Matthew 22
22
Parable of the Great Feast
1Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2“The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.
7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Taxes for Caesar
15Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. 16They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. 17Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? 19Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin,#22:19 Greek a denarius. 20he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
21“Caesar’s,” they replied.
“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
22His reply amazed them, and they went away.
Discussion about Resurrection
23That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question: 24“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.’#22:24 Deut 25:5-6. 25Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. 26But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. 27Last of all, the woman also died. 28So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.”
29Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. 30For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven.
31 “But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead—haven’t you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, # 22:31 Greek read about this? God said. 32‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’#22:32 Exod 3:6. So he is the God of the living, not the dead.”
33When the crowds heard him, they were astounded at his teaching.
The Most Important Commandment
34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’#22:37 Deut 6:5. 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’#22:39 Lev 19:18. 40The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Whose Son Is the Messiah?
41Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question: 42“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
They replied, “He is the son of David.”
43Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’ # 22:44 Ps 110:1.
45 Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”
46No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
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Matthew 22: NLT
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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Matthew 22
22
1And Jesus answering spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2The kingdom of the heavens has become like a king who made a wedding feast for his son, 3and sent his bondmen to call the persons invited to the wedding feast, and they would not come. 4Again he sent other bondmen, saying, Say to the persons invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatted beasts are killed, and all things ready; come to the wedding feast. 5But they made light of it, and went, one to his own land, and another to his commerce. 6And the rest, laying hold of his bondmen, ill-treated and slew them. 7And when the king heard of it he was wroth, and having sent his forces, destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8Then he says to his bondmen, The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy; 9go therefore into the thoroughfares of the highways, and as many as ye shall find invite to the wedding feast. 10And those bondmen went out into the highways, and brought together all as many as they found, both evil and good; and the wedding feast was furnished with guests. 11And the king, having gone in to see the guests, beheld there a man not clothed with a wedding garment. 12And he says to him, My friend, how camest thou in here not having on a wedding garment? But he was speechless. 13Then said the king to the servants, Bind him feet and hands, and take him away, and cast him out into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 14For many are called ones, but few chosen ones.
15Then went the Pharisees and held a council how they might ensnare him in speaking. 16And they send out to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth, and carest not for any one, for thou regardest not men's person; 17tell us therefore what thou thinkest: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 18But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said, Why tempt ye me, hypocrites? 19Shew me the money of the tribute. And they presented to him a denarius. 20And he says to them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21They say to him, Caesar's. Then he says to them, Pay then what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God. 22And when they heard him, they wondered, and left him, and went away.
23On that day came to him Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they demanded of him, 24saying, Teacher, Moses said, If any one die, not having children, his brother shall marry his wife and shall raise up seed to his brother. 25Now there were with us seven brethren; and the first having married died, and not having seed, left his wife to his brother. 26In like manner also the second and the third, unto the seven. 27And last of all the woman also died. 28In the resurrection therefore of which of the seven shall she be wife, for all had her? 29And Jesus answering said to them, Ye err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as angels of God in heaven. 31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not God of the dead, but of the living. 33And when the crowds heard it they were astonished at his doctrine.
34But the Pharisees, having heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, were gathered together. 35And one of them, a lawyer, demanded, tempting him, and saying, 36Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? 37And he said to him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments the whole law and the prophets hang.
41And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus demanded of them, 42saying, What think ye concerning the Christ? whose son is he? They say to him, David's. 43He says to them, How then does David in Spirit call him Lord, saying, 44The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand until I put thine enemies under thy feet? 45If therefore David call him Lord, how is he his son? 46And no one was able to answer him a word, nor did any one dare from that day to question him any more.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.