9 And he gave the people this story: A man made a vine-garden and gave the use of it to some field-workers and went into another country for a long time. 10 And at the right time he sent a servant to the workers to get part of the fruit from the vines; but the workmen gave him blows and sent him away with nothing. 11 And he sent another servant, and they gave blows to him in the same way, and put shame on him, and sent him away with nothing. 12 And he sent a third, and they gave him wounds and put him out. 13 And the lord of the garden said, What am I to do? I will send my dearly loved son; they may give respect to him. 14 But when the workmen saw him, they said to one another, This is he who will one day be the owner of the property: let us put him to death and the heritage will be ours. 15 And driving him out of the garden they put him to death. Now what will the lord do to these workmen? 16 He will come and put them to destruction and give the garden to others. And when he said this, they said, May it not be so. 17 But he, looking on them, said, Is it not in the Writings, The stone which the builders put on one side, the same has become the chief stone of the building? 18 Everyone falling on that stone will be broken, but the man on whom the stone comes down will be crushed to dust.
19 And the chief priests and the scribes made attempts to get their hands on him in that very hour; and they were in fear of the people, for they saw that he had made up this story against them.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 20:9-19
Commentary on Luke 20:9-19
(Read Luke 20:9-19)
Christ spake this parable against those who resolved not to own his authority, though the evidence of it was so full. How many resemble the Jews who murdered the prophets and crucified Christ, in their enmity to God, and aversion to his service, desiring to live according to their lusts, without control! Let all who are favoured with God's word, look to it that they make proper use of their advantages. Awful will be the doom, both of those who reject the Son, and of those who profess to reverence Him, yet render not the fruits in due season. Though they could not but own that for such a sin, such a punishment was just, yet they could not bear to hear of it. It is the folly of sinners, that they persevere in sinful ways, though they dread the destruction at the end of those ways.