Luke 20:9 kjv
Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.
Luke 20:9 nkjv
Then He began to tell the people this parable: "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.
Luke 20:9 niv
He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time.
Luke 20:9 esv
And he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while.
Luke 20:9 nlt
Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: "A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years.
Luke 20 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text (shortened) | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 5:1-7 | "My beloved had a vineyard on a very... expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes." | Israel as God's vineyard, failure to produce fruit. |
| Ps 80:8-16 | "You brought a vine out of Egypt... why have you broken down its walls?" | Israel as God's vine, brought out and protected. |
| Jer 2:21 | "I planted you a choicest vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned into a wild vine?" | Israel's degeneration despite God's care. |
| Mt 21:33-46 | "Listen to another parable... A landowner planted a vineyard..." | Parallel account of this parable. |
| Mk 12:1-12 | "He began to speak to them in parables: 'A man planted a vineyard...'" | Parallel account of this parable. |
| Song 8:11-12 | "Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon... He entrusted the vineyard to tenants." | Cultural understanding of vineyard leasing. |
| Hos 10:1 | "Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit." | Israel as a vine, connecting fruit with abundance. |
| Ps 78:70-72 | "He chose David his servant... brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance." | God appointing stewards over His people. |
| Isa 43:21 | "The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise." | God's purpose in forming His people. |
| Gen 2:15 | "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it." | Humanity's original mandate for stewardship. |
| Jn 15:1-8 | "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser... bears much fruit." | Jesus redefines the vineyard; true fruitfulness. |
| Lk 19:12-27 | "A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return." | Parallel parable theme of an absent master. |
| Heb 1:1-2 | "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son." | God sending messengers before His Son. |
| 2 Tim 2:2 | "What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men." | Principle of entrusting truth to reliable stewards. |
| Tit 1:7 | "For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach." | Spiritual leaders as stewards of God's household. |
| 1 Cor 4:1-2 | "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy." | Believers, especially leaders, are stewards. |
| 1 Pet 4:10 | "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." | All believers are stewards of God's grace. |
| Matt 25:14-30 | "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property." | Parable of talents; master going away, accountability. |
| Jas 5:7-8 | "Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth." | God's patience, waiting for harvest. |
| Hab 2:3 | "For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay." | Divine timing and patience before culmination. |
| Rom 2:4 | "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" | God's long-suffering is intended for repentance. |
| 2 Pet 3:9 | "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." | God's patience is for the sake of repentance. |
Luke 20 verses
Luke 20 9 Meaning
This verse introduces the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers, a significant teaching delivered by Jesus in the Temple courts. It describes a landowner who plants a vineyard, leases it to tenants, and then goes away for an extended period. At its core, the parable presents an allegorical representation of God's relationship with Israel: God (the landowner) meticulously established His chosen people (the vineyard), entrusted their care and spiritual leadership to the religious authorities (the tenants), and patiently allowed time to pass (His departure) for them to produce the expected fruit of righteousness. This opening verse sets the stage for Jesus' powerful indictment of the religious leaders' unfaithfulness and their impending rejection of His ultimate authority.
Luke 20 9 Context
Luke 20:9 introduces the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers immediately after the religious leaders—the chief priests, scribes, and elders—challenged Jesus' authority in the Temple (vv. 1-8). Jesus had just entered Jerusalem to a triumphant welcome (Luke 19), performed an action of authority by cleansing the Temple, and was actively teaching there. The question regarding His authority was a direct attempt to undermine His ministry. Jesus, in response, does not directly answer their question about His authority but instead tells this parable, which functions as a veiled yet pointed critique and prophecy directed specifically at them. It uses an everyday agricultural scenario familiar to His listeners to expose the spiritual realities of Israel's history and its leadership's failings, ultimately predicting their judgment and the transfer of God's favor to another group. The parable also sets the stage for further confrontations with these leaders later in the chapter regarding taxes, the resurrection, and the greatest commandment, solidifying the conflict that culminates in His passion.
Luke 20 9 Word analysis
- He began to tell (ἔρχεται δὲ λέγειν - erkhetai de legein): The Greek suggests an active movement and a purposeful beginning. It means "He came to speak" or "He proceeded to tell," indicating a deliberate shift to parable teaching as a response to the leaders' challenge. This was not a casual storytelling, but a specific instructional move.
- the people (τὸν λαὸν - ton laon): While addressing "the people," the preceding verses (Lk 20:1-8) clearly show that the chief priests, scribes, and elders were Jesus' immediate antagonists. Thus, the parable is a public address that holds implicit but potent challenges for the religious authorities within the crowd.
- this parable (τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην - tēn parabolēn tautēn): "Parabolē" (παραβολή) signifies a "casting alongside," a comparison. It is a didactic literary device used by Jesus to reveal truth to those willing to hear and to obscure it from those who resist. It frames an earthly story with a deep spiritual, heavenly meaning, designed to draw hearers into contemplation.
- A man (ἄνθρωπος - anthrōpos): Although stated simply as "a man," in the allegorical context of a parable about a vineyard and its tenants, this figure unmistakably represents God Himself, the ultimate Proprietor and Master.
- planted (ἔστησεν - estēsen): From "histēmi" (ἵστημι), meaning "to set," "to establish," or "to appoint." This verb highlights the landowner's deliberate and active role in setting up the vineyard, signifying God's purposeful establishment of Israel as His chosen people, not a random occurrence.
- a vineyard (ἀμπελῶνα - ampelōna): "Ampelōn" (ἀμπελών) specifically refers to a plot of land with grapevines. In the Old Testament, the vineyard is a pervasive and well-understood symbol for Israel (Isa 5:1-7; Ps 80:8-16). This imagery evokes God's special care, cultivation, and expectation of fruitfulness from His chosen nation.
- leased it to tenants (ἐξέδοτο αὐτὸν γεωργοῖς - exedoto auton geōrgois): "Exedidōmi" (ἐκδίδωμι) means "to give out," or "to lease out." "Geōrgoi" (γεωργοῖς) are "earth-workers," or farmers/vinedressers. This arrangement indicates stewardship, not ownership. The "tenants" represent the religious and spiritual leaders of Israel—the priests, scribes, and Pharisees—who were entrusted with the spiritual care of God's people and the Law. They were responsible for cultivating Israel according to God's will and producing spiritual fruit.
- and went away (καὶ ἀπεδήμησεν - kai apedēmēsen): "Apedēmeō" (ἀποδημέω) means "to go abroad" or "to go away from one's own country/people." This signifies the landowner's absence for a prolonged period. Theologically, it represents God's patience and forbearance throughout Israel's history, allowing human stewardship to unfold and be tested without immediate divine intervention. It allows for the possibility of a faithful response, while setting up the consequences of unfaithfulness.
- for a long time (χρόνους ἱκανοὺς - khronous hikanous): "Khronous" (χρόνους) means "times" or "seasons," and "hikanous" (ἱκανούς) means "sufficient," "ample," or "considerable." This phrase emphasizes the extensive duration of God's patience and the vast opportunity given to Israel's leaders and people throughout centuries to fulfill their divine mandate and produce righteousness. It underscores that God did not rush judgment but provided abundant grace and time.
Luke 20 9 Bonus section
- This parable, along with others such as the Parable of the Talents/Minas (Matt 25:14-30; Lk 19:12-27), stresses the theological concept of stewardship—the idea that humans are entrusted with resources, positions, or spiritual responsibilities that belong to God and for which they will be held accountable.
- The deliberate choice to speak in parables "to the people" after being challenged by the leaders allowed Jesus to communicate profound truths and indictments that, while understood by some, would remain veiled to those whose hearts were hardened or who consciously rejected Him.
- The "long time" emphasizes the breadth of salvation history, from the call of Abraham and the establishment of the nation, through the period of the judges, kings, and prophets, leading up to the coming of Jesus, reflecting God's sustained interaction and patience with His people.
- The meticulous planting of the vineyard implies not only God's effort but also His providing all necessary conditions for fruitfulness, contrasting sharply with the tenants' eventual failure and rebellion.
Luke 20 9 Commentary
Luke 20:9 initiates the parabolic narrative of the Wicked Vinedressers, which functions as Jesus' direct, albeit allegorical, confrontation with the Jewish religious leadership in Jerusalem. The verse masterfully lays out the divine foundation for Israel's existence: God, the careful Landowner, Himself "planted" His cherished "vineyard"—Israel, the chosen nation—with meticulous intention, a recurring motif throughout the Old Testament symbolizing God's investment and expectation of fruitfulness. By "leasing it to tenants," representing the spiritual custodians of Israel such as the chief priests, scribes, and elders, Jesus highlights their role not as owners, but as accountable stewards of God's heritage. The phrase "went away into a far country for a long time" powerfully conveys God's divine patience and long-suffering through the centuries of Israelite history, allowing generations of leadership and people ample opportunity to cultivate the vineyard for His glory and produce the fruits of obedience and righteousness, before the final accounting. This setup profoundly establishes the context for the subsequent events of the parable, where the tenants' systemic abuse of their stewardship will come to light, underscoring both God's consistent goodness and the leaders' profound rebellion against His established authority and purposes.