Luke 20:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

God dispatches various 'messengers,' namely prophets, to seek a modest return, as He yearns for 'fruit'—though not just any fruit. What constitutes divine fruit from us except for His understanding? This is for our gain; nevertheless, He considers our salvation and well-being as His own. The wrongdoers mistreated those sent to them, striking them and dismissing them empty-handed. They displayed such ingratitude that they not only neglected to do good and yielded no good fruit but also engaged in wrongdoing, which warrants an even greater penalty.

As I have previously mentioned, He traveled far and wide, yet it is clear that He was concerned for His household and did not overlook it. He dispatched loyal servants to them on three separate occasions to collect the harvest from the vineyard workers. Throughout history, God consistently sent prophets and righteous individuals to teach Israel and motivate them to produce the fruits of the abundant life in accordance with His commandments. However, they remained wicked, rebellious, and obstinate, with hardened hearts that resisted guidance, disregarding any counsel that could lead to their benefit.

At the time of the harvest, He sent forth His messengers. It is more appropriate to refer to it as a time of fruit rather than harvest, since this vineyard yielded no fruit; the Lord laments, I looked for good grapes, but it produced wild ones. His suffering was not mingled with the sweet wine of joy or spiritual elixir, but rather drenched in the blood of the prophets. Jeremiah was imprisoned in a cistern. During this time, the furnace among the Jews was not filled with wine but with refuse. The parable mentions the prophets, yet under the violence is evident Nebuchadnezzar, as referenced in 1 Kings. St.

In that chapter, there is also an interpretation provided.

With the same fervent proclamation, the Lord continued to disclose that due to their obstinacy and wicked resistance, not just they but the entire nation was forfeiting the privilege of the initial entry into the kingdom of the Messiah. The new parable, addressed not only to the Pharisees but also to the multitude (Luke 20:9-19), drew its imagery from a vineyard, which the Lord established not for the laborers to work for themselves but entrusted to them solely for the harvest. He reached out not once, but multiple times; yet the dishonest tenants mistreated some of His messengers, killed others, and stoned others.

At the appointed time for harvesting, the vineyard owner sent a servant to collect the fruits from the vinedressers, but they assaulted him and refused to give any fruit. He then dispatched another servant, yet the vinedressers also turned him away, injuring him severely. A third servant was sent, but the vinedressers killed him as well. Numerous other servants followed, but all met with the same fate: the vinedressers failed to yield any produce, and those sent to retrieve it were either beaten or slain. They understood that God had sent His prophets as messengers to seek accountability for their stewardship over the people, reminding them that this responsibility was not given for their own gain, but rather to ensure the vineyard's productivity and to return the fruits to their Master. This meant guiding the people in faithfully fulfilling God's will. They needed to recall that the prophets faced persecution and death, culminating in the rejection of the final Prophet and Baptist, John.

Despite the efforts made for his vineyard, it yielded no harvest or perhaps only weeds. Because the vinedressers failed to cultivate fruitful produce and were unwilling to admit their failure for which they were accountable, they mistreated, harmed, and ultimately killed one messenger after another that the owner of the vineyard had sent. Finally, he dispatched his son, whom they recognized and could not deny, yet they also beat him, cast him out, and killed him. "So when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to these vinedressers?"