Matius 21:32-33

21:32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although ¹  you saw this, you did not later change your minds ²  and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

21:33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner ³  who planted a vineyard. ⁴  He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then ⁵  he leased it to tenant farmers ⁶  and went on a journey.

[21:32]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:32]  ² sn The word translated change your minds is the same verb used in v. 29 (there translated had a change of heart). Jesus is making an obvious comparison here, in which the religious leaders are viewed as the disobedient son.

[21:33]  ³ tn The term here refers to the owner and manager of a household.

[21:33]  ⁴ sn The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT (Isa 5:1-7). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24.

[21:33]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[21:33]  ⁶ sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.