He had one beloved son. At last he sent him to them, saying, ‘Perhaps they will show respect for my son.’
Here the parable reaches its center. The beloved Son is Jesus Christ, the Father’s only-begotten and beloved Son. Sending the Son after the servants shows that the coming of Christ was the highest and final grace of God’s revelation. The words “They will respect My Son” do not mean that God was unaware of their evil, but, in the language of the parable, show how just the expectation was that the Son would be received with honor. If despising the prophets was a grave sin, then rejecting the Son is the cause of an even greater condemnation.