In the previous blog, we saw how Scripture itself provides the answer regarding what the vineyard represents. The Lord bases His parable on Isaiah 5, which states: the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.
Matthew 21 (based on ISA)
33 (…) And he placed a stone fence around it, and he dug a winepress in it, and he built a tower…
God gave Israel a land and the Law (a stone fence), entrusted them with His word, and thereby gave them a prospect (a tower). Wine and the winepress speak of promises and new life. These, too, were given to Israel so that they might be a blessing to the nations (Ex. 19:6).
33 …and he leased it to tenant farmers, and he went on a journey.
The tenant farmers
During the owner’s absence, the tenant farmers are given management of the vineyard. They represent the leaders of Israel, to whom the words of God were entrusted (Rom. 3:2). We will see this confirmed later, as the Lord provides some explanation, causing the chief priests and Pharisees to realize that He is speaking about them.
34 Now when the season of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenant farmers to receive his fruit.
Although the story in Matthew 21 unfolds slightly differently, the gist is the same as what we find in Isaiah 5. We could simply continue reading from where we left off with the Isaiah 5 quote in the previous blog. Neither vineyard produces any fruit.
Isaiah 5
2 …And he expected the vineyard to produce good grapes, but it produced wild grapes.
(…)
5 Now then, I will let you know what I am going to do with My vineyard: remove its thorn hedge, so that it may be devastated; break down its wall, so that it may be trampled;
6 I will make it a wasteland; it will be neither pruned nor hoed, so that thorns and thistles spring up; and I will command the clouds to let no rain fall upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel…
Later, we will see that the Kingdom given to Israel would be taken away from them and given to another people. The Jewish people would be judged and driven out of the land, and the land would become a wasteland (Matt. 23:38), just as Isaiah 5 foretells.