Matthew 21:33-46

The Showdown

The key to understanding today’s passage is to be found in Jesus’ previous confrontation with “the chief priests and elders” in Matt. 21.23-32. There, the religious leaders of the Temple question and thereby reject Jesus’ authority as the rightful messianic King of Israel. This is important because while the present Parable of the Vineyard Owner is often seen as an allegory referring to the rejection of Jesus on the part of ethnic Jews versus the Gentiles’ subsequent acceptance of the Gospel in the book of Acts, it is better understood as a continuation of the indictment of Israel’s religious leaders, particularly those associated with the temple.

That the temple and its leaders are in view in this parable rather than the nation of…