Holy Bible Online 
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants, also known as the Parable of the Evil Vinedressers, was a story told by Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem after being questioned by religious leaders about His authority.
Jesus shared this parable to highlight the rejection of His message by the Jewish leaders. By comparing them to the tenants who killed the servants, Jesus was foreshadowing His own rejection and death on the cross at the hands of the religious leaders. The parable can be found in three passages: Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-19.
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers
9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 10 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.
13 “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.’ 14 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.’ 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.”
And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”
17 Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone’?
18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.
- Luke 20:9-19
Biblical Explanation of the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers
This parable illustrates the resistance of religious leaders to God’s message, represented in the parable by the tenants. In the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, Jesus tells the story of vinedressers who reject the messengers of the vineyard owner, even killing his own son.
Through this parable, Jesus warns about the consequences of this violent rejection and indicates that leadership will be passed to others. The parable emphasizes the importance of embracing the message of Salvation and the responsibility of living according to God’s Word.
This parable teaches us to value the Word of God, avoiding selfish and rebellious attitudes. It also underscores that all spiritual leadership must be exercised with responsibility. The parable prompts us to reflect on our own behavior in receiving God’s Word and what we do with it in our hearts.
In the parable, the owner of the vineyard sent his son, and God did the same by sending Jesus to set us free. Let us act differently from the wicked vinedressers, embracing the message of Jesus with love and responsibility.
Teachings of the Parable of the Wicked Tenants
1. Rejection of the Word of God: The parable highlights the resistance of religious leaders to God’s message, illustrating the consequences of refusing to accept spiritual truth.
2. Responsibility of Leadership: Jesus warns about the responsibility of leaders, emphasizing that all spiritual leadership must be exercised with integrity and commitment.
3. Consequences of Rejection: By rejecting the message of Christ, one loses the opportunity to enjoy eternal Salvation.
Parable of the Wicked Tenants in Matthew 21
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers
33 “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. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37 Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”
41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.
- Matthew 21:33-46
Parable of the Wicked Tenants in Mark 12
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers
12 Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 2 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. 5 And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. 6 Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
11 This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.
- Mark 12:1-12
Check out the best-known Parables of Jesus .