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Translation
King James Version
And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
Complete Jewish Bible
But the tenants seized his servants -- this one they beat up, that one they killed, another they stoned.
Berean Standard Bible
But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
American Standard Version
And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
World English Bible Messianic
The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And ye husbandmen tooke his seruants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
Young's Literal Translation
and the husbandmen having taken his servants, one they scourged, and one they killed, and one they stoned.
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Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers . Public domain.
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Hilary of Poitiers (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 367
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
Or, He set forth the Prophets as it were winepresses, into which an abundant measure of the Holy Spirit, as of new wine, might flow in a teeming stream.
Or, The tower is the eminence of the Law, which ascended from earth to heaven, and from which, as from a watch-tower, the coming of Christ might be spied. And let it out to husbandmen.
These more than the first who were sent, denote that time, when, after the preaching of single Prophets, a great number was sent forth together.
By the Son sent at last, is denoted the advent of our Lord.
Christ was cast out of Jerusalem, as out of the vineyard, to His sentence of punishment.
He is become the head of the corner, because He is the union of both sides between the Law and the Gentiles.
John Chrysostom (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 407
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(Hom. lxviii.) The design of this further parable is to show that their guilt was heinous, and unworthy to be forgiven.
Or, it applies to His long-suffering, in that He did not always bring down immediate punishment on their sins.
(non occ. ap. Chrys.) He calls the Prophets servants, who as the Lord's Priests offer the fruits of the people, and the proofs of their obedience in their works. But they showed their wickedness not only in refusing the fruits, but in having indignation against those that come to them, as it follows, And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
Wherefore then did He not send Him immediately? That from what they had done to the others they might accuse themselves, and putting away their madness they might reverence His Son when He came.
Or He speaks as declaring what ought to be; they ought to reverence Him; thus showing that their sin was great, and void of all excuse.
Or there is no contradiction, because both are right; they first made answer in these words, and then the Lord repeated them.
Or otherwise: the Lord proposed this parable to them with this intent, that not understanding it they should give sentence against themselves; as was done by Nathan to David. Again, when they perceived the meaning of the things that had been said against them, they said, God forbid.
Christ is the stone, the builders are the Jewish teachers who rejected Christ, saying, This man is not of God. (John 9:16.)
And that they might know that nothing that had been done was against God's will, He adds, It is the Lord's doing.
Or, He here points out their twofold destruction; first in their stumbling and being offended at Him, signified in that, Whosoever shall fall upon this stone; the other in the captivity that should come upon them, signified by that, But upon whomsoever it shall fall.
John ChrysostomAD 407
Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 68
And "He sent His servants," that is, the prophets, "to receive the fruit;" that is, their obedience, the proof of it by their works. But they even here showed their wickedness, not only by failing to give the fruit, after having enjoyed so much care, which was the sign of idleness, but also by showing anger towards them that came. For they that had not to give when they owed, should not have been indignant, nor angry, but should have entreated. But they not only were indignant, but even filled their hands with blood, and while deserving punishment, themselves inflicted punishment.
Therefore He sent both a second, and a third company, both that the wickedness of these might be shown, and the love towards man of Him who sent them.
Jerome (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 420
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
He hath planted a vine of which Isaiah speaks, The vine of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel. (Isa. 5:7.) And hedged it round about; i. e. either the wall of the city, or the guardianship of Angels.
A winepress, that is to say, An altar; or those winepresses after which the three Psalms, the 8th, the 80th, and the 83d are entitleda, that is to say, the martyrs.
And built a tower therein, that is, the Temple, of which it is said by Micah, And thou, O cloudy tower of the daughter of Sion. (Mic. 4:8.)
Not a change of place, for God, by whom all things are filled, cannot be absent from any place; but He seems to be absent from the vineyard, that He may leave the vine-dressers a freedom of acting.
Beat them, as Jeremiah, killed them, as Isaiah, stoned them, as Naboth and Zacharias, whom they slew between the temple and the altar.
But when He says, They will reverence my Son, He does not speak as in ignorance. For what is there that this householder (by whom in this place God is intended) knows not? But God is thus spoken of as being uncertain, in order that free-will may be reserved for man.
Let us enquire of Arrius and Eunomius. See here the Father is said not to know somewhat. Whatever answer they make for the Father, let them understand the same of the Son, when He says that He knows not the day of the consummation of all things. (Mat. 22:36.)
The Lord asks them not as though He did not know what they would answer, but that they might be condemned by their own answer.
The same things are treated under various figures; whom above He called labourers and husbandmen, He now calls builders.
Whoso sinneth, yet believeth on Him, falls indeed upon a stone and is broken, yet is not altogether crushed, but is preserved to salvation through endurance. But on whomsoever it shall fall, that is, whomsoever this stone shall itself assault, and whosoever shall utterly deny Christ, it shall so crush him, that not a bone of him shall be left in which a drop of water could be taken up.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Matthew
(Verse 34 and following) But when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the vinedressers took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. And last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. We read the letter of Paul to the Hebrews (Heb. XI) ; and from it we learn in great detail the sufferings endured by the servants of the Lord.
Pseudo-Chrysostom (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 500
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
This He brings in because the Priests had asked not in order to learn, but to tempt Him. But of the common folk many had believed; and for that reason He brings forward the parable of the two sons, showing them therein that the common sort, who from the first professed secular lives, were better than the Priests who from the first professed the service of God, inasmuch as the people at length turned repentant to God, but the Priests impenitent, never left off to sin against God. And the elder son represents the people; because the people is not for the sake of the Priests, but the Priests are for the sake of the people.
He is called man, by title, not by nature; in a kind of likeness, not in verity. For the Son knowing that by occasion of His human name He himself should be blasphemed as though he were mere man, spoke therefore of the Invisible God the Father as man; He who by nature is Lord of Angels and men, but by goodness their Father.
Or, by the hedge understand the protection of the holy fathers, who were set as a wall round the people of Israel.
Or, the winepress is the word of God, which tortures man when it contradicts his fleshly nature.
When, that is, Priests and Levites were constituted by the Law, and undertook the direction of the people. And as an husbandman, though he offer to his Lord of his own stock, does not please him so much as by giving him the fruit of his own vineyard; so the Priest does not so much please God by his own righteousness, as by teaching the people of God holiness; for his own righteousness is but one, but that of the people manifold. And went into a far country.
At each step of their wickedness the mercy of God was increased, and at each step of the Divine mercy the wickedness of the Jews increased; thus there was a strife between human wickedness and Divine goodness.
He sent Him not as the bearer of a sentence of punishment against the guilty, but of an offer of repentance; He sent Him to put them to shame, not to punish them.
But some say, that it was after His incarnation, that Christ was called a Son in right of His baptism like the other saints, whom the Lord refutes by this place, saying, I will send my Son. Therefore when He thus meditated sending His Son after the Prophets, He must have been already His Son. Further, if He had been His Son in the same way as all the saints to whom the word of God was sent, He ought to have called the Prophets also His sons, as He calls Christ, or to call Christ His servant, as He calls the Prophets.
After His entry into the Temple, and having cast out those who sold the animals for the sacrifices, then they took counsel to kill Him, Come, let us kill him. For they reasoned among themselves, It will happen that the people hereby shall disuse the practice of sacrificing, which pertains to our gain, and shall be content to offer the sacrifice of righteousness, which pertains to the glory of God; and so the nation shall no more be our possession, but shall become God's. But if we shall kill Him, then there being none to seek the fruit of righteousness from the people, the practice of offering sacrifice shall continue, and so this people shall become our possession; as it follows, And the inheritance shall be ours. These are the usual thoughts of all worldly Priests, who take no thought how the people shall live without sin, but look to how much is offered in the Church, and esteem that the profit of their ministry.
That their answer is true, comes not of any righteous judgment in them, but from the case itself; truth constrained them.
Otherwise: Luke has given the answer of their lips, Matthew that of their hearts. For some made answer openly contradicting Him, and saying, God forbid, but their consciences took it up with He shall miserably destroy these wicked men. For so when a man is detected in any wickedness, he excuses himself in words, but his conscience within pleads guilty.
When they seemed discontent, He brings forward Scripture testimony; as much as to say, If ye understood not My parable, at least acknowledge this Scripture.
As much as to say, How do ye not understand in what building that stone is to be set, not in yours, seeing it is rejected, but in another; but if the building is to be other, your building will be rejected.
Christ is called A Stone, not only because of His strength, but because He mightily crushes His enemies; whence it follows, And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, and on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.
It is one thing to be broken, and another to be ground to powder. Of what is broken there remains something; but what is ground to powder is as it were converted into dust. And what falls upon a stone is not broken by any power of the stone, but because it fell heavily, either by reason of its weight, or of its fall from a great height. So a Christian in sinning, perishes, but not to the utmost that Christ can destroy; but only so far as he destroys himself, either by the greatness of his sin, or by his exalted rank. But the unbelievers perish to the utmost that Christ can destroy them.
Rabanus Maurus (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 856
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
The season of fruit, He says, not of rent-paying, because this stiff-necked nation brings forth no fruit.
Or, the first servants who were sent were the Lawgiver Moses himself, and Aaron the first Priest of God; whom, having beaten them with the scourge of their tongue, they sent away empty; by the other servants understand the company of the Prophets.
By what they say, This is the Son, He manifestly proves that the rulers of the Jews crucified the Son of God, not through ignorance, but through jealousy. For they understood that it was He to whom the Father speaks by the Prophet, Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance (Ps. 2:8.) The inheritance given to the Son is the holy Church; an inheritance not left Him by His Father when dying, but wonderfully purchased by His own death.
Or, The Jews endeavoured by putting Him to death to seize upon the inheritance, when they strove to overthrow the faith which is through Him, and to substitute their own righteousness which is by the Law, and therewith to imbue the Gentiles. It follows, And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
Morally; a vineyard has been let out to each of us to dress, when the mystery of baptism was given us, to be cultivated by action. Servants one, two, and three are sent us when Law, Psalm, and Prophecy are read, after whose instructions we are to work well. He that is sent is beaten and cast out when the word is contemned, or, which is worse, is blasphemed. He kills (as far as in him lies) the heir, who tramples under foot the Son, and does despite to the Spirit of grace. The wicked husbandman is destroyed, and the vineyard is given to another, when the gift of grace which the proud has contemned is given to the lowly.
But despite of their displeasure, the same stone furnished the head stone of the corner, for out of both nations He has joined by faith in Him as many as He would.
Glossa Ordinaria (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 1274
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(ord.) Or, the Lord whom they killed, came immediately rising from the dead, and brought to an evil end those wicked husbandmen, and gave up His vineyard to other husbandmen, that is, to the Apostles.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Matthew 21:35 describes the escalating violence of the wicked vinedressers towards the landowner's servants in Jesus' Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers. This pivotal verse illustrates the profound rebellion and ingratitude of those entrusted with God's vineyard, depicting their deliberate acts of abuse, murder, and stoning against the messengers sent to collect the landowner's rightful share, thereby foreshadowing the historical rejection of God's prophets by Israel's leadership.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices to convey its message. The entire parable functions as an Allegory, where each element (landowner, vineyard, vinedressers, servants) symbolizes a deeper spiritual reality, allowing Jesus to expose the spiritual state of the Jewish leaders without directly accusing them initially. There is a clear Climax or Escalation in the vinedressers' actions: from merely beating a servant, they progress to killing one, and finally, to the extreme act of stoning another. This progression highlights the increasing depravity and hardened rebellion of the vinedressers, building dramatic tension and emphasizing the severity of their sin. Furthermore, the Symbolism embedded in the narrative is crucial: the servants are symbolic of the prophets God sent to Israel, repeatedly calling His people to repentance and faithfulness, only to be met with rejection and violence.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Matthew 21:35 profoundly illustrates the persistent and tragic pattern of humanity's rebellion against divine authority, specifically highlighting Israel's historical rejection of God's messengers. The vinedressers' actions are not merely economic misconduct but a deep spiritual betrayal, reflecting a desire to usurp what rightfully belongs to God. This verse underscores the immense patience of God, who repeatedly sends His servants despite their mistreatment, contrasting sharply with the escalating wickedness of humanity. It serves as a stark reminder that rejecting God's representatives is tantamount to rejecting God Himself, carrying severe consequences for those who refuse to heed divine warnings and calls to repentance. The parable sets the stage for the ultimate act of rejection—the killing of the Son—which, paradoxically, becomes the means of ultimate redemption.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Matthew 21:35 serves as a timeless warning against spiritual rebellion and the rejection of God's truth. For us today, it challenges us to examine our own hearts: are we like the wicked vinedressers, seeking to claim ownership over what belongs to God, resisting His messengers, and refusing to yield the fruit of our lives? This verse reminds us of the profound accountability that comes with being entrusted with God's Word and His kingdom. Whether we are in positions of spiritual leadership or are individual believers, we are called to be faithful stewards, not usurpers. It compels us to cultivate a receptive heart, eager to hear and obey God's voice, whether it comes through His written Word, the preaching of His servants, or the conviction of the Holy Spirit. To resist or harm those who faithfully proclaim God's truth, in any form, is to resist God Himself, and the parable's unfolding judgment on the wicked vinedressers serves as a solemn reminder of the inevitable consequences of persistent rebellion against divine will and grace.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the "servants" in this parable?
Answer: The "servants" in the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers represent the long line of prophets and messengers whom God sent to His people Israel throughout their history. From Moses to Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and beyond, these individuals were divinely appointed to call Israel to repentance, remind them of their covenant obligations, and guide them back to faithfulness. Their mistreatment by the vinedressers—beating, killing, and stoning—allegorically depicts the historical persecution and rejection these prophets faced at the hands of Israel's leaders and people, as highlighted in passages like Acts 7:52.
Why did the husbandmen resort to such extreme violence against the servants?
Answer: The husbandmen's extreme violence stemmed from their deep-seated greed, covetousness, and a rebellious desire to usurp ownership of the vineyard. They saw the landowner's rightful claim to the fruit as an infringement on what they had come to view as their own. Their actions were a deliberate act of defiance against legitimate authority, aiming to intimidate the landowner into relinquishing his claim. This mirrors the spiritual rebellion of Israel's religious leaders, who rejected God's prophets because their messages exposed their sin, challenged their authority, and called them to a faithfulness they refused to embrace, ultimately leading them to reject God's ultimate messenger, His Son.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Matthew 21:35, with its grim depiction of the vinedressers' escalating violence against the landowner's servants, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the ultimate rejection and crucifixion of Jesus Christ Himself. The repeated sending of servants, only to be beaten, killed, and stoned, foreshadows God's final and most significant act of sending His own Son, the heir to the vineyard. As the parable continues in Matthew 21:37, the landowner declares, "Last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son." Yet, the vinedressers, recognizing the heir, conspired to kill him to seize his inheritance (Matthew 21:38-39). This chilling narrative directly points to the historical reality of Jesus' crucifixion at the hands of those who should have recognized and received Him—the very religious leaders to whom this parable was addressed. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), became the ultimate "stoned" one, rejected and killed outside the city gates (Hebrews 13:12), not for His own sin, but as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of humanity. His death, though an act of ultimate human wickedness and rebellion, was simultaneously God's sovereign plan for redemption, fulfilling the prophetic pattern of suffering and rejection, and ultimately leading to His glorious resurrection and the establishment of a new covenant with those who would receive Him (Luke 24:46-47).