Tenant Farmers

Jesus' parable of the wicked tenants illustrates the action he thought must be taken against oppressors. The "wicked" tenant farmers in the parable were oppressed by the rich man. He took their land and hurt their way of life by creating a vineyard-a commercial crop that did not provide sustainable food for the tenants. In response to the brutality the tenant farmers retaliated by refusing to give up what little they had. This eventually lead to violence and murder. ALthough the parable included violent acts, Jesus did not endorse this idea. He, rather showed that violence only led to a cycle of more violence. He illustrated this through the final actions of the rich man-killing the tenant farmers. Jesus' true message is that you should stand up to your oppressors. During the time Jesus told this parable, the Jewish people were being oppressed not only by the Romans, but by the Jewish high priests too-their own people. Just as the tenant farmers were being oppressed by the rich man- a devout Jew. Jesus' true message is shown through the verses 10-12. "The stone that the builders reject shall become the head corner stone." The tenant farmers were rejected by the rich man, just as the Jewish people were being rejected. In response to this, Jesus was trying to teach the ignored Jewish people to stand up for themselves. You can determine this by the want of arresting Jesus. By standing up for themselves, through non-violent acts, the oppressed can become the "head cornerstone."