Luke 20:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Son was put to death by being cast out of the vineyard, which can also be interpreted as being taken out of Jerusalem, as Christ endured His suffering "outside the gate" (Heb. 13:12). However, when referring to the vineyard, we consider it to represent the people rather than just the city, suggesting that although the people played a role in His death, it wasn't an act of deliberate malice on their part, but rather a result of their handing Him over to Pilate and the Gentiles. Thus, the Lord's suffering occurred outside the vineyard, meaning it was not inflicted directly by the people, who lacked the authority to execute anyone; instead, He faced death at the hands of soldiers.

Did they truly revere Him who was sent as both Son and Lord, the One who by His eternal nature possesses all that belongs to God the Father? Certainly not. They executed Him outside the vineyard, conspiring amongst themselves with intentions that were foolish, ignorant, and steeped in wickedness. They declared, ‘Let us eliminate Him so that the inheritance may be ours.’ But let me ask you, how did you arrive at this notion? Are you also a son of God the Father? Does the inheritance inherently belong to you by virtue of your nature? If you remove the heir, how do you expect to gain control over what you desire? Moreover, how absurd is your premise?

A single point of contention emerges in this discussion. In the Gospel of Matthew, when the Lord posed the question to the Jewish leaders, He asked, “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do with these vinedressers? He will put these evildoers to an evil death, but he will give the vineyard to other vinedressers, who will give him the fruit in their time.” Conversely, in the Gospel of Mark, it is not the Jews who respond, but rather the Lord Himself, who answers His own inquiry: “But what will the owner of the vineyard do?

After the Jews treated many of His messengers unjustly and expelled them without anything to show for their efforts, for they could not yield any fruit, He sent His beloved Son. However, these unjust individuals, intent on claiming His inheritance, put the Son to death through crucifixion and rejected Him entirely.

What will the master of the vineyard do to those tenants? - cf. 16.

In a similar vein, the Lord continued to disclose that due to their obstinacy and malevolent resistance, not just they but the entire nation was deprived of the privilege of entering the Messiah's kingdom. The new parable addressed not only to the Pharisees but also to the crowd (Luke 20:9-19) drew inspiration from a vineyard owned by a landowner who entrusted it to certain tenants, sending them not to labor but to gather the harvest. The owner sent messengers not just once but multiple times; yet the wicked tenants beat some, killed others, and stoned still more. Eventually, he sent his Son, but the tenants resolved to slay him as well, seeking to seize control of their master's estate. Thus, they took Him outside the vineyard and executed Him.

It appears that the moment had arrived to reclaim the vineyard from the unrighteous tenant farmers. Yet, the owner, in his compassion, resolved to make one final effort: "I have," he declared, "a cherished son; I will send him; surely they will not reject him; they will likely feel ashamed and honor him." Thus, the owner's son was sent to the tenants. However, upon seeing him from afar, they recognized him as their heir and, fearing he would take the vineyard from them, plotted to take his life. "Let us eliminate him," they suggested, "and then the vineyard will belong to us forever." Once this resolution was made, they seized him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

Despite all the efforts he put into his vineyard, it yielded no harvest, or perhaps only unruly produce. The vinedressers, unable to bear fruit and unwilling to admit their failure, insulted and assaulted one messenger after another, each sent by the owner of the vineyard. Eventually, he sent his son, whom they recognized and could not deny, yet they beat him, cast him out, and ultimately killed him. "So when the owner of the vineyard arrives, what will he do to these vinedressers?"