Parable of the tenants
JESUS began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture passage: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?” They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away. REFLECTION THE INHERITANCE WILL BE OURS. This is the main motive of the tenants for killing the landowner’s son. Their greed makes them murderers. We wonder if ever they will inherit the property of the heir.
The parable presents how greed can dictate actions and have murderous consequences. The tenants refuse to give the landowner’s share to his representatives. They become violent when he sends other servants. When he finally sends his son thinking that they will respect him, they become more violent. They think they can get away with refusing to give the owner’s share. They are in for a dreadful end.
Jesus exposes the greed of the Sadducees through the parable. Sensing it is they whom Jesus is talking about, they seek to arrest and kill Him. He is bad for business.
These religious leaders, who take charge of the Temple structure, discipline, and worship, want to enjoy all the privileges. They are just tenants, not owners, of God and his dwelling place.
Are we wont to claim for ourselves privileges and entitlements that are not ours?