They said to Him, “He will bring those evil men to a terrible destruction, and will give the vineyard to other tenants, who will give Him the fruit in its season.”
The listeners—the religious leaders and the people—pronounce God’s righteous verdict with their own lips, not realizing that they are speaking about themselves. “He will bring the wicked to a terrible destruction” means that God’s patience, when it is exhausted, turns into righteous judgment: those who abused the authority they received from Him will perish. The statement “He will give the vineyard to other tenants” prophetically shows that the kingdom of God is to be given to a new people—those who will receive Christ by faith and bear the fruit of righteousness. This word foretells the birth of the Church as an assembly of new “tenants,” which is to serve God with faith and obedience. Thus, when unbelievers lose what God has granted, God passes it on to the faithful.