abundant benevolence, but is not saying that the Father is foolish.

vs. 14

Does the tenants’ plan sound reasonable?

No! Is the landowner going to allow them to have the inheritance after they kill his son?

This shows the foolishness of the tenants.

vs. 15

The foolish tenants do kill the beloved son, and then Jesus poses a question to his audience: What will the owner do?

Instead of allowing the people to answer the question, Jesus answers the question for them:

He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.

Who are the others? vs. 16

Gentiles. Here Jesus is teaching about the inclusion of the Gentiles.

vs. 16

How do the hearers of the parable respond?

Surely not! Surely God is not going to give His promises to others!!

vs. 17

What is the mood or feeling in vs. 17?

Intense. They have rejected Jesus’ teaching and He looks directly at them to question them on the basis of the Old Testament.

Jesus here quotes Psalm 118:22.

What is Jesus’ communicating through the quotation of Psalm 118:22?

The Israelites may reject Jesus as their Messiah, but He is the cornerstone of true temple that God is building.

Here we get the foundational teaching of Jesus that Peter picks up on in 1 Peter 2:7-10

Israel rejected her Messiah and God is bringing in the Gentiles and believing Israelites into the new community, the church.

vs. 18

What is the point of Jesus’ final comment in vs. 18?

How a person responds to Christ is determinative for life. The rejector will be crushed or shattered.

As Bock said: “The fate is not good—regardless of how the stone meets the rejecter. Those who reject are either broken to pieces…or crushed into bits…so fine that they become like chaff.”

“Rejecting Messiah has devastating consequences.”

vs. 19

The rulers had not yet turned the people against Jesus, but they soon would.

Application

What does this passage teach us about God?

What does this passage teach us about man?

What does this passage teach us about we should relate to God and relate to others?