Matthew 22
New Living Translation
Parable of the Great Feast
22 Jesus 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. 3 When 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!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others 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. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So 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. 13 Then 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
15 Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. 16 They 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. 17 Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? 19 Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin,[a] 20 he 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.”
22 His reply amazed them, and they went away.
Discussion about Resurrection
23 That 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.’[b] 25 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. 26 But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. 27 Last of all, the woman also died. 28 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.”
29 Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. 30 For 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,[c] 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[d] So he is the God of the living, not the dead.”
33 When the crowds heard him, they were astounded at his teaching.
The Most Important Commandment
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One 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?”
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[e] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[f] 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Whose Son Is the Messiah?
41 Then, 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.”
43 Jesus 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.’[g]
45 Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”
46 No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Matthew 22
Lexham English Bible
The Parable of the Wedding Celebration
22 And continuing, Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man—a king—who gave a wedding celebration for his son. 3 And he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the wedding celebration, and they did not want to come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding celebration!”’ 5 But they paid no attention and[a] went away—this one to his own field, that one to his business. 6 And the others, seizing his slaves, mistreated them[b] and killed them.[c] 7 And the king was angry and sent his troops and[d] destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding celebration is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore, go out to the places where the roads exit the city and invite to the wedding celebration as many people as you find.’ 10 And those slaves went out into the roads and[e] gathered everyone whom they found, both evil and good, and the wedding celebration was filled with dinner guests.[f] 11 But when[g] the king came in to see the dinner guests,[h] he saw a man there not dressed in wedding clothes. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here, not having wedding clothes?’ But he could say nothing.[i] 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot[j] and[k] throw him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ 14 For many are called but few are chosen.”
Paying Taxes to Caesar
15 Then the Pharisees went and consulted[l] so that they could entrap him with a statement. 16 And they sent their disciples to him with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and you do not care what anyone thinks,[m] because you do not regard the opinion of people.[n] 17 Therefore tell us what you think. Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18 But because he[o] knew their maliciousness, Jesus said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? 19 Show me the coin for the tax!” So they brought him a denarius. 20 And he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” 21 They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!” 22 And when they[p] heard this,[q] they were astonished, and they left him and[r] went away.
A Question About Marriage and the Resurrection
23 On that day Sadducees—who say there is no resurrection—came up to him and asked him, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said if someone dies without having children, his brother is to marry his wife and father[s] descendants for his brother. 25 Now there were seven brothers with us. And the first died after[t] getting married, and because he[u] did not have descendants, he left his wife to his brother. 26 So also the second and the third, up to the seventh. 27 And last of all the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her as wife.”[v] 29 But Jesus answered and[w] said to them, “You are mistaken, because[x] you do not know the scriptures or the power of God! 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God[y] in heaven. 31 Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, who said, 32 “I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob”?[z] He is not the God of the dead, but of the living!” 33 And when[aa] the crowds heard this,[ab] they were amazed at his teaching.
The Greatest Commandment
34 Now when[ac] the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled at the same place.[ad] 35 And one of them, a legal expert, put a question to him[ae] to test him: 36 “Teacher, which commandment is greatest in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[af] 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[ag] 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
David’s Son and Lord
41 Now while[ah] the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “David’s.” 43 He said to them, “How then does David, by the Spirit, call him ‘Lord,’ saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet”’?[ai]
45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask him any more questions.[aj]
Footnotes
- Matthew 22:5 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“paid no attention”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 22:6 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 22:6 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 22:7 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sent”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 22:10 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went out”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 22:10 Literally “with those reclining at table”
- Matthew 22:11 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came in”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 22:11 Literally “ones reclining at table”
- Matthew 22:12 Literally “he was silent”
- Matthew 22:13 Literally “feet and hands”
- Matthew 22:13 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“tie”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 22:15 Literally “took counsel”
- Matthew 22:16 Literally “it is not a care to you concerning anyone”
- Matthew 22:16 Literally “because you do not look at the face of men”
- Matthew 22:18 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“knew”) which is understood as causal
- Matthew 22:22 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 22:22 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 22:22 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“left”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 22:24 Literally “raise up”
- Matthew 22:25 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“getting married”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 22:25 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“have”) which is understood as causal
- Matthew 22:28 *The words “as wife” are not in the Greek text but are implied
- Matthew 22:29 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 22:29 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“know”) which is understood as causal
- Matthew 22:30 Some manuscripts omit “of God”
- Matthew 22:32 A quotation from Exod 3:6
- Matthew 22:33 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 22:33 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 22:34 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 22:34 Or “they assembled together”
- Matthew 22:35 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 22:37 A quotation from Deut 6:5
- Matthew 22:39 A quotation from Lev 19:18
- Matthew 22:41 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“assembled”)
- Matthew 22:44 A quotation from Ps 110:1
- Matthew 22:46 *The word “questions” is not in the Greek text but is implied
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