King James Bible
"And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty."
The owner sends a representative at harvest time to collect his rightful share from the tenant farmers. In ancient Jewish agricultural practice, landowners commonly leased vineyards to tenants who paid rent with a portion of the harvest, making this servant's mission both legal and expected. The servant comes seeking the owner's contractual due—a portion of the vineyard's produce. This request represents God's rightful claim on Israel's spiritual fruitfulness, as the parable depicts God as the vineyard owner and Israel's leaders as the tenants. The tenants violently reject their obligation, assaulting the messenger and denying the owner any return. This mirrors Israel's historical pattern of persecuting prophets sent by God, revealing the tenants' rebellion extends beyond mere theft to open hostility against rightful authority.