The Parable of the Wicked Tenants is in all the three Synoptic Gospels of the New Testament. This tutorial narrates Jesus’s parable of the wicked tenants. And, at the end of it, we shall identify the moral lessons we can learn from the parable of the wicked tenants.
So if you want to know the details of the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, come along with me.
The Parable
First, let’s have the Parable of the Wicked Tenants as told by Jesus.
THE PARABLE OF THE WICKED TENANTS(Mt 21:33 – 46, Mk 12:1 – 12, Lk 20:9 – 19)
A man planted a vineyard and equipped it with all amenities and safety measures. He then leased the farm to tenant farmers and traveled abroad.
At harvest time he sent for his share of the fruits. However two messengers sent were maltreated and one was killed.
Again, he sent other servants more than the first and they did the same to them.
In the end he sent his own son, thinking he would be respected.
But the servants saw the son’s elimination as a means for them to take the land for themselves. So they seized the landlord’s son and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
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These wicked tenants did not know that the landlord would be so angry he would destroy them. They failed to realize that the landlord would find new tenants who would be worthy when he returned.
Jesus quoted from the scriptures saying that the very stone that the builders rejected had become the head of the corner.
He concluded that the kingdom of God will be taken away from them and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.
The parable was also a veiled attack on the religious leaders. Indeed, they got the meaning of the Parable of the Tenants. Consequently, they were ready to attack Jesus but he was saved because of his popularity in the area.
Meaning Of The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
1. The Parable of the Tenants is an allegory. It exposes and criticizes the response of the Jews to Jesus. The tenant farmers represent the Jews who had covenant relations with God, the landlord, to serve him and his world (farm).
2. Secondly, the fruit God wanted was that the Jews would glorify and acknowledge him as the creator and owner of the world.
3. The religious leaders were the ungrateful and murderous tenants who had maltreated God’s messengers, the prophets, and were now plotting to destroy his son.
4. Jesus is the stone (Messiah). He is to play an important role in the world just as a cornerstone plays in keeping a building in a standing position.
5. God would thus enter into a covenant with outsiders who would acknowledge him as the owner of the world.
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6. The killing of the landlord’s beloved son refers to the death of Jesus.
Moral Lessons
The lessons that we can learn from The Parable Of The Wicked Tenants include the following.
- Christians need to acknowledge God’s authority and fulfill their obligation towards him.
- People in positions of trust must not abuse their position.
- A time of judgment awaits all men
- Reward goes with good works
- Punishment goes with irresponsible behaviour
- God expects Christians to lead fruitful lives by obeying him.
Last word
Do you need as many past questions as possible on Senior High School and WAEC Christian Religious Studies or Bible Knowledge? Click the link below to find and download over 100 CRS past questions in PDF format.
Ralph Nyadzi is the Director of Studies at Cegast Academy. He is a qualified English tutor with decades of experience behind him. Since 2001, he has successfully coached thousands of High School General Arts WASSCE candidates in English, Literature and related subjects. He combines his expertise with a passion for lifelong learning to guide learners from varying backgrounds to achieve their educational goals. Ralph shares lessons from his blogging journey on BloggingtotheMax. He lives with River, his pet cat, in the Central Region of Ghana.
