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Then Jesus started telling them stories. "A man planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, erected a watchtower, turned it over to the farmhands, and went off on a trip.
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At the time for harvest, he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect his profits.
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"They grabbed him, beat him up, and sent him off empty-handed.
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So he sent another servant. That one they tarred and feathered.
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He sent another and that one they killed. And on and on, many others. Some they beat up, some they killed.
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"Finally there was only one left: a beloved son. In a last-ditch effort, he sent him, thinking, 'Surely they will respect my son.'
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"But those farmhands saw their chance. They rubbed their hands together in greed and said, 'This is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all for ourselves.'
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They grabbed him, killed him, and threw him over the fence.
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"What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? Right. He'll come and clean house. Then he'll assign the care of the vineyard to others.
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Read it for yourselves in Scripture: That stone the masons threw out is now the cornerstone!
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This is God's work; we rub our eyes - we can hardly believe it!"