Luke 20:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He dispatches various ‘messengers,’ namely prophets, in hopes of gaining some small yield; for it is stated that He sought ‘fruits,’ but not merely any fruits. What does God desire as fruit from us but the knowledge of Him? This is beneficial to us; yet He regards our salvation and our advantage as His own. The wicked mistreated those who were sent, assaulted them, and sent them away empty-handed; they became so ungrateful that not only did they fail to do good and bear good fruit, but they also engaged in wrongdoing, which incurs a greater consequence.

As I previously mentioned, He journeyed abroad, yet it’s clear that He cared for His household and did not neglect it. He dispatched loyal servants to them at three distinct intervals to gather the produce from those tending the vineyard. Throughout history, there was never a time when God did not send prophets and righteous individuals to guide Israel, urging them to cultivate the fruits of life’s glory in accordance with divine law. However, they were wicked, rebellious, and obstinate, their hearts hardened against wisdom, so much so that they would not heed any words that could benefit the thorns.

At the season of the harvest, He dispatched His servants. It is more accurate to refer to ‘a season of fruit’ rather than ‘harvest,’ as there was neither fruit nor harvest in this vineyard, of which the Lord lamented, I expected it to yield good grapes, but it produced wild ones. His outpouring was not accompanied by the wine of gladness or the essence of the Spirit, but by the blood of the prophets. Jeremiah was thrown into the cistern. Even then, the calamities faced by the Jews were not filled with wine, but with impurity. While the parable mentions the prophets, we can also perceive Nebuchadnezzar through the stones hurled at them, as noted in the scriptural account. St. Ambrose dedicates a work to Nebuchadnezzar.

In that chapter, a deeper understanding is provided.

Through His continued discourse, the Lord unveiled that due to their obstinacy and malicious resistance, not only were they excluded, but the entire nation was deprived of the honor of entering the kingdom of the Messiah. The new parable, conveyed not just to the Pharisees but also to the people (Luke 20:9-19), drew from the imagery of a vineyard. The Lord entrusted this vineyard to certain workers not for labor but for the collection of its fruits, sending messengers multiple times; yet the wicked tenants mistreated some, killed others, and stoned yet more. Ultimately, He sent His Son, and they resolved to kill Him as well, seeking to seize His Lord's heritage by force. Thus, they took Him, led Him out of the vineyard, and crucified Him.

When the time came to harvest the grapes, the owner dispatched a servant to collect the produce from the vinedressers, but they mistreated him and gave him nothing in return. He sent another servant, yet the vinedressers responded by sending him away empty-handed and injuring him with stones. A third servant was sent, but they ended up taking his life as well. Though he sent a number of other servants, their missions were met with failure; none returned with fruit, as the vinedressers either assaulted or murdered them.

Despite all the efforts made for his vineyard, it yielded no fruit or perhaps only wild grapes. The caretakers, unable to produce a true harvest and unwilling to admit their failure, mistreated, harmed, and ultimately killed one messenger after another whom the owner of the vineyard sent to them. Finally, he dispatched his son, whom they recognized but could not deny, yet they beat him, cast him out, and killed him. "When the master of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?"