Matthew 22:23-46

Easy-to-Read Version

Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus^(A)

²³ That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that no one will rise from death.) The Sadducees asked Jesus a question. ²⁴ They said, “Teacher, Moses told us that if a married man dies and had no children, his brother must marry the woman. Then they will have children for the dead brother.^{[a] 25} There were seven brothers among us. The first brother married but died. He had no children. So his brother married the woman. ²⁶ Then the second brother also died. The same thing happened to the third brother and all the other brothers. ²⁷ The woman was the last to die. ²⁸ But all seven men had married her. So when people rise from death, whose wife will she be?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “You are so wrong! You don’t know what the Scriptures say. And you don’t know anything about God’s power. ³⁰ At the time when people rise from death, there will be no marriage. People will not be married to each other. Everyone will be like the angels in heaven. ³¹ Surely you have read what God said to you about people rising from death. ³² God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’^[b] So they were not still dead, because he is the God only of living people.”

³³ When the people heard this, they were amazed at Jesus’ teaching.

Which Command Is the Most Important?^(B)

³⁴ The Pharisees learned that Jesus had made the Sadducees look so foolish that they stopped trying to argue with him. So the Pharisees had a meeting. ³⁵ Then one of them, an expert in the Law of Moses, asked Jesus a question to test him. ³⁶ He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?”

³⁷ Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’^{[c] 38} This is the first and most important command. ³⁹ And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor^[d] the same as you love yourself.’^{[e] 40} All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.”

Is the Messiah David’s Son or David’s Lord?^(C)

⁴¹ So while the Pharisees were together, Jesus asked them a question. ⁴² He said, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

The Pharisees answered, “The Messiah is the Son of David.”

⁴³ Jesus said to them, “Then why did David call him ‘Lord’? David was speaking by the power of the Spirit. He said,

⁴⁵ David calls the Messiah ‘Lord.’ So how can he be David’s son?”

⁴⁶ None of the Pharisees could answer Jesus’ question. And after that day, no one was brave enough to ask him any more questions.