Beginning

The marriage of the king’s son. Tribute should be given to the emperor. Christ confutes the opinion of the Sadducees concerning the resurrection, and answers the question posed by the scribe.

22 And Jesus spoke to them again in similitudes, saying, ² The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, ³ and sent forth his servants to call those who were bid to the wedding, and they would not come. ⁴ Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell those who are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatted calves are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage.

⁵ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farmstead, another about his wares. ⁶ The rest took his servants and shamefully abused them, and slew them.

⁷ When the king heard about this, he was furious, and sent forth his warriors and destroyed those murderers and burnt up their city. ⁸ Then said the king to his servants, The wedding was prepared, but those who were bidden were not worthy. ⁹ Go therefore out into the highways, and as many as you find, bid them to the marriage.

¹⁰ The servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding was furnished with guests. ¹¹ Then the king came in to visit the guests, and spotted there a man who did not have on a wedding garment, ¹² and said to him, Friend, how did it happen that you came in here and do not have on a wedding garment? And the man was quite speechless. ¹³ Then said the king to his servants, Take and bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and took counsel, how they might tangle him in his words. ¹⁶ And they sent to him their disciples with Herod’s servants, saying, Master, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truly, neither mind any person, for you do not consider men’s estate. ¹⁷ Tell us therefore what you think: is it lawful to remit tribute to Caesar, or not?

¹⁸ Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, Why do you bait me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Let me see the tribute coin. So they brought him a denarius. ²⁰ And he said to them, Whose image and superscription is this? ²¹ They said to him, Caesar’s. Then he said to them, Give therefore to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and give to God that which is God’s.

²² When they heard that, they marvelled, and left him and went their way.

²³ The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him, ²⁴ saying, Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies having no children, the brother should marry the widow and raise up seed for his brother. ²⁵ There were with us seven brethren. The first married and died without issue, and left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ Likewise the second and the third, down to the seventh. ²⁷ Last of all the woman died also. ²⁸ Now in the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her.

²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, You are deceived, and do not understand the scriptures, nor yet the power of God. ³⁰ For in the resurrection people neither marry nor are married, but are as the angels in heaven. ³¹ As for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what is spoken to you by God, who says, ³² I am Abraham’s God, and Isaac’s God, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

³³ And when the people heard that, they were astonished at his teaching.

³⁴ When the Pharisees heard how he had put the Sadducees to silence, they drew together. ³⁵ One of them, who was a doctor of the law, asked him a question, testing him and saying, ³⁶ Teacher, which is the chief commandment in the law? ³⁷ Jesus said to him, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; ³⁸ this is the first and the chief commandment. ³⁹ And there is another like this: Love your neighbour as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

⁴¹ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ⁴² saying, What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? They said to him, The son of David. ⁴³ He said to them, How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, ⁴⁴ The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool? ⁴⁵ If David calls him Lord, how is he then his son?

⁴⁶ And no one could answer him a word. Neither did anyone from that day forth dare ask him any more questions.

Christ cries woe over the Pharisees, scribes, and hypocrites, and prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem.

23 Then Jesus spoke to the people and to his disciples, ² saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ All therefore that they bid you to observe, that observe and do. But do not follow their works. For they say, but do not do. ⁴ Yea and they bind up heavy burdens, grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to carry them themselves.

⁵ All their works they do to be seen by men. They enlarge their phylacteries, and make large borders on their garments. ⁶ They love to sit uppermost at feasts, and to have the chief seats in the synagogues, ⁷ and greetings in the markets, and to be called Rabbi by men.

⁸ But you shall not suffer yourselves to be called Rabbi. For one is your Master, that is, Christ, and you are all brethren. ⁹ And call no man upon the earth your father, for there is but one your Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ Do not be called teachers, for there is but one your Teacher, and he is Christ. ¹¹ He who is greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² But whosoever exalts himself, shall be brought low. And he who humbles himself, shall be exalted.

¹³ Woe is to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven before men. You yourselves go not in, neither do you suffer those who come to enter in.

¹⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses, and that under a colour of praying long prayers, for which you shall receive the greater damnation.

¹⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who compass land and sea to bring one person into your belief. And when he is brought in, you make him twofold more the child of hell than you yourselves are.

¹⁶ Woe to you, blind guides, who say that if someone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but whosoever swears by the gold of the temple, he offends. ¹⁷ O fools, and blind! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? ¹⁸ And whosoever swears by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering that lies on the altar, offends – ¹⁹ Ye fools, and blind! Which is greater: the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? ²⁰ Whoever therefore swears by the altar, swears by it and by all that is on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells therein. ²² And he who swears by heaven, swears by the seat of God and by him who sits upon it.

²³ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe mint, anise, and cummin, and leave the weightier matters of the law undone: judgment, mercy, and faith. These you ought to have done, and not to have left the others undone. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

²⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of greed and excess. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee: cleanse first the inside of the cup and platter, so that the outside of them may be clean also.

²⁷ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like painted tombs, which appear beautiful outwardly, but within are full of dead bones and of all uncleanness. ²⁸ This is how you are, for outwardly you appear righteous to men, when within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

²⁹ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchres of the righteous, ³⁰ and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in the blood of the prophets. ³¹ So then, you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets! ³² Fill up then likewise the cup of your fathers. ³³ Serpents and offspring of vipers, how can you escape the judgment of hell?

³⁴ And so behold: I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, ³⁵ so that upon you may come all the righteous blood that was shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you slew between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

³⁷ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills prophets, and stones those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together, as the hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you would not. ³⁸ Behold, your habitation shall be left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I say to you, you will not see me henceforth until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.