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Luke 20:14
ESV But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’
NIV "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
NASB But when the vine-growers saw him, they discussed with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’
CSB "But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’
NLT But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’
KJV But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
NKJV But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’

What does Luke 20:14 mean?

In this parable, the tenants have taken care of the owner's vineyard since he planted it. That might have gone on for five years (Leviticus 19:23–25). They have patiently tended the vines to maturity, waiting for the first grape harvest. Just as the grapes are ready, a man shows up, claiming to work for the owner. He says he's there to collect some of the harvest to take back to the owner. The tenants are angry. Perhaps they think the owner has been gone too long. Or, that they've put so much work into the vineyard that they have earned this harvest. They beat up the servant and force him out empty-handed (Luke 20:9–11).

Another servant shows up. They do the same to him. Then another, and they do the same. Now the owner's son has come. This presents an opportunity for the hired laborers. The owner is apparently too busy to come himself, but if they get rid of the son, they can keep the vineyard (Luke 20:12–13).

That attitude simplifies the wrong-headed thinking of Jerusalem's religious authorities. God established His nation and chose leaders to ensure the people worshiped Him alone. Throughout the years, God sent prophets to keep the leaders on track. Often, the leaders saw the prophets as a threat to their authority, so they beat and killed them.

In the moment Luke is recording, God's Son is right there, on the Temple Mount. Like the tenants, the Jewish leadership is jealous of Jesus. He is drawing the people away from them. But if they kill Him, maybe things will go back to normal—or so they think—and they can continue receiving the honor and the money of the people.

In the parable of the wicked tenants (Luke 20:9–18), Jesus explains that that's not how the story ends. God will not ignore these corrupted leaders; He will destroy them. Then He will find other men to lead His people. Despite a warning that could not be clearer, the leaders continue to work out how they can destroy Jesus (Luke 20:15–20).
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