What does Luke 20:16 mean?

Jesus is finishing the parable of the wicked tenants (Luke 20:9–15). Hired workers have been caring for a vineyard for several years. Seeking to keep the harvest for themselves, they beat or killed all the servants sent by the landowner (Matthew 21:35). Now, they've killed the landowner's son, thinking they will inherit the vineyard. Instead, the owner finally returns, kills them, and finds new tenants.

The crowd quickly gets the meaning of Jesus' parable. A group of priests, scribes, and elders have challenged Jesus' authority (Luke 20:1–8). They represent the "tenants" whom God has chosen to lead His people in right worship of Him. For hundreds of years, God has sent prophets to remind kings, priests, rabbis, and civil leaders to direct the people's attention to God and to walk in His ways. But the leadership likes the attention—and the money—they take from the people. So, God will destroy the priesthood, the temple, and Jerusalem. He will choose new leaders, like fishermen (Mark 1:17), doctors (Colossians 4:14), and sellers of purple cloth (Acts 16:14), and expand His vineyard into the Gentile nations (Acts 15:17).

The crowd is incredulous. They like how Jesus defends them against corrupt leaders. But to destroy them all, and to install new leaders seems extreme. They cannot imagine such a thing could ever happen. What the common people did not realize is that those same scribes and priests are already conspiring to kill Jesus, the Son. The telling of this story builds the scribes' and priests' murderous resolve even more (Luke 20:19–20).