The passage
      v33-34. The parable illustrates the landowners care in preparing a beautiful and efficient vineyard. He is confident that the vineyard will bear fruit. The landowners agents then come to collect "his/its fruit". Certainly not all the fruit, just the rent from the tenant farmers.
      v35-37. The tenant farmers rough up the landowners agents, even killing some. They "beat" ("flay", "flog") and generally ill-treat the agents (servants) of the landowner. Some commentators have suggested that the first and later servants represent the former and the latter prophets. They certainly do represent the prophets. Finally, the landowner sends his son, for he says, "they will respect my son".
      v38-39. The tenants are cruel in the extreme, taking the son out of the vineyard and killing him (order reversed in Mark). The religious authorities had not, up to this point in time, intended Jesus harm, but they were opposed to his ministry and rejected him as messiah (the "son" represents Jesus as messiah). Some would soon call for his death, and Jesus, in this parable, is showing them where their opposition will take them.
      v40-41. Jesus draws out from his hearers a self-condemning response. The prophet Nathan did the same with king David. This serves to drive home the point and expose their state of loss. Both Luke and Mark do not record these particular verses.
      v42. Quoting psalm 118:22-23, Jesus applies the passage to himself. The nations may reject and despise Israel, as a builder rejects a particular stone because he thinks it is worthless, but God will make his people as a capstone, the top cornerstone of a parapet (possibly a corner foundation stone). When God makes greatness out of something that we despise, "what a wonderful thing that is."
      v43. Jesus now comes straight to the point. "You" have been so remiss in handling the responsibilities given you by God ("produce its fruit"), that those responsibilities (with its associated covenant blessings) will be taken from you and given to others. The context limits the reference to "the chief priests and the Pharisees". The religious leaders have failed Israel and so God will now care for his people through others who will tend the vineyard.
      v44. This verse is only found in a few manuscripts. It could well have been brought over from Luke's gospel, Lk.20:18. The verse may be a warning: rejecting Jesus is a dangerous path for the religious leaders to follow, for it is a path to judgment. On the other hand, it is possible that the image of falling on the stone illustrates submission for salvation.
      v45-46. The religious leaders realize that Jesus is speaking about them. Jesus has warned them that they are about to violently reject God's messiah; now they rush off to do it.

Ministers of God's Word
      Over some 20 years, a missionary family returned to their link church to report on the work of the gospel in their mission area. They were taken by a change that seemed to touch, not only their own denomination, but some of the other more established denominations as well. They visited regularly every year while on furlough and gave their 5 minute mission slot. Each year they noted the service was less formal and more entertaining. Each year they were told the church was getting some 25 new members a month, although each year the congregation seems to number the same. On their last visit, any formal structure to the service had completely disappeared. The band blasted forth, the "Sesame Street" slots amused, and as for the sermon, it left him horrified. The preaching was certainly "accessing", consisting of stories and pious observations, but there was no exposition. "The preacher", they said, "performed like a frustrated comedian".
      The "farmers" of Israel, their shepherds, their religious leaders, their teachers, had failed to bear the fruit of a faithful word from God. Their words led the people to reject the messiah.
      As nominalism fades in the Western world and institutional churches attempt to stem the tide of falling attendance, the temptation is to satisfy the emotions rather than the soul. Thus we entertain, play the topics rather than expound the Word. We may hold the crowd, but then all we have built is Babel.
      Research in England has shown that there are more committed believers outside the established church than in it - disenfranchised, disillusioned. "Farmers" beware, the capstone crushes.

v34
      gewrgouV (oV) "farmers" - people who work the land. Here "vine growers." oJ kairoV twn karpwn "harvest time" - the time of the fruits. "Vintage season", NEB.
      hggisen (eggizw) aor. "approached" - came near. "Came", TEV.
      labein (lambanw) inf. "to collect [his fruit]" - to receive. The infinitive expressing purpose, "in order to collect." Possibly, "to obtain his share of the grapes", NAB, if they are share farmers.

v35
      edeiran (derw) aor. "they beat" - flay, beat. The softer "beat" is intended. Possibly an ascending order of violence which means that the stoning is a violent stoning to death.

v36
      palin adv. "again" - Possibly indicating the sending of servants at the next harvest in the following year.
      pleionaV (poluV) comp. adj. "more"
      twn prwtwn gen. adj. "than the first time" - [more] than the first ones. Genitive substantive, best taken as a comparison.

v37
      uJsteron sup. adj. "last of all" - finally. at last. Expressing the last of a series.
      entraphsontai (entrepw) fut. pas. "they will respect" - "Surely they will act respectfully toward ..."
      legwn (legw) pres. part. "he said" - saying. Attendant circumstance participle identifying action accompanying the action of the main verb "sent" - "he sent his son saying." "He thought to himself."

v38
      idonteV (eidon) aor. part. "when [the tenants] saw" - having seen. The participle is adverbial, temporal (expressing time), as NIV. "But when they saw the son coming ..."
      oJ klhronomoV (oV) "the heir" - "Some day he will own the vineyard. Let's kill him! Then we can have it for ourselves", CEV.
      apokteinwmen (apokteinw) aor. subj. "let's kill" - let us kill. Hortatory subjunctive.
      thn klhronomian (a) "[his] inheritance" - "His property", TEV.

v39
      labonteV (lambanw) aor. part. "the took him" - having taken. The participle is temporal; "then they took him." "They grabbed him."
      exebalon (ekballw) aor. "threw him" - cast him. Note, opposite to Mark who has killed and then threw out. Possible alignment to the order of Jesus' death. Note that the Talmud makes the point that people who have worked land that is not theirs for over three years have gained rights over it. In this case, the owner may then be treated as an intruder.

v40
      oun "therefore" - Possibly forming a conclusion, but also possibly just introducing the next logical step, namely, the coming of the owner.
      oJtan + subj. "when" - when [came the lord of the vineyard]. Forming an indefinite temporal clause.

v41
      kakouV kakwV "[he will bring] those wretches to a wretched [end]" - evil ones badly [he will destroy]. The adjective is used as a noun, and with the adverb, serves as a play on words; "he will bring those bad men to a bad end", NEB. Possibly meaning total destruction, eg., "shot and their cloths burnt."
      legousin (legw) pres. "they replied" - they say. Historic present.
      apodwsousin (apodidwmi) fut. "will give" - will give back. Moule notes that the future tense sometimes serves to form a purpose clause, "so that they may give him his share."

v42
      en taiV grafaiV "in the scriptures" - "In the Bible."
      liqon (oV) acc. "the stone" - An example of attraction, where "stone" should be in the nominative case, but has been attracted into the accusative case by the relative pronoun beside it.
      apedokimasan (apodokimazw) aor. "rejected" - completely rejected as useless.
      kefalhn gwniaV "the capstone" - head of corner. It is not actually known whether this stone is the capstone, top stone of the building, binding the walls together, or whether it is the corner foundation stone. Whatever, the builders rejected it as unsuitable, but from God's perspective, it works perfectly.
      estin qaumasth en ofqalmoiV hJmwn "it is marvelous in our eyes" - A Semitism expressing the sense "what a wonderful thing that is"; "isn't that something!"

v43
      dia "therefore" - Introducing a logical conclusion. Possibly, "for this reason I tell you", NAB.
      arqhsetai (airw) fut. pas. "will be taken away" - will be taken. The removal of the covenant is a difficult idea to comprehend. Does Jesus simply mean that they will lose the opportunity to participate in the covenant with its responsibilities and privileges and therefore now stand outside the new age of the kingdom?
      touV karpouV (oV) "fruit" - It is interesting how we become very creative when "the fruit" of the kingdom is mentioned. "Obedience" and "faithfulness" is the usual line and given the context, the faithfulness of Israel's leaders is the possible sense. The sermon notes develop this line. Yet, producing fruit may well just be about accepting Jesus as our Lord, welcoming "the son." The religious leaders are then representative of all those who reject the Son.

v44
      A doubtful verse, possibly brought over from Luke 20:18, but also possibly just missed by some during transcribing. The imagery is probably drawn from Daniel 2:34, 44-55. The stone that crushes was later understood to be the Messiah. The interesting feature lies in the imagery. The sense of "crushed" is pulverize, grind to powder/dust. Clearly a judgment picture. Yet, what of "will be broken to pieces"? Some commentators argue that the sense is positive, not negative; that this is a "broken before the Lord" image. The one "who falls on this stone", who bows before him, humbles himself, accepts, submits ..... is broken to salvation. If we fall on the stone it may change us, but not destroy us. This line of interpretation is certainly worth pursuing, although is not the one taken in the sample sermon.
      oJ peswn (piptw) part. "he who falls" - the one falling. Participle as a substantive.
      sunqlasqhsetai (sunqlaw) fut. pas. "will be broken to pieces" - will be crushed, broken into pieces, shattered.
      de "but" - Obviously here an adversative.
      likmhsei (likmaw) fut. "will be crushed" - winnowed, ground to powder/dust.

v45
      oiJ arciereiV kai oiJ Farisaioi "the chief priests and the Pharisees" - Interesting how Matthew now associates members of the party of Sadducees with that of the Pharisees, both sworn enemies, but both opposed to Jesus.