Matthew 21:35Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet in this situation, their malevolence was evident. They failed to bear fruit despite the diligent attention given to them, revealing their idleness, and they harbored animosity towards those who were sent to them. Though they had nothing to offer—despite their obligation to offer—they ought not to have been angry or offended; rather, they should have pleaded for assistance. Instead, they not only felt resentment but also committed acts of violence, shedding blood, and instead of facing judgment themselves, they executed those who were sent to guide them.

The appointed season for the harvest arrived during the era of the prophets. The envoys dispatched represent the prophets who faced numerous indignities at the hands of the vinedressers, symbolizing the false prophets and deceptive teachers of their time, who were unfit leaders of the people. Some of the prophets were beaten; for instance, Micah was struck on the hand by King Zedekiah. Others met their end through murder, such as Zechariah, who was slain between the temple and the altar. There were also those who were stoned, including Zechariah, the son of Jodi, the high priest.

He provided them with the commandments, instructing them to tend to the vineyard so that they might gather the fruits of their labor in accordance with these laws. Subsequently, He dispatched messengers to them, who, when captured, were either mistreated like Jeremiah, killed like Isaiah, or stoned like Naboth and Zechariah; the latter was slain between the altar and the sanctuary. Let us examine Paul's epistle to the Hebrews, specifically Hebrews 11:33-39, from which we will gain a deeper understanding of the trials faced by the Lord's servants and the extent of their suffering.

At the time of the harvest, as referenced in Matthew 21:34, He dispatched His servants. It is appropriate to refer to this as a “time of fruit” rather than a “harvest,” since the vineyard yielded no produce; as the Lord lamented, I expected it to yield good grapes, but it instead produced wild fruit (Isaiah 5:2). His efforts were not replenished with the joyful wine or the spiritual nectar, but rather with the blood of the prophets. Jeremiah was thrown into the cistern, as noted in Jeremiah 38:6. Even then, the suffering faced by the Jews was not accompanied by the joy of wine, but rather by impurity. While the parable alludes to the prophets, it also hints at Nebuchadnezzar, as described in 1 Kings 21:1-14. St. Ambrose’s work “On Nebuchadnezzar” addresses this king.

O faithless and wicked generation! You wicked doers who consume the harvest of the Lord of hosts! Which of the Prophets have you not persecuted? My Father sent His servants, the Prophets, to you to seek the fruits of His harvest. I brought My people out of Egypt through Moses, and after the devastation of other nations, I planted them in a fertile land, divided them into areas, and their orchards, as prophesied, extended across the earth, even to the seas and rivers of other lands; yet you breached their hedges, removing the safeguarding that the Law provided, causing My harvest, stripped of its protection, to be ravaged and devoured by wild animals. And when My servants the Prophets sought the abundant and well-tended fruits: you reacted with fear toward some, cast others into pits, and stoned yet others.

The laborers, referring to false prophets, deceitful teachers, and corrupt leaders among the Jews, subjected some of God’s holy prophets to violence. Micah, for instance, was struck on the face by Zedekiah, the son of Canaan (3 Sam. 22:24). Others, like Zechariah, met their end at the hands of Joash, king of Judah, who killed him “between the church and the altar” (Matthew 23:35). There were also those who were stoned, such as Jeremiah, who faced mob violence in Egypt (Epiph. Son of Pror.). In response to these events, God continued to send forth prophets, and many appeared prior to the first, including references in Luke to a third group of prophets whose ministry persisted until the time of John the Baptist (Luke 20:15). These later prophets suffered the same fate as their predecessors. This generation is indeed harsh and unresponsive in spirit; they not only rejected, disbelieved, and disregarded the prophets sent by God, but also physically attacked, murdered, and stoned them.

The vineyard keepers captured his servants, mistreating many of them severely and sending them away in shame without anything. They even killed some and stoned others with a brutal intent.

Through the same manner of expression, the Lord continued to unveil that due to their obstinacy and malicious resistance, it was not only themselves but the entire nation that was losing the privilege of a first entrance into the kingdom of the Messiah. The new parable, delivered not only to the Pharisees but also to the crowds, drew from the imagery of a vineyard, wherein the Lord entrusted it to certain laborers, not to harvest, but to manage the produce. He sent messengers to them repeatedly, yet the wicked laborers mistreated some, killed others, and stoned still others. Ultimately, He sent His Son, but they resolved to kill Him as well, seeking to seize the possessions of their Master by force. Hence, they took Him and led Him out of the vineyard to put Him to death.

The vineyard workers struck him and did not provide anything in return. The owner sent another servant, but the workers dismissed him empty-handed, injuring him severely with stones. A third servant was then sent, but the workers also took his life. Numerous other servants were dispatched, yet none succeeded: the vineyard workers bore no fruit, and the messengers sent were either harmed or killed. It is essential for them to recognize that these prophets faced persecution and even death, and that the final Prophet, John the Baptist, was likewise rejected by their hands.

He then urged them to ‘listen to another parable,’ that of the unfaithful vinedressers who refused to yield the fruits of the vineyard. This vineyard belonging to the Lord of Hosts symbolizes the house of Israel, with the Jewish nation being His cherished planting. The leaders and instructors entrusted with the people were expected to offer the Lord the fruits of the vineyard. Yet, despite all His efforts for His vineyard, there was either a lack of fruit or perhaps only wild fruit produced. Unable to generate the desired harvest and unwilling to acknowledge their barrenness for which they were accountable, the vinedressers mistreated, wounded, and killed one messenger after another whom the lord of the vineyard sent to them.

"Another was crucified": they scorned God's messenger through beatings and wounding; "another was slain" unto death, "and another was stoned": a method of execution commonly employed among the Jewish people (Deut. 13:10, Deut. 17:7, Jn. 8:59, Jn. 10:31, Acts 7:58, Acts 14:19). The suffering endured by God’s messengers, the prophets, at the hands of the Jews is clearly affirmed by the holy Apostle Paul (Heb. 11:31), and this is also evident from various Old Testament writings (Jer. 44:4-6, 2 Chron. 20:21, 2 Chron. 36:16, Nehem. 9:26, etc.).