Topical Bible: Servant: Wicked and Unfaithful in the Parable of the Vineyard

◄ Servant: Wicked and Unfaithful in the Parable of the Vineyard ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the New Testament, the Parable of the Vineyard, also known as the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, is a poignant illustration of the relationship between God, His people, and the leaders entrusted with spiritual oversight. This parable is found in the Synoptic Gospels, with a detailed account in Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-19. The Berean Standard Bible provides a clear rendering of this narrative.

Context and Setting

The parable is set in the context of Jesus' teachings in the temple courts, where He addresses the chief priests and elders of the people. It is a direct response to their questioning of His authority. The vineyard represents Israel, a common metaphor in the Old Testament (Isaiah 5:1-7), and the landowner symbolizes God. The tenants are the religious leaders of Israel, who have been entrusted with the care of God's people.

The Parable

In the parable, a landowner plants a vineyard, equips it with all necessary facilities, and leases it to tenants before going on a journey. At harvest time, he sends his servants to collect his share of the fruit. However, the tenants beat, kill, and stone the servants. The landowner sends more servants, but they receive the same treatment. Finally, he sends his son, thinking they will respect him. Instead, the tenants conspire to kill the son, hoping to seize his inheritance.

Wicked and Unfaithful Servants

The tenants' actions reveal their wickedness and unfaithfulness. They are entrusted with the care of the vineyard but act with violence and treachery. Their refusal to give the landowner his due and their mistreatment of his servants highlight their rebellion against rightful authority. The tenants' ultimate crime is the murder of the landowner's son, a clear allusion to the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Implications

The parable serves as a severe indictment of the religious leaders of Jesus' time. They are depicted as unfaithful stewards who fail to lead the people in righteousness and reject God's messengers, including His Son. The parable underscores the consequences of unfaithfulness and rebellion against God. Jesus warns that the kingdom of God will be taken away from them and given to a people who will produce its fruit (Matthew 21:43).

Theological Significance

The wicked and unfaithful servants in the parable symbolize the broader theme of human rebellion against divine authority. The parable emphasizes God's patience and justice. Despite repeated rejections, God continues to reach out to His people. However, there is a limit to His patience, and judgment is inevitable for those who persist in unfaithfulness.

Application for Believers

For contemporary believers, the parable serves as a reminder of the responsibility to be faithful stewards of the gifts and responsibilities God has entrusted to them. It calls for vigilance in spiritual leadership and a heart open to God's messengers. The parable also encourages believers to produce fruit in keeping with repentance and to honor the Son, Jesus Christ, in all aspects of life.

Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 21:33-41
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and dig a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to farmers, and went into a far country:
Nave's Topical Index

Mark 12:1-9
And he began to speak to them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and dig a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to farmers, and went into a far country.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

C. The Last Stages. Chs. 17:11 to 19:28
... thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. ... The pound was taken from
the unfaithful servant and given ... is not only perilous to be unfaithful in his ...
/.../erdman/the gospel of luke an exposition/c the last stages chs.htm

God's People Delivered.
... him to whom God shall say, Depart, thou wicked servant. ... vineyard "will miserably
destroy those wicked men." In ... sin and punishment of those unfaithful men, the ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /40 gods people delivered.htm

God's People Delivered
... him to whom God shall say: Depart, thou wicked servant. ... vineyard "will miserably
destroy those wicked men." In ... sin and punishment of those unfaithful men the ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 40 gods people delivered.htm

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
... where comparison is excluded, thus: "A wicked man taketh ... In the parable of the
unforgiving servant (Matt.18:23 ... 7. In the parable of the unfaithful steward, our ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxv the figurative language.htm

A Great Religious Awakening.
... the "son of perdition," and "that wicked," represents the ... And the parable in the
same chapter, contrasting the faithful and the unfaithful servant, and giving ...
/.../20 a great religious awakening.htm

A Great Religious Awakening
... the son of perdition," and "that wicked," represents the ... And the parable in the same
chapter, contrasting the faithful and the unfaithful servant, and giving ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 20 a great religious.htm

Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ;
... lame, for that was his plea""thy servant is lame ... behold the Lord Jesus, when this
wicked one, even ... afterwards repented and went." By this parable Jesus Christ ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/come and welcome to jesus.htm

Life and Works of Rufinus with Jerome's Apology Against Rufinus.
... the Zezreelite for the sake of the vineyard, and sent ... If you call me wicked for
following your example, what ... There is a parable of the Gospel which illustrates ...
/.../various/life and works of rufinus with jeromes apology against rufinus /