Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 21:39

"And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him." — Matthew 21:39 (ASV)

The action of the tenants is consistently callous. Precisely how it applies to Jesus is not entirely clear. True, their attitude was not, “This is the Messiah: come, let us kill him”; yet, in the light of the Scriptures, their rejection of him was no less culpable than if it had been that. Therefore, though all the parable’s details may not be pressed, rejection of the son (v.39) by the leaders is the final straw that brings divine wrath on them.

Jesus elicits the self-condemning response (vv.40–41) of the hearers of the parable, thus concluding his teaching in this parable, instead of simply presenting it. Of course the conclusion remains his, regardless of how he gets it across.