Matthew 21:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country.

NIV: Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.

NASB: Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A FENCE AROUND IT, AND DUG A WINE PRESS IN IT, AND BUILT A TOWER, and he leased it to vine-growers and went on a journey.

CSB: "Listen to another parable: There was a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it to tenant farmers and went away.

NLT: Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country.

KJV: Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

NKJV: “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.

Parables are stories which illustrate important truths. In this chapter of Matthew's gospel, those truths are about ways Israel's religious leaders had failed to obey God. In the previous story, Jesus began by asking for the opinion of His listeners (Matthew 21:28). Here, He starts with a command to listen.

He describes a landowner and master of a household. This man plants a vineyard and then builds the property into something that will produce a profit. He puts a fence around the vineyard to keep out animals and robbers. He equips it with a winepress to process the grapes. He raises a watchtower so servants can look out for potential threats from enemies, thieves, and fire. When all is ready, the landowner leases his well-equipped vineyard to some tenants who will work it while paying him rent. Then he leaves the country.

Jesus has described a very common scenario in Judea and other parts of the world. Wealthy landowners often rented out their land and lived off the rent, sometimes paid in crops. This parable is meant to remind Jesus' Jewish listeners of a familiar Old Testament passage. Isaiah 5:1–7 also describes a metaphorical vineyard. It is said to be the house of Israel and to belong to the Lord. When the product of the vineyard—the people of Israel—turns out to be wild instead of useful, the owner of the vineyard destroys it.

In Jesus' parable, the landowner is once again the Lord and the vineyard is Israel. This time, though, there are tenants who work the vineyard. They are meant to represent Israel's religious leaders. They are charged with tending—caring for, growing—the vines in the field. Jesus' story will show these are not good tenants.

Matthew 21:33–46 begins with another vineyard-related parable from Jesus. This one involves tenants who refused to pay the owner His agreed upon share of the crops. Instead, they mistreated and killed the servants he sent and then killed the owner's son. Jesus compares Israel's religious leaders to these tenants, saying the kingdom of God will be taken from them. Jesus identifies Himself in a psalm about a stone rejected by the builders but chosen by the Lord to be the cornerstone. All who reject Him will fall on the cornerstone or have it fall on and crush them.

Jesus fulfills a prophecy from Zechariah about the coming of the king to Jerusalem by riding in on a donkey. The people celebrate and praise Him as the Messiah. Jesus drives the marketers and moneychangers out of the temple and heals some people. He curses a fig tree and tells the disciples nothing will be impossible for them with faith. Jesus forces cowardly and hypocritical religious leaders to back down with a question about John the Baptist. He then exposes their fraudulent spirituality with two parables about vineyards. Jesus applies to Himself a psalm about a rejected stone being made the cornerstone by the Lord.

Matthew 21 finds Jesus arriving near Jerusalem after leaving Jericho in the previous chapter. His triumphal entry is accomplished riding a donkey, and to raucous praise, fulfilling a prophecy about the Messiah. Jesus cleanses the marketplace from the temple, heals, and presents lessons about faith and Israel's failed leadership. This leads into further conversations which Matthew compiles from Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.