You Cannot Have the Vineyard Without the Son
You Cannot Have the Vineyard Without the Son
Throughout history, people have tried to claim the blessings of God while rejecting His authority. We love the idea of a kingdom filled with peace, joy, and abundance, but we resist the King who calls us to surrender. Jesus addressed this very issue in His parable of the wicked tenants (Luke 20:9-18). In this striking story, He exposed the religious leaders' rejection of God’s rule and issued a warning that still speaks to us today.
The Vineyard and Its Owner
Jesus begins the parable with a familiar image: a landowner who plants a vineyard and entrusts it to tenants while he is away. This imagery would have immediately resonated with His Jewish audience because the Old Testament frequently describes Israel as God’s vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7). God had chosen Israel, blessed them, and expected them to bear fruit—righteousness, justice, and faithfulness. The vineyard was not theirs; it belonged to God.
The Rebellious Tenants
As the parable unfolds, the landowner sends servants to collect his share of the fruit, but the tenants mistreat them. They beat one, shame another, and kill a third. Despite this, the landowner continues to send more servants, only for them to be met with the same violence. This represents Israel’s long history of rejecting the prophets God sent to call them to repentance.
The landowner’s patience is remarkable, but the tenants’ wickedness escalates. Finally, the landowner makes an unthinkable decision: he sends his beloved son. Surely, they will respect him. But instead of honoring the son, the tenants conspire to kill him, believing that by removing the heir, they can claim the vineyard for themselves. This is a chilling foreshadowing of what the religious leaders would soon do to Jesus. They saw Him as a threat to their power and sought to eliminate Him, thinking they could hold onto control.
The Inevitable Judgment
Jesus then delivers the devastating conclusion: the owner will come and destroy those tenants, giving the vineyard to others. The crowd is horrified—“Surely not!” But Jesus drives the point home by quoting Psalm 118:22: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The very one they cast aside will become the foundation of God’s kingdom. Those who reject Him will be shattered by their own rebellion.
A Warning and an Invitation
This parable is not just about Israel’s leaders—it’s a warning to all of us. How often do we want God’s blessings while refusing His authority? We desire the gifts of salvation, grace, and peace, but resist the call to repentance and submission to Christ. Like the tenants, we deceive ourselves into thinking we can have the kingdom without the King.
But the good news is that Jesus, the rejected Son, is also the cornerstone of a new people—a people who receive Him by faith. The vineyard has been opened to all who will believe in Him. The question for each of us is: will we surrender to the rightful King, or will we continue to resist Him?
Jesus’ warning is clear: we cannot have the vineyard without the Son. But His invitation is just as clear: if we build our lives upon Him, we will be part of His eternal kingdom. Come to the Lord while His patience endures.
