Jesus addressed all the people present; but the priests and rulers answered. "He will miserably destroy those wicked men," they said, "and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons." The speakers had not at first perceived the application of the parable, but they now saw that they had pronounced their own condemnation. In the parable the householder represented God, the vineyard the Jewish nation, and the hedge the divine law which was their protection. The tower was a symbol of the temple. The lord of the vineyard had done everything needful for its prosperity. "What could have been done more to my vineyard," he says, "that I have not done in it." Isa. 5:4. Thus was represented God's unwearied care for Israel. And as the husbandmen were to return to the lord a due proportion of the fruits of the vineyard, so God's people were to honor Him by a life corresponding to their sacred privileges. But as the husbandmen had killed the servants whom the master sent to them for fruit, so the Jews had put to death the prophets whom God sent to call them to repentance. Messenger after messenger had been slain. Thus far the application of the parable could not be questioned, and in what followed it was not less evident. In the beloved son whom the lord of the vineyard finally sent to his disobedient servants, and whom they 597 seized and slew, the priests and rulers saw a distinct picture of Jesus and His impending fate. Already they were planning to slay Him whom the Father had sent to them as a last appeal. In the retribution inflicted upon the ungrateful husbandmen was portrayed the doom of those who should put Christ to death.

Jesus henvendte sig til alle de tilstedeværende, men præsterne og rådsherrerne svarede. "Et ondt endeligt vil han give de onde " sagde de, "og leje sin vingård ud til andre vingårdsmænd, som vil give ham frugterne, når tid er." De talende havde ikke lige straks opdaget, hvem lignelsen sigtede til, men nu indså de, at de havde afsagt dommen over sig selv. Husbonden i lignelsen var et billede på Gud, vingården var jødefolket, og gærdet var Guds lov, som skærmede dem. Tårnet var et symbol på templet. Vingårdens herre havde gjort alt, hvad der var nødvendigt for dens trivsel. "Hvad mer var at gøre ved vingården?" siger han, "hvad lod jeg ugjort?" Es. 5,4. Således fremstilledes Guds utrættelige omsorg for Israel. Og ligesom vingårdsmændene skulle give deres herre, hvad de var ham skyldige af havens frugter, sådan skulle Guds folk ære ham ved at leve deres liv i overensstemmelse med deres hellige forrettigheder. Men ligesom vingårdsmændene havde dræbt de tjenere, som herren havde sendt til dem for at hente frugten, sådan havde jøderne slået de profeter ihjel, som Gud havde sendt for at vække dem til omvendelse. Sendebud efter sendebud var blevet dræbt. Til dette punkt kunne man ikke tvivle om lignelsens betydning, og i det følgende var denne ikke mindre øjensynlig. I den elskede søn, som vingårdens herre til sidst sendte til de ulydige tjenere, og som de greb og slog ihjel, så præsterne og rådsherrerne et tydeligt billede af Jesus og den skæbne, der ventede ham. De var allerede i gang med at planlægge at dræbe ham, som Faderen havde udsendt som den sidste appel til dem. Ved den gengældelse, der ramte de utaknemmelige vingårdsmænd, skildredes dommen over dem, der ville dræbe Kristus.