Luke 20:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He sends various 'messengers,' meaning prophets, to garner some small gain, as He sought, it is stated, 'fruits,' but not just any fruits. What could be considered God's fruit from us if not His understanding? This is indeed our benefit; however, He turns our salvation and our welfare into His own. The wrongdoers mistreated those who were dispatched, striking them and sending them away empty-handed; they became so ungrateful that they not only rejected goodness and brought forth no good fruit, but also engaged in wickedness, meriting an even harsher retribution.

As I previously mentioned, He traveled abroad, yet it is clear that He remained attentive to His household and did not abandon it. He dispatched devoted servants at three separate intervals to gather the harvest from those tending the vineyard. Throughout history, there was never a time when God did not send prophets and righteous people to guide Israel, urging them to produce the fruits of a life reflecting His glory in accordance with the commandments. However, they acted wickedly, were disobedient, and obstinate, hardening their hearts against guidance, refusing to heed even the slightest counsel that could benefit them.

At the season of fruit, He dispatched His servants. It is appropriate to refer to this as a 'time of fruit' rather than 'harvest,' since there was neither fruit nor harvest in this vineyard. The Lord states, "I expected it to bring forth good bunches, but it brought forth wild berries" (Isaiah 5:2). His zeal was poured out, not with the wine of joy or the spiritual juice, but with the blood of the prophets. Jeremiah was thrown into the pit—see Jeremiah 38:6. Even in that dreadful confinement, the furnace of the Jews was filled, not with wine, but with filth. Though the parable references the prophets, it also evokes Nebuchadnezzar (see 1 Kings 21:1-14). St. Ambrose's work “On Nebuchadnezzar” is dedicated to him.

In that passage, an interpretation is provided.

*Matthew 21:34-36

In a similar vein, the Lord continued to disclose that due to their persistent obstinacy and wicked resistance, not only were they affected, but the entire nation was deprived of the privilege of entering the kingdom of the Messiah. The new parable, spoken not only to the Pharisees but also to the crowd (Luke 20:9-19), was drawn from the imagery of a vineyard. The Lord entrusted it not to laborers for cultivation but appointed certain workers, sending them several times to gather the harvest. Yet the treacherous workers harmed some of the messengers, killed others, and stoned still others. Then He sent His Son, but they conspired to murder Him as well, seeking to seize the inheritance of the Lord by force. Thus, they took Him outside the vineyard and put Him to death.

At the time of harvest, the owner sent a servant to the vine growers to collect the fruit, but the vine growers assaulted him and gave him nothing. He sent another servant, but they sent him away empty-handed, wounding him with stones. The owner then sent a third servant, whom they also killed. He continued to send many other servants, yet they all faced the same fate: the vine growers failed to yield fruit, and those sent were either beaten or slain. They recognized that God had dispatched His servants, the prophets, to call for the fruits of their care for the people. They were to understand that this responsibility was not for their own gain but to nurture the vineyard’s yield and present the fruits to their Master. In fulfilling God's will, they needed to bear in mind that these prophets often faced persecution and death, including the last Prophet, John the Baptist, who was rejected by them.

Despite all the efforts he made for his vineyard, it yielded no fruit, or possibly only bitter fruit. The vineyard keepers, unable to produce any yield and unwilling to admit their failure for which they were accountable, resorted to mistreating and killing one messenger after another that the owner of the vineyard had sent to them. Ultimately, he sent his son, and although they recognized him, they still chose to beat him, cast him out, and take his life. "So when the owner of the vineyard arrives, what will he do to these vinedressers?"