The tenant farmers seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
The tenants’ attitude reveals an ungrateful and rebellious heart. They not only refused to give fruit, but also dishonored the servant who was sent. This portrays the attitude of Israel’s leaders and people toward the prophets: Israel’s leaders and the people received the word of God not with obedience, but with rejection and persecution. Sending him away empty-handed shows that they did not give God what they owed—neither faith, nor righteousness, nor true reverence. A person may outwardly remain within the religious vineyard, yet in the heart refuse to bear fruit for the Lord.