Luke 20:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’

NIV: Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.'

NASB: Now the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What am I to do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’

CSB: "Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What should I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.'

NLT: ‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’

KJV: Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

NKJV: “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’

The parable of the wicked tenants is in the form of an allegory, where each character represents something true. A landowner plants a vineyard and hires tenants to farm it. When the vine is mature enough, he sends servants to collect some of the grapes. The tenants beat and kill (Matthew 21:35) the servants and send them away empty-handed. So, the owner sends his son.

In much the same way, God established how He ought to be worshiped. He chose a people to worship Him. He designated leaders for that people. Then He sent prophets to remind the leaders how they should worship Him in their time and context. The leaders beat and killed the prophets. So, God sends His Son.

The tenants think if they can get rid of the son, they can keep the fruit of the vineyard. But after they kill him, the owner destroys them and finds new tenants. Likewise, the religious leaders of Jesus' day think if they can kill Jesus, they can keep the authority of their positions. Instead, God destroys them and the church is made without them.

Jesus uses this parable to answer and warn a group of chief priests, scribes, and elders. They had asked Jesus what gave Him the authority to drive merchants and money changers from the Temple Mount (Luke 19:45–46). Jesus turned the question back on them, demonstrating their hypocrisy (Luke 20:1–8). This parable, however, gives His answer: He is the Son, sent by His father. They may kill Him, but God will destroy them.

Luke 20:9–18 records Jesus' response to religious leaders who challenged His authority (Luke 20:1–8). This comes in the form of the parable of the wicked tenants. The underlying meaning is that as the Son of God, Jesus has proper authority over religious leaders. However, the leaders of His era will kill Him, and God will destroy them. In the mirrored structure of Luke 20, the parallel argument is that Jesus is also superior to the line of the Jewish kings (Luke 20:41–44). In between, religious leaders foolishly challenge Jesus' understanding of the Mosaic law (Luke 20:19–40). This passage echoes the records in Matthew 21:33–46 and Mark 12:1–12.

After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus find Himself in conflict with the city's religious leaders. Elders, priests, scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees all attempt to discredit Him. This comes mostly in challenging Jesus with trick questions. Jesus deftly handles those challenges without falling into the trap. He provides several teachings about His role as the Son of God and directly warns the Jewish people against their generation of scribes, who are arrogant and pretentious.

Luke 20 is a chiasm about authority. Jesus has entered Jerusalem and cleansed the temple (Luke 19:28–46). Now, the priests and teachers attack Jesus' authority in religion, law, and doctrine; Jesus defends Himself and shows their sinful lifestyles disqualify them for authority. After holding up a widow as a better role model (Luke 21:1–4), Jesus warns His disciples about the challenges they will face in the coming years, including the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 21:5–38). The events in Luke 20 are also discussed in Matthew 21—23 and Mark 11—12.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.