Luke 20:13

Luke 20:13, in plain English

The owner thinks: 'What should I do? I'll send my beloved son. Surely they'll respect him.' After everything, he sends the most precious person he has.

Why it's here

'My beloved son' — those are the exact words God spoke about Jesus at His baptism. Jesus is telling His own story in a parable, and the ending is about to break your heart.

Who's speaking

The vineyard owner makes the most costly decision possible — sending his own son.

Where it sits in the story

After every rejection, the owner sends the one he loves most. It's the most vulnerable, generous, heartbreaking decision in the story — and it's exactly what God did.

The scholarly reading

The owner deliberates ('What shall I do?') and makes the extraordinary decision to send his 'beloved son' (ton huion mou ton agapēton), reasoning that 'perhaps they will respect him.' The language echoes God's declaration at Jesus' baptism (3:22).

Language and setting

'Beloved son' (agapētos) is the identical phrase used at Jesus' baptism and transfiguration (3:22, 9:35). The owner's 'perhaps' (isōs) reveals both hope and vulnerability — God risks His Son knowing the outcome.

Voice

The vineyard owner voices his decision to send his beloved son as a final emissary.

Significance

After every prophet was rejected, God makes the ultimate gamble: He sends His own Son. 'Beloved son' — the same words God spoke at Jesus' baptism. The parable is becoming unmistakably autobiographical.

11So he sent another servant, but they beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away empty-handed.

12Then he sent a third, but they wounded him and threw him out.

13‘What shall I do?’ asked the owner of the vineyard. ‘I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.’

14But when the tenants saw the son, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Read all of Luke 20 — The religious leaders challenge Jesus' authority. He answers with a parable about murderous tenants that leaves them furious and afraid.