“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” —Isaiah 5:20

We are living in a time when many who claim to steward God’s vineyard have traded truth for tradition, holiness for hype, and the Son for self-promotion. This isn’t just a parable—it’s a warning. And it’s unfolding right now in pulpits, platforms, and hearts across the nation.

The parable is known as The Parable of the Wicked Tenants, found in Matthew 21:33–46, Mark 12:1–12, and Luke 20:9–19. It’s one of Jesus’ most pointed and prophetic teachings.

A Master planted a vineyard.

• He chose the soil. Dug the trenches. Built the watchtower.
• Then He entrusted it to stewards—leaders, influencers, pastors, prophets—those called to tend His harvest.

But over time, the stewards forgot whose vineyard it was.

• They built platforms instead of altars.
• They chased influence instead of intimacy.
• They silenced the messengers—those sent to remind them of covenant, holiness, and truth.

The Rejection of the Son

• The Master sent prophets. They were mocked.
• He sent reformers. They were rejected.
• He sent servants with fire in their bones. They were labeled divisive.
• And then… He sent His Son. “Surely they’ll honor Him,” (v.6) the Master said.
  • But they didn’t. They killed Him. And claimed the vineyard as their own.

This isn’t ancient history. It’s happening now.

• Churches built on charisma instead of Christ.
• Movements that preach comfort but not conviction.
• Leaders who use the name of Jesus but deny His Lordship.

They’ve taken the vineyard and said, “This is ours. We decide what’s fruitful. We define what’s holy.”

The Master Is Coming

The vineyard belongs to the Master.

He’s looking for those who will tend it with reverence, obedience, and fire. Not to the influencers. Not to the institutions. And certainly not to those who silence conviction in the name of comfort.

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” — Matthew 21:42

• He’s not coming for applause.
• He’s coming for fruit.
• He’s coming to reclaim what’s His.
• To remove stewards who’ve traded surrender for self-promotion.
• To raise up a remnant—those who will bear fruit in season,
  • who will not bow to culture,
  • who will not kill the Son again with compromise.

The Call

If you’ve been watching the shadows on the wall, it’s time to turn toward the Light. Repent. Return. Bear fruit.

• If you’ve been playing church, repent.
• If you’ve been silencing conviction, wake up.
• If you’ve been stewarding influence without surrender, fall on your face.

Some have long misused Matthew 21 to claim God rejected Israel in favor of the Gentile Church (replacement theology), but a close reading of the parable shows that Jesus was not speaking of replacing Israel as God’s chosen people, but of transferring its leadership to those who would faithfully steward God’s mission (Matthew 21:43). Jesus was not condemning all Jews but the corrupt religious leadership of His day (Matthew 21:45).

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” —2 Chronicles 7:14