Who Owns the Land? A Prophetic Parable

In our daily meditations over the past few days, we have been reflecting on some of Jesus's teachings. After Christ entered the temple courts and expelled the money changers, the religious leaders plotted to kill Jesus because of His challenge to their authority. In front of hundreds of people gathered in the temple courts, Jesus spoke this parable:

⁹And He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. ¹⁰“At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹“And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. ¹²“And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out. ¹³“The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ ¹⁴“But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ ¹⁵“So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶“He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!” ¹⁷But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE’? ¹⁸“Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” ¹⁹The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them (Luke 20:9-19).

The man who planted the vineyard represents God, the Father. The farmers who have had the land leased to them describe the spiritual leaders of Israel, the very leaders who stood against Jesus and challenged His authority. They were not owners; although they thought of themselves as such, they were tenant farmers with the land leased to them for a time. They were responsible for choosing their methods to sow the soil, protect the vines from wild animals, pull up the weeds, and maximize their harvest through their efforts. The Lord spoke in the third book of Moses about whose land it was.

The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants (Leviticus 25:23; emphasis added).

The parable is a prophetic story about how leaders will be held accountable, both then and now, for their rebellion and rejection of God’s authority over His land and people (see also Ezekiel 34). All the Earth belongs to the Lord (Psalm 24:1), but God has specifically set apart the land given in stewardship to the children of Israel for His purposes. The vineyard symbolizes the nation of Israel, representing God's covenantal love and care.

Evil spiritual forces have historically been at work (as they are today) to divide God's land, destroy the Jewish nation, and claim the land for their own purposes (Ezekiel 36:5; Psalm 83:1-12). This ongoing battle over Israel's land will persist until the Lord executes judgment on those who divide His land. Governmental leaders are not its owners but temporary stewards. God will hold them accountable.

I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land (Joel 3:2; emphasis added).

Israel's spiritual leaders were under-shepherds responsible for tending the land and producing a harvest for the owner, God. Men driven by greed and a desire for power managed to attain leadership positions within the nation, maintaining control by rejecting God's authority. The leaders sought profit and dominance and were in rebellion against God.

The parable illustrates God's patience and love, reflected in His repeated sending of servants. Despite sending prophet after prophet over centuries—many of whom were stoned or killed—God continued to reach out. He finally sent John the Baptist to call the nation and elders to repentance, but the leaders refused to turn back to God. The Lord exhausted every effort to save His wayward shepherds, culminating in the owner of the vineyard sending His Son, only to see Him murdered.

Like all of Jesus' parables, this story draws listeners into the narrative, making them part of the lesson. When Jesus reached the point where He described the owner’s dilemma— ‘What shall I do?’—He likely paused and looked around at the crowd in silence, allowing the question to resonate in their hearts. I wonder if some in the crowd shouted, ‘Get rid of those evil tenants!’ His longing for the leaders' repentance and broken spirit is clearly evident in this parable. Peter the Apostle reminds us, ‘He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). The mercy of God continues to astonish me. Keith Thomas

Shortened from the more extensive study at the following link: The Parable of the Vine-Growers.