What does Luke 20:9 mean?
The parable of the wicked tenants is the second of six passages discussing authority. In particular, the question is whether it belongs to Jesus or the religious leaders of Jerusalem. Jesus is on the Temple Mount, days after He entered Jerusalem in a style reflecting His rightful place as King of the Jews. The next day, on the Temple Mount, He drove out merchants who were cheating Jewish travelers and blocking the way for Gentiles to worship God. A group of chief priests and elders, who likely profited from those merchants, asked Jesus who gave Him the authority to do so. The inclusion of their lawyers suggests they were waiting for Him to say something against the Mosaic or Roman law. Instead, He turned the question around and caught them in their own trap (Luke 20:1–8).Jesus isn't finished, yet. He wants the Jewish leaders to understand the consequences if they do not show good stewardship in the role God has given them. They ought to lead others in right worship of God. If they don't, God will remove their authority and give it to others. In Matthew's account, Jesus started this lesson by telling the parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28–32). Jerusalem's established leaders are like a son who tells his father he will obey but then doesn't. God would rather have a son who says he won't obey but does.
The parable which begins here is similar. A landowner finds tenants to tend his vineyard. The landowner sends servants to collect fruit from the vineyard, but every time the tenants beat the servant and send him away with nothing. Eventually, the landowner sends his son, whom the tenants kill. In response, the owner kills them and brings in new tenants.
In the prophets' writings, Israel is occasionally referred to as God's vineyard (Isaiah 5:1–7). In one particularly poignant verse, God says, "Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled down my portion; they have made my pleasant portion a desolated wilderness" (Jeremiah 12:10). This speaks to how the religious leaders of that time had abused the people they were supposed to lead.
To "let" something is to rent it out. The KJV uses the term "husbandmen" instead of "tenants." A "husbandman" is a farmer or a hired agricultural worker.
