And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus begins a parable by describing a well-provisioned vineyard, detailing the owner's significant investment in its security and productivity. This detailed preparation emphasizes the care and resources dedicated to the vineyard, setting the stage for the owner's expectations from those who lease it.
And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Just after Jesus had been challenged and questioned by the religious authorities in Jerusalem, he began to speak to them using a parable. This story, about a man planting a vineyard and leasing it to tenants, serves as a veiled accusation against those who held religious power and had failed to produce the "fruits" God expected. The parable continues to unfold, revealing the owner's repeated attempts to collect his due, only to be met with violence against his messengers, foreshadowing a tragic end for his own son.
Imagine the ultimate real estate investment: a meticulously prepared vineyard, ready for fruitfulness. Jesus paints a vivid picture of God's investment in His people.
Jesus begins this parable by detailing the extensive care the landowner put into his vineyard:
Every detail speaks of careful planning and significant investment. God didn't just create a people; He intentionally and painstakingly prepared everything they would need to flourish and bear fruit.
The landowner invests heavily, then leaves. What does this say about God's relationship with His people and His plans for their spiritual growth?
Ask a follow-up
After the initial, intensive preparation, the landowner takes a significant step: he leases the vineyard to tenants and 'went into another country.'
The Lease:
This signifies entrusting the vineyard – God's people and His work – to human caretakers. It's not an abandonment, but a delegation of responsibility. The tenants were expected to cultivate the land and, crucially, to produce fruit.
The Absent Owner:
The landowner's departure into 'another country' highlights a period of delegated authority. This doesn't mean God is uninvolved or distant. Instead, it points to a time when His people are expected to live by the provisions and principles He has already established, demonstrating their faithfulness through their actions and the fruit they produce.
Understand the original words
parabolē · Greek Noun
A short story that uses familiar images and life experiences to illustrate a spiritual or moral truth, often concealing truth from the hardened while revealing it to the humble.
ampelōn · Greek Noun
A plot of ground cultivated for grapevines; in Scripture, it is a common metaphor for the people of Israel as God’s chosen possession, which He cultivated and expected to yield spiritual fruit.
geōrgos · Greek Noun
A person who rents or cultivates land belonging to another; metaphorically used in the Gospels to represent the religious leaders of Israel to whom God entrusted the care of His people.
This parable draws heavily on Old Testament imagery of Israel as God's vineyard. By telling it in Jerusalem, shortly before his crucifixion, Jesus directly accused the religious establishment of failing their divine commission and rejecting God's messengers, culminating in their rejection and murder of His own Son.
c. 1400 BC
Israel Planted in the Land
After leading Israel out of slavery in Egypt, God established them in the Promised Land of Canaan, dispossessing the existing inhabitants. This is often seen as the initial 'planting' of God's people, His chosen vineyard.
c. 8th Century BC
Prophetic Warnings Issued
Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah addressed the people of Israel, lamenting their unfaithfulness and warning them of God's judgment, likening them to a vineyard that produced wild grapes instead of the fruit God desired.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Exile
The Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and exiled many of the people. This event represented a severe judgment on the 'husbandmen' for their unfaithfulness and mismanagement of God's 'vineyard'.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
A remnant of the Jewish people was allowed to return from Babylonian exile to Jerusalem, beginning the restoration of the Temple and the community. This marked a new phase of stewardship over God's people.
c. 1st Century BC - 1st Century AD
Period of Roman Rule
The Roman Empire exerted increasing political control over Judea. This period saw the installation of client kings and Roman governors, intensifying the sense of the 'owner' being absent and the tenants (religious leaders) being accountable to an external power.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Ministry and Confrontation
Jesus, the 'beloved son,' directly confronted the religious leaders of Israel with their mismanagement of God's people, delivering the parable of the wicked vinedressers in the Temple courts.
c. AD 33
Crucifixion of Jesus
The chief priests and elders, recognizing Jesus as the heir, conspired to kill him, casting him out of the 'vineyard' (representing both Israel and His mission). This act sealed their judgment.
This passage provides the foundational imagery for Jesus' parable, describing God planting a vineyard and expecting good fruit, but instead finding wild grapes.
Psalm 80:8This psalm uses the metaphor of God bringing a vine out of Egypt and planting it in a fertile land, mirroring the establishment of Israel as God's chosen people.
Matthew 21:33This is the parallel account of the same parable in Matthew's Gospel, offering a slightly different but complementary telling of Jesus' message.
Luke 20:9Luke also records this parable, adding the detail that the landowner 'went into another country for a long time,' emphasizing the extended period of divine patience.
1 Corinthians 3:9Paul's teaching about believers being God's 'field' and 'building' echoes the vineyard imagery, highlighting our role in God's ongoing work and the stewardship He entrusts to us.
expositorsMark 12:1-12: "And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country."
Chapter 12CHAPTER 12:1-12 (Mark 12:1-12)THE HUSBANDMEN "And He began to speak unto them in parables. A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a pit for the wine-press, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another co…
calvinMark 12:1-12: "And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country."
- Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, who planted a vineyard, and surrounded it by a ditch, and dug a wine-press in it, and built a tower, and let it to husbandmen, and went abroad, 34. And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his…
Jesus begins a parable by describing a well-provisioned vineyard, detailing the owner's significant investment in its security and productivity. This detailed preparation emphasizes the care and resources dedicated to the vineyard, setting the stage for the owner's expectations from those who lease it.
Just after Jesus had been challenged and questioned by the religious authorities in Jerusalem, he began to speak to them using a parable. This story, about a man planting a vineyard and leasing it to tenants, serves as a veiled accusation against those who held religious power and had failed to produce the "fruits" God expected. The parable continues to unfold, revealing the owner's repeated attempts to collect his due, only to be met with violence against his messengers, foreshadowing a tragic end for his own son.
Just after Jesus had been challenged and questioned by the religious authorities in Jerusalem, he began to speak to them using a parable. This story, about a man planting a vineyard and leasing it to tenants, serves as a veiled accusation against those who held religious power and had failed to produce the "fruits" God expected. The parable continues to unfold, revealing the owner's repeated attempts to collect his due, only to be met with violence against his messengers, foreshadowing a tragic end for his own son.
"And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country." — Jesus begins a parable by describing a well-provisioned vineyard, detailing the owner's significant investment in its security and productivity. This detailed preparation emphasizes the care and reso…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026