However, “the cultivators” mistreated and killed the “slaves” sent to them. Jesus explains: “One more [the owner of the vineyard] had, a beloved son. He sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those cultivators said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him.”​—Mark 12:6-8.

The scribes and chief priests recognize that Jesus “told this illustration with them in mind.” (Luke 20:19) More than ever, they want to kill him, the rightful “heir.” But they fear the crowds, who consider Jesus a prophet, so they do not try to kill him right then.