Matthew 21:37
“But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’”
What does Matthew 21:37 mean?
In this parable, a landowner has sent multiple servants to collect what's owed to him, but the tenants have rejected and hurt them all. By this point, you might think the owner would give up, but instead he sends his own son, reasoning that surely they'll treat family differently. It's a heartbreaking moment because we already know—and Jesus' audience would have known—that respect isn't what the son will receive. The landowner's hope reveals both a father's love and a tragic misreading of the tenants' hearts. Jesus uses this story to show how God kept reaching out to Israel through prophets and messengers, always hoping for a change of heart, right up to sending his own Son. It's a reminder that love sometimes keeps hoping even when the signs point the other way.