Matthew 21:40-41

“When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those vineyard workers? They say to him, ‘He will evilly (kakos) destroy those evil (kakos) men, and will let out the vineyard to other vineyard workers, who will render him the fruits in their seasons'.”

What the Lord of the vineyard will do is then spelled out by means of the answer to a typical question. What will He do with them? He will ‘evilly' destroy the evil men who have done this thing, and give the vineyard to others. That is He will visit them with what we describe as ‘evils'. It does not mean that He will behave evilly, but that He will visit them with ‘evils' in judgment. Note the play on words which emphasises that what they have sown they will reap. No one could really have been in doubt about the final ending of their tenancy. It was the obvious conclusion. Nevertheless its literal fulfilment was remarkable. For Jerusalem would, within forty years after the death of Jesus, be destroyed. Evils would come upon it and the priesthood would be destroyed. And the care of God's people would have been removed elsewhere, initially, among other places, to Syrian Antioch (Acts 13), and then to the church leaders of the local communities. But Jerusalem would be left empty.

‘To other vineyard workers.' Presumably Jesus is referring to the Apostles and their companions, compare Matthew 16:18; Matthew 18:18; Luke 22:30 and see Matthew 20:1. We can compare here Matthew 21:43, ‘The Kingly Rule of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation bringing forth its fruits', not strictly another nation, but a new believing Israel as headed by His followers. It was of that new Israel, which excluded the unbelievers in the old Israel, that all who became Christians would become a member (Romans 11:17; Galatians 3:29; Galatians 6:16; Ephesians 2:11).

In these four words are summed up what we call ‘the church age'. The Chief Priests, Scribes and Pharisees, and Elders will be replaced by the Apostles and their co-workers (see Matthew 28:19), and then God's vineyard will really expand as never before.