Matthew 21:40-41
When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus turns the question back on his accusers, forcing them to answer what justice demands. Their own verdict is that the wicked tenants deserve severe destruction, which immediately condemns them and their planned actions against Jesus.
Jesus has just told a parable about a vineyard owner who rented his land to tenants, only for them to mistreat and kill the servants he sent, and finally even murder his own son. He then turns to the religious leaders who were questioning him and asks them what the owner will do to these wicked tenants when he returns. This question forces them to condemn themselves, as they themselves will answer that the owner will destroy them and give the vineyard to others who will produce fruit.
Jesus doesn't just state a fact; He asks a question that forces His listeners to confront their own actions. What makes this question so powerful?
In Matthew 21:40, Jesus poses a direct question to the chief priests and elders: "When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"
This isn't a casual inquiry. Jesus has just finished telling the parable of the wicked tenants who murdered the owner's son.
This question is a masterstroke of confrontation, designed to reveal their guilt and the impending justice.
The parable paints a stark picture of consequences. How is the nature of the punishment directly tied to who the tenants were and what they did?
The question in Matthew 21:40 isn't just about punishment; it's about the kind of punishment that fits the crime.
Understand the original words
geōrgos · Greek Noun
One who leases or works land owned by another, often entrusted with the care and fruit-bearing responsibility of that land. In parables, it represents religious leaders or humanity entrusted with stewardship by God.
kyrios · Greek Noun
The individual who holds legal title to a property and has absolute authority over it. Biblically, this often refers to God as the sovereign Creator and ultimate possessor of all things.
ampelōn · Greek Noun
A cultivated area, frequently used in the Bible as a symbol for the people of God, Israel, or the sphere of God's authority and judgment. It implies stewardship, as the owner expects a return on the investment of care and resources.
geōrgos · Greek Noun
This parable, spoken to the religious leaders who rejected him, directly predicts the judgment that would fall upon them and the Jewish nation for their persistent rejection of God's messengers and finally His Son, leading to the transfer of spiritual leadership to a new community.
c. 700-600 BC
Biblical Prophets Speak Out
The period of the major prophets who, like the servants in Jesus' parable, warned Israel and Judah about their unfaithfulness and called for repentance, often facing persecution.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonian conquest led to the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of Solomon's Temple, and the exile of many Judeans, a severe judgment for persistent unfaithfulness.
c. 20 BC - AD 30
Roman Rule in Judea
Judea is under Roman occupation, with a Jewish King (Herod the Great, then his successors) as a client ruler, increasing political tension and resentment.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Ministry and Rejection
Jesus, the Son of God, enters Jerusalem, teaching and performing miracles, but is ultimately rejected, arrested, and crucified by the Jewish religious leaders and populace.
This passage directly parallels Jesus's method in the parable, where God asks the inhabitants of Jerusalem to judge between Him and His vineyard, just as Jesus forces the religious leaders to condemn themselves.
Luke 20:16This passage shows the reaction of the listeners when Jesus poses this question, revealing their fear and denial ('God forbid!') when faced with the implications of their own judgment.
Matthew 21:41This verse immediately follows Jesus's question and provides the answer given by the religious leaders themselves, demonstrating their unwitting self-condemnation.
Psalm 118:22Jesus alludes to this Old Testament passage, highlighting how the stone rejected by the builders (Himself) becomes the cornerstone, underscoring the divine plan despite human rejection.
Matthew 22:7This verse describes the coming of the king to destroy the murderers of his servants and send his armies, echoing the judgment of the wicked husbandmen from the parable.
bensonMatthew 21:40: "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?"
Matthew 21:40-41 . When the Lord cometh — Armed with a power which they will be utterly unable to resist, What will he do unto these husbandmen — Who had been so treacherous and cruel? With a view to their stronger conviction, he refers it to themselves to judge in this case. For God’s proceedings are so unexceptionable, there needs only an appeal to sinners themselves concerning the equity o…
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…
Jesus turns the question back on his accusers, forcing them to answer what justice demands. Their own verdict is that the wicked tenants deserve severe destruction, which immediately condemns them and their planned actions against Jesus.
Jesus has just told a parable about a vineyard owner who rented his land to tenants, only for them to mistreat and kill the servants he sent, and finally even murder his own son. He then turns to the religious leaders who were questioning him and asks them what the owner will do to these wicked tenants when he returns. This question forces them to condemn themselves, as they themselves will answer that the owner will destroy them and give the vineyard to others who will produce fruit.
Jesus has just told a parable about a vineyard owner who rented his land to tenants, only for them to mistreat and kill the servants he sent, and finally even murder his own son. He then turns to the religious leaders who were questioning him and asks them what the owner will do to these wicked tenants when he returns. This question forces them to condemn themselves, as they themselves will answer that the owner will destroy them and give the vineyard to others who will produce fruit.
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Jesus is showing that God's justice is not arbitrary; it’s a righteous response to rebellion, and the penalty will be proportionate to the offense.
In this context, those entrusted with the care of God's kingdom or covenant who fail to fulfill their obligations or display rebellion against the Owner (God). It implies a failure of stewardship and accountability.
c. AD 33 - AD 60s
Early Church Growth
The message of Jesus spreads rapidly through the apostles and early followers, with many Gentiles coming to faith, forming a new community distinct from the old covenant system.
AD 66-70
First Jewish-Roman War
A massive rebellion by Jewish groups against Roman rule, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy of judgment.
"When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”" — Jesus turns the question back on his accusers, forcing them to answer what justice demands. Their own verdict is that the wicked tenants deserve severe destruction, which immediately condemns them an…
