
This is the third parable we have looked at involving a vineyard. This reflects in part that grapes were a major crop in Judea. But the image of a vineyard was also an image of the Kingdom of God. The Old Testament pictured the nation of Israel as God's vineyard. This image would have been instantly recognised by the Jewish leaders to whom this parable, like the previous one, is addressed.
If the thrust of the last parable was the failure of the religious leaders to obey God the problem here is their lack of loyalty to the God who had entrusted them with their privileged position.
Main Points:
- The Description of the Privileges that Are Ours
- The Danger of Despising Those Privileges
- The Destiny of Those Who Reject the Son