Today I want to share with you one of Jesus' most powerful teaching stories, the Parable of the Tenants. Jesus often used parables, simple stories with deeper meanings to help people understand important truths about God's kingdom.

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This parable appears in three of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus told it during the final week of His life in Jerusalem, when the religious leaders were questioning His authority and looking for ways to trap Him.

The Parable of the Tenants

Chapter 1: The Vineyard Owner's Preparation

Jesus began His story by describing a landowner who invested great effort in establishing a vineyard. In Mark's gospel, Jesus said: "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place" (Mark 12:1).

This description would have been familiar to Jesus' listeners. Vineyards required significant investment and careful planning. The wall protected the vineyard from wild animals and thieves. The winepress was for processing the grapes into juice for wine. The watchtower allowed guards to spot threats to the harvest.

After completing all this work, the owner didn't stay to operate the vineyard himself. Instead, he rented it to tenant farmers. These tenants would work the land and, in return, give the owner a portion of the harvest as payment. This was a common arrangement in ancient times. The owner then traveled to another country, entrusting his valuable property to these farmers.

Chapter 2: The First Servants Sent

When harvest time arrived, the owner wanted to collect his share of the fruit. Jesus continued: "At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard" (Mark 12:2).

This was a reasonable request. The owner merely wanted what rightfully belonged to him according to their agreement. The servant represented the owner and came with the owner's authority to collect the payment.

But something shocking happened. Instead of honoring the agreement, "they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed" (Mark 12:3). The tenants' response was not only dishonest but violent. They refused to give the owner his share of the crops and mistreated his representative.

The owner didn't give up. Jesus continued, "Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully" (Mark 12:4). Still determined, "He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed" (Mark 12:5).

Each servant represented the owner's patience and persistent attempts to collect what was rightfully his. Yet each time, the tenants responded with increasing violence, refusing to acknowledge the owner's rights to the fruits of his own vineyard.

Chapter 3: The Beloved Son

After sending many servants who were mistreated or killed, the vineyard owner made one final attempt. Jesus explained: "He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, 'They will respect my son'" (Mark 12:6).

The owner believed the tenants would surely respect his son, his most precious representative who carried his full authority. Sending his beloved son demonstrated the owner's extraordinary patience and desire for reconciliation with the rebellious tenants.

But the tenants saw the son's arrival as an opportunity, not for making things right, but for seizing complete control. "But the tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard" (Mark 12:7-8).

Their reasoning revealed their true intentions all along. They didn't just want to avoid paying what they owed; they wanted to steal the entire vineyard for themselves. By killing the heir, they thought they could claim ownership of the property. This was the most violent and brazen act yet.

Chapter 4: The Owner's Response

After describing this shocking sequence of events, Jesus posed a question to His listeners: "What then will the owner of the vineyard do?" (Mark 12:9). Before they could answer, Jesus provided the conclusion to His story:

"He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others" (Mark 12:9).

The owner's patience had reached its limit. After the tenants rejected multiple servants and even killed his beloved son, justice demanded action. The tenants had proven themselves unworthy of their responsibility. The vineyard would be taken from them and entrusted to others who would give the owner his rightful share of the fruit.

Luke's gospel adds that when people heard this, they exclaimed, "God forbid!" (Luke 20:16). They understood the severity of the tenants' actions and recognized the justice in the owner's response, even though it troubled them.

Chapter 5: The Scripture Reference

To emphasize His point, Jesus quoted from Psalm 118:22-23: "Haven't you read this passage of Scripture: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" (Mark 12:10-11).

This reference to a rejected stone becoming the most important stone in the building connected the parable to Jesus Himself. Just as the son in the story was rejected and killed, Jesus was indicating that He would be rejected by the religious leaders. Yet, like the rejected stone that becomes the cornerstone, He would ultimately become the foundation of God's plan.

Matthew's version adds an important conclusion: "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit" (Matthew 21:43). This statement made explicit the warning implicit in the parable.

The religious leaders in Jesus' audience immediately understood that the parable was directed at them. Mark tells us: "Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away" (Mark 12:12).

Rather than heed the warning, they became even more determined to get rid of Jesus—ironically fulfilling the very role of the wicked tenants in the story He had just told.

What Can We Learn About The Parable of the Tenants?

1. God is patient and persistent - The vineyard owner sent servant after servant despite mistreatment. This reflects God's repeated attempts to reach people through prophets and messengers throughout history.
2. Privileges come with responsibilities - The tenants were given the privilege of working valuable property but had a responsibility to give the owner his share. Similarly, spiritual privileges bring corresponding responsibilities.
3. Rejection has consequences - The tenants faced judgment for their actions. The parable warns that continually rejecting God's messengers and His Son leads to serious consequences.
4. God's plans cannot be thwarted - Despite being rejected, the stone becomes the cornerstone. Even though Jesus would be rejected by religious leaders, He would become the foundation of God's kingdom.
5. Opportunities can be transferred - The vineyard was taken from the wicked tenants and given to others. The parable suggests that when people persistently refuse their responsibilities, their opportunities may be given to others who will be faithful.

5 Trivia Quiz about The Parable of the Tenants for kids

In which three gospels can we find the Parable of the Tenants?

The Parable of the Tenants appears in three gospels: Matthew (21:33-46), Mark (12:1-12), and Luke (20:9-19). Each version contains the same basic story with slight variations in details.

What structures did the vineyard owner build before renting out his land?

The owner built three things: a wall around the vineyard for protection, a pit for the winepress to make wine from the grapes, and a watchtower to guard against thieves and animals. These show how much care he put into preparing his vineyard.

Who was the last person the vineyard owner sent to the tenants?

The last person sent was the vineyard owner's beloved son. The owner thought, "They will respect my son," but instead, the tenants killed him, thinking they would inherit the vineyard.

What Bible psalm did Jesus quote after telling this parable?

Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22-23, which talks about a stone that builders rejected becoming the cornerstone (the most important stone in a building). Jesus used this to refer to Himself being rejected but ultimately becoming central to God's plan.

How did the religious leaders react when they heard this parable?

The religious leaders knew Jesus was speaking about them, and they wanted to arrest Him. However, they were afraid of the crowd, so they left Him alone for the time being and went away to make other plans.

If you enjoyed learning about the Parable of the Tenants, next time I'd love to tell you about the Parable of the Vineyard Workers, a story Jesus told about God's surprising generosity and how His kingdom operates with different values than our world!