Chapter

Matthew 21:35

ESV And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
NIV "The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
NASB And the vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
CSB The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
NLT But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.
KJV And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
NKJV And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.

What does Matthew 21:35 mean?

The owner of a vineyard has rented out his property to some tenants. This would have been a common situation in the ancient middle east. Their agreement was to work the vineyard, caring for the property and the plants, in exchange for a share of the final crop as it is harvested. However, when the owner sends servants to collect his share, the tenants refuse to hand it over. Instead, they beat one of the owner's servants, kill another, and stone a third.

The meaning behind Jesus' parable is clear, in part, because it closely parallels Isaiah 5:1–7. The landowner is the Lord God. The vineyard is Israel. The renters are Israel's leaders, especially her religious leaders. Jesus' description of their treatment of His servants evokes the treatment endured by God's prophets in the Old Testament (Matthew 23:37). Those sent by God to deliver His messages and to demand righteousness from Israel were often persecuted and/or killed by Israel's rulers or citizens (Acts 7:52).
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