Matthew 21:37-38
Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The father's hopeful phrase, "They will reverence my son," is actually a statement of what ought to be, not what he necessarily expected. It highlights God's earnest desire for his beloved son to be honored, even as it foreshadows the tragic rejection and violence that were to come. This expression reveals God's deep love and longing for relationship, while also underscoring the profound, willful disobedience of those who would ultimately crucify Jesus.
In this parable, Jesus is illustrating the unfaithfulness of the religious leaders of Israel. After a landowner repeatedly sent servants (representing prophets) to collect his due from the tenants of his vineyard, and they were mistreated, he sends his own beloved son. This act signifies God's ultimate message of love and hope, sending Jesus Himself, believing the tenants would finally show respect to his heir.
Why did the Father send prophet after prophet, and then His Son? This wasn't a sign of divine indecision, but of divine persistence.
In this parable, Jesus paints a picture of God's incredible long-suffering with His people.
A Pattern of Rejection
The landowner first sends servants to collect fruit. These represent the prophets God sent throughout Israel's history. Each time, they were mistreated – beaten, wounded, and even killed.
The Ultimate Gift
After repeated rejections, the landowner makes a final, unthinkable decision: he sends his own beloved son. This highlights the immeasurable love and value God places on humanity, culminating in sending Jesus.
Human Duty, Divine Hope
The father says, 'They will respect my son.' This isn't a prediction of what will happen, but a statement of what ought to happen. It reflects God's reasonable expectation based on the Son's divine dignity and the Father's immense love.
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The father hoped his son would be respected. What does this hope, and its tragic outcome, reveal about the spiritual leaders of Jesus' day?
The father's statement, 'They will reverence my son,' is loaded with expectation and, sadly, misjudgment of the tenants' hearts.
Duty vs. Reality
Scholars note that the word 'reverence' implies a sense of duty and respect owed to the son. It's what should have happened. God, in His mercy, gave the religious leaders every opportunity to show proper respect.
The Heir's Fate
Instead of respect, the tenants (representing the Jewish leadership) saw the son as a threat to their own perceived ownership of God's people. They planned to kill him, the rightful heir, to seize control. This reveals their deep-seated rebellion and blindness.
A Tragic Foreshadowing
This moment is a stark foreshadowing of Jesus' actual crucifixion. The very people who should have welcomed and respected God's Son instead plotted his death, demonstrating their complete rejection of God's authority and love.
Understand the original words
huios · Greek Noun
The male offspring of a parent; in theological contexts, it frequently refers to the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ, signifying divine sonship, identity, and shared authority.
entrepo · Greek Verb
To show due regard, honor, or reverential deference to someone in a position of authority. It involves acknowledging their status and acting in accordance with their rightful expectation.
klēronomos · Greek Noun
One who receives the property, title, or spiritual blessings belonging to another, typically following the death of the previous owner. In a biblical context, it often refers to believers as heirs of God's kingdom or Christ as the ultimate heir of all things.
klēronomia · Greek Noun
The property, possession, or spiritual blessing passed from one person to another. It signifies the rightful portion belonging to a person, especially in relation to God's covenant promises.
This parable was delivered by Jesus in the final week of his life, just before his crucifixion. The context of the escalating conflict with the Jewish religious leaders and the impending destruction of Jerusalem gives immense weight to his words.
c. 8th Century BC
Prophetic Ministry Begins
God begins sending prophets to Israel and Judah to call them back to faithfulness, offering warnings and invitations to repentance.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, exiling its people and scattering them. This serves as a stark warning of disobedience.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Southern Kingdom
The Babylonian Empire destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the people of Judah. This is a catastrophic consequence of persistent unfaithfulness.
c. 4 BC - AD 30/33— this verse
Jesus' Earthly Ministry
Jesus, the Son of God, walks the earth, teaching, healing, and calling people to the Kingdom of God, culminating in his crucifixion.
c. AD 33
Crucifixion of Jesus
The religious leaders, representing the 'husbandmen' of the parable, reject and kill Jesus, the beloved Son, outside the 'vineyard' of Jerusalem.
AD 70
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Roman Empire crushes the Jewish revolt, destroying Jerusalem and its Temple. This fulfills the judgment predicted in the parable.
This passage describes God's 'beloved' planting a vineyard and nurturing it, only for it to yield wild grapes, setting a clear parallel to the parable Jesus tells about the unfaithful tenants.
Psalm 118:22Jesus directly quotes this verse later in Matthew 21, highlighting the prophecy that the stone the builders rejected would become the cornerstone, directly relating to the Son's rejection by the religious leaders.
Hebrews 1:1-2This passage in Hebrews emphasizes that God has spoken through prophets but ultimately sent His Son, His heir, to whom all things belong, mirroring the escalation in the parable from servants to the Son.
John 3:16This verse expresses the profound love of God in giving His only Son, paralleling the father's ultimate act of love and hope in sending his beloved son in the parable.
Matthew 23:37Jesus laments over Jerusalem, wishing to gather its people like a hen gathers her brood, showing His deep desire for them to recognize and receive Him, a desire tragically unmet by the leaders in the parable.
henryMatthew 21:33-46: "Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:"
21:33-46 This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjoy the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, they would treat Christ himself, if he were wi…
barnesMatthew 21:37: "But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son."
Last of all ... - Mark adds that this was an only son, greatly beloved. This beautifully and most tenderly exhibits the love of God in sending his only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die for people. Long had he sent the prophets, and they had been persecuted and slain. There was no use in sending any more prophets to the people. They had done all that they could do. God had one only-begotten an…
The father's hopeful phrase, "They will reverence my son," is actually a statement of what ought to be, not what he necessarily expected. It highlights God's earnest desire for his beloved son to be honored, even as it foreshadows the tragic rejection and violence that were to come. This expression reveals God's deep love and longing for relationship, while also underscoring the profound, willful disobedience of those who would ultimately crucify Jesus.
In this parable, Jesus is illustrating the unfaithfulness of the religious leaders of Israel. After a landowner repeatedly sent servants (representing prophets) to collect his due from the tenants of his vineyard, and they were mistreated, he sends his own beloved son. This act signifies God's ultimate message of love and hope, sending Jesus Himself, believing the tenants would finally show respect to his heir.
In this parable, Jesus is illustrating the unfaithfulness of the religious leaders of Israel. After a landowner repeatedly sent servants (representing prophets) to collect his due from the tenants of his vineyard, and they were mistreated, he sends his own beloved son. This act signifies God's ultimate message of love and hope, sending Jesus Himself, believing the tenants would finally show respect to his heir.
"Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’" — The father's hopeful phrase, "They will reverence my son," is actually a statement of what ought to be, not what he necessarily expected. It highlights God's earnest desire for his beloved son to b…
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