"Listen to another example: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press, built a watchtower, leased the vineyard to tenants, and then, went to a distant country. When harvest time came, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest. But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
Again, the owner sent more servants; but they were treated in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they thought, 'This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.' So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when he comes? They said to him, 'He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others, who will pay him in due time.'
And JESUS replied, 'Have you never read what the Scriptures say? The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and we marvel at it. Therefore, I say to you: the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you, and given to a people who will produce its fruit.'" - Matthew 21:33-43
(In this comparison, the vine represents the kingdom of GOD. The Jews were GOD's people and they came to consider that their own interests were those of GOD. HE had to help them against others. They had confidence that they would be saved and were not concerned about the fate of others who did not recognize GOD.
GOD entrusted HIS kingdom to them; in other words, HE guided them throughout the long span of their history, so that they would be an example to others. They were to communicate their experience to others so that all would develop justice, a spirit of responsibility, a sense of community; these were the fruit GOD wanted to harvest.
GOD sent prophets to remind them of their debt: they were scarcely heard. Finally, the only Son of GOD become human appears and the same thing will happen. HE will be thrown out of the vineyard, in other words, rejected by HIS own people. Which is why the kingdom of GOD will be given to others, to those believers converted from other nations and gathered in the Church of CHRIST.
Here ends the parable. It could equally be applied to the Church today if it becomes a religion of one social class, or similar to the other religions, or if we do not find in the Church more obedience to GOD, more commitment to values that will save the world. What would happen to Christian groups and their leaders if they began to feel they were the owners of the kingdom and its promises?)
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