Matthew 21:34-40

21:34 When the harvest time was near, he sent his slaves 1  to the tenants to collect his portion of the crop. 2  21:35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, 3  killed another, and stoned another. 21:36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way. 21:37 Finally he sent his son to them, 4  saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ 21:39 So 5  they seized him, 6  threw him out of the vineyard, 7  and killed him. 21:40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

1 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

sn These slaves represent the prophets God sent to the nation, who were mistreated and rejected.

2 tn Grk “to collect his fruits.”

3 sn The image of the tenants mistreating the owner’s slaves pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.

4 sn The owner’s decision to send his son represents God sending Jesus.

5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ decision to kill the son in v. 38.

6 tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.

7 sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.