1. The illustration of the Wicked Vinedressers
9 And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 Then 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 tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. . . Luke 20:9–15 (ESV)
1 Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. Hosea 10:1 (ESV)
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. Psalm 80:8 (ESV)
1 Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. Isaiah 5:1 (ESV)
4 You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the LORD persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, Jeremiah 25:4 (ESV)
2. The Question about the Wicked Vinedressers
15 . . . then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” Luke 20:15–16 (ESV)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)
3. The Application of the Wicked Vinedressers
17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” Luke 20:17–18 (ESV)
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.
Psalm 118:26 (ESV)
22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Psalm 118:22 (ESV)
14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.” Isaiah 8:14-15 (ESV)
6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 1 Peter 2:6 (ESV)