Featuring the art of Henry Martin Copyright © 2007 Free Use for ministry purposes.

One day, Jesus was in the temple teaching. The chief priests and the leaders of the people did not like the things which Jesus had been doing and were questioning his authority. Listen to this story, Jesus said to them.

There once was a man who planted a vineyard and built a wall around it.

After he had finished building the wall, he dug a winepress.

Next he built a watchtower.

When everything was finished, he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey.

The tenants began working in the vineyard.

When the harvest time came, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.

Finally, he sent his son. Surely they will respect my son, he said.

But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.

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

When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?

"He will bring them to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time."

Jesus replied, Surely you know that the Scriptures say, `The stone that the builders tossed aside is now the most important stone of all.

"Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit."

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parable, they knew he was talking about them.

Based on the following Scriptures: Matthew 23:33-45 Mark 12:1-12 Luke 20:9-19 Produced by Sermons4Kids, Inc.