Editor’s Note: The following piece is part of the Holy Week Series from our Young Writers Cohort. Emily Law reflects upon Luke 20:9-19 and the parable of the wicked tenants.
After the Triumphal Entry, Jesus continues his ministry in Jerusalem. The Jewish teachers of the law were among those who sought out his teaching, though not with the intention of learning from him. They challenge his authority, to which Jesus answers them in parables. This final one in particular is shared to warn them, while also foreshadowing his impending death.
The vineyard pays homage to a special vineyard that God has planted in Isaiah 5:7, which is the nation of Israel. The parable is clear: Jesus calls out Israel’s religious elite leaders for rejecting the prophets God had sent them, and distorting God’s teachings into something self-serving. Further, Jesus knows and addresses the fact that they are intent on killing his own son. As a result, they will be condemned and the vineyard will be given to others. When the crowd shouts in disbelief, Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Jesus’s words are seemingly harsh. How do we make sense of it?
In this parable, we can see God’s patience and mercy. The owner doesn’t immediately condemn the tenants. He desires the fruit of the vineyard, and sends three servants and his own son in hopes of gathering some. He gives chances to the tenants to humble themselves, however they refuse each opportunity, opting to wound the servants and kill the son. As a result, the tenants face death at the hand of the owner. Though we can see how God is patient and merciful, we can see how he’s also just. God has to answer sin with the punishment of death.
But this is where Jesus comes in: His mission was to take on that death for us. God sent his beloved son, knowing he would die, so that we can now partake in the tending of his vineyard and be given a new life with him. Recognizing the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus becomes the cornerstone of our faith and identity through Christ.
Though stern, we can take comfort from Jesus’ words in this parable; he’s appealing to those who condemn him, while also providing a message of hope for us. We are not saved by our own doing, but by his blood, through which we can now rejoice in his goodness and live in eternity.