Matthew
Matthew 21:33KJV·traditional attribution

Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

John Calvin Reformed

Luke says Christ addressed the people, but Matthew shows He spoke against the priests themselves before the crowds. The point is simple: these men robbed God's right through the prophets and mean to slay His Son now. God will not leave it unpunished. This parable warns the weak not to stumble when His death comes.

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John Gill Reformed Baptist

The householder is God Himself; the vineyard is the Jewish nation, favoured above measure. These priests proved ungrateful, brutalized God's servants, and murdered the Son. For this, the Gospel departs from them and their nation falls to ruin. This parable is part history, part prophecy.

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Albert Barnes Presbyterian

The vineyard stands for the Jewish people, chosen, cultivated, and signally favoured by the Lord. The hedge, winepress, and tower show how fully the Owner provided for them. These details anchor the parable firmly in what actually happened in Judea so His hearers would grasp it.

AI summary