Matthew 21:34Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

At the time when the fruits were expected, He dispatched His servants. It is more appropriate to refer to this as ‘a time of fruit’ rather than ‘harvest,’ for there were no fruits, no harvest in this vineyard, which the Lord lamented over, saying, I expected it to yield good grapes, but it produced wild grapes. His divine mercy was not poured out with the wine of joy, nor with the essence of the Spirit, but with the blood of the prophets. Jeremiah was thrown into the pit, as noted in Jeremiah 38:6. Even during that dark period, the furnace of the Jews was filled not with wine, but with refuse. In the parable, the prophets are alluded to; however, behind the stones lies Nebuchadnezzar, as referenced in 1 Kings 21:1-14. St. Ambrose's work “On Nebuchadnezzar” speaks about him.

O treacherous and faithless generation! You wicked individuals who consume the fruit of the Lord of hosts! Which of the Prophets have you not slain? For My Father has sent His servants, the Prophets, to you, to call for the harvest of His vineyard. I led My people out of Egypt through the hand of Moses, and after the devastation of the nations, I planted them in a fertile land, dividing them into sections, and their orchards, as foretold by the prophet, extended across the earth, reaching the sea and the rivers of foreign lands; yet you demolished their hedge, that is, you stripped them of the protection provided by the Law, and My vineyard, left vulnerable, became subject to plunder and ravaging by wild beasts. When My servants, the Prophets, began to seek a harvest from the genuine, bountiful, and well-cultivated vines, you turned in fear against some, casting others into a pit, and stoning still others.

The produce of the vineyard mentioned refers to adhering to the commandments of the Law and embodying virtue, while the servants are the prophets, sent at different times to promote this adherence and virtue, often facing various forms of punishment for their efforts.

What is the time that lies before us? It is the period designated by God to dispatch His genuine servants into the world, specifically the holy prophets. When this moment arrived, He sent them to the Jewish people, particularly their leaders and educators, to gather the harvest owed to God for the law that had been entrusted to them. But what constituted this harvest? It was the embrace of the prophetic message, their adherence to the teachings imparted, their observance of the commandments, and their righteous actions.

At the appointed time for harvesting the fruit, as stipulated by the Levitical law that required a waiting period of five years, He sent His servants, individually, to the vineyard to collect His portion of the harvest, whatever it may be.

Through the same heartfelt message, the Lord continued to disclose that due to their obstinacy and malicious resistance, not only did they lose out, but the entire nation was deprived of the honor of entering the Messiah’s kingdom. The new parable, directed not only at the Pharisees but also at the people (Luke 20:9-19), drew upon the image of a vineyard, which the Lord entrusted not to cultivate but to certain laborers, delegating them the task of gathering the harvest. He sent representatives multiple times; however, the malevolent workers abused some, killed others, and stoned still others. Subsequently, He sent His Son, but they resolved to murder Him as well, seeking to seize the master's inheritance by violence. So they took Him, led Him outside the vineyard, and executed Him.

When the time arrived to harvest the yield, he dispatched a servant to the caretakers of the vineyard to collect the harvest from them. They realized that God was sending His servants, the prophets, to call upon them for the fruits of their oversight of the people, to instruct them that this responsibility was not meant for their own gain, but rather for the care of the vineyard's productivity and to present the fruits to their Master. In essence, they were to guide the people in faithfully fulfilling God's will.

He then urged them to "hear another parable," the story of the disobedient vinedressers who refused to yield the harvest from the vineyard. This vineyard, established by the Lord of Hosts, represented the house of Israel, with the Jewish nation as His cherished planting. The leaders and educators entrusted with the people were expected to offer the fruits of the vineyard to the Lord. However, despite all the care given to the vineyard, it yielded no produce or perhaps only inedible fruit. In their inability to bear fruit and unwillingness to admit their lack of productivity, for which they were accountable, they insulted, beat, wounded, and murdered each messenger that the lord of the vineyard sent to them.

The phrase "sent his servants" refers to the prophets, tasked with gathering the fruits of obedience demonstrated through actions. However, in response to this effort, they revealed their malevolence—not only failing to produce any fruit, indicating their lack of action, but also harboring resentment towards those who were sent to them. Instead of feeling troubled and angry when they had nothing to offer, they should have humbly requested assistance. Their reaction went beyond mere resentment; they stained their hands with blood, deserving of judgment themselves, and executed those sent to them.