Luke 20:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Did they truly honor Him who was sent as the Son and Lord, the One who rightfully possesses all that belongs to God the Father? Certainly not. They executed Him outside the vineyard, conspiring among themselves with a strategy that was foolish, ignorant, and utterly wicked. They said, "Let us kill Him so that the inheritance may be ours." But I ask you, how did you come up with such a thought? Are you truly a child of God the Father? Is the inheritance yours by nature? If you remove the heir, how do you expect to claim what you desire? Moreover, how absurd is your assumption? The Lord, being the Son and rightful heir to God's authority by nature, took on human form and invited those who believed in Him to partake in and share His kingdom.

After the Jewish leaders treated many of His servants with dishonor and dismissed them without results, He sent His only Son. Yet these deceitful individuals, in their quest to claim His inheritance, ended up killing the Son, crucifying Him and ultimately denying Him.

In summary, this situation reveals significant truths: Firstly, that true goodness is often entrusted to those who are unworthy. Secondly, Christ came as the ultimate answer to the problem of evil. Finally, those who reject the Heir possess no future with the Creator. Christ stands as both the Heir and the Testator. As the Heir, He triumphed over His own death and received His inheritance, which encompasses our blessings, graciously given to us through His covenants.

Likewise, what actions will the master of the vineyard take towards them? - cf. 16.

Through the same revealing discourse, the Lord indicated that due to their obstinacy and wicked resistance, not only they but the entire nation was being deprived of the privilege of entering the Messiah's kingdom. The new parable shared not only with the Pharisees but also with the people (Luke 20:9-19) was drawn from the vineyard, which the Lord entrusted to certain laborers not for cultivation, but merely for the gathering of its yield. He sent messengers to them multiple times; however, the unfaithful workers harmed some, killed others, and stoned yet others. Subsequently, He sent His Son, but they conspired to kill Him as well, hoping to seize control of their Master’s estate. They took Him, led Him outside of the vineyard, and executed Him.

It appeared that the moment was ripe for the owner to reclaim his vineyard from the unjust caretakers. However, in his great mercy, he resolved to make one final attempt: "I have," he stated, "a cherished son; I will send him; surely they will not reject him; they will likely feel shame and honor him." Thus, the owner's son went to the vinedressers. Upon seeing him from afar, they recognized him as their master's son and rightful heir. However, fearing that he would take the vineyard from them, they plotted to kill him. "Let us eliminate him," they said, "and then the vineyard will belong to us forever." Having reached this conclusion, they seized him, took his life, and cast him outside the vineyard.

Despite all his efforts with the vineyard, it yielded no fruit, or perhaps only some wild grapes. The vinedressers, unable to produce any harvest and fearful of revealing their failure, resorted to mistreating and eventually killing one messenger after another that the owner of the vineyard had sent. Eventually, he sent his son, whom they recognized but chose to beat, drive away, and kill. "So when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to these vinedressers?"