Chronological
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
22 Jesus spoke[a] to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his slaves[b] to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready.[c] My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”’ 5 But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 The[d] rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The[e] king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death[f] and set their city[g] on fire. 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. 9 So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10 And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say.[h] 13 Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness,[i] where 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[j] went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words.[k] 16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians,[l] saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.[m] You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality.[n] 17 Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right[o] to pay taxes[p] to Caesar[q] or not?”
18 But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” So[r] they brought him a denarius.[s] 20 Jesus[t] said to them, “Whose image[u] is this, and whose inscription?” 21 They replied,[v] “Caesar’s.” He said to them,[w] “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”[x] 22 Now when they heard this they were stunned,[y] and they left him and went away.
Marriage and the Resurrection
23 The same day Sadducees[z] (who say there is no resurrection)[aa] came to him and asked him,[ab] 24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children[ac] for his brother.’[ad] 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children he left his wife to his brother. 26 The second did the same, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last[ae] of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”[af] 29 Jesus[ag] answered them, “You are deceived,[ah] because you don’t 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[ai] in heaven. 31 Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God,[aj] 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?[ak] He is not the God of the dead but of the living!”[al] 33 When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.
The Greatest Commandment
34 Now when the Pharisees[am] heard that he had silenced the Sadducees,[an] they assembled together.[ao] 35 And one of them, an expert in religious law,[ap] asked him a question to test[aq] him: 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”[ar] 37 Jesus[as] said to him, “‘Love[at] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[au] 38 This is the first and greatest[av] commandment. 39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[aw] 40 All the law and the prophets depend[ax] on these two commandments.”
The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord
41 While[ay] the Pharisees[az] were assembled, Jesus asked them a question:[ba] 42 “What do you think about the Christ?[bb] Whose son is he?” They said, “The son of David.”[bc] 43 He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my lord,[bd]
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?[be]
45 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”[bf] 46 No one[bg] was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.
The Parable of the Tenants
12 Then[a] he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard.[b] He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then[c] he leased it to tenant farmers[d] and went on a journey. 2 At harvest time he sent a slave[e] to the tenants to collect from them[f] his portion of the crop.[g] 3 But[h] those tenants[i] seized his slave,[j] beat him,[k] and sent him away empty-handed.[l] 4 So[m] he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously. 5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed. 6 He had one left, his one dear son.[n] Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 So[o] they seized him,[p] killed him, and threw his body[q] out of the vineyard.[r] 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy[s] those tenants and give the vineyard to others.[t] 10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.[u]
11 This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”[v]
12 Now[w] they wanted to arrest him (but they feared the crowd), because they realized that he told this parable against them. So[x] they left him and went away.[y]
Paying Taxes to Caesar
13 Then[z] they sent some of the Pharisees[aa] and Herodians[ab] to trap him with his own words.[ac] 14 When they came they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and do not court anyone’s favor, because you show no partiality[ad] but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.[ae] Is it right[af] to pay taxes[ag] to Caesar[ah] or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” 15 But he saw through their hypocrisy and said[ai] to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius[aj] and let me look at it.” 16 So[ak] they brought one, and he said to them, “Whose image[al] is this, and whose inscription?” They replied,[am] “Caesar’s.” 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”[an] And they were utterly amazed at him.
Marriage and the Resurrection
18 Sadducees[ao] (who say there is no resurrection)[ap] also came to him and asked him,[aq] 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us: ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man[ar] must marry[as] the widow and father children[at] for his brother.’[au] 20 There were seven brothers. The first one married,[av] and when he died he had no children. 21 The second married her and died without any children, and likewise the third. 22 None of the seven had children. Finally, the woman died too. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again,[aw] whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”[ax] 24 Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you deceived[ay] for this reason, because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels[az] in heaven. 26 Now as for the dead being raised,[ba] have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush,[bb] how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the[bc] God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?[bd] 27 He is not the God of the dead but of the living.[be] You are badly mistaken!”
The Greatest Commandment
28 Now[bf] one of the experts in the law[bg] came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus[bh] answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love[bi] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’[bj] 31 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[bk] There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him.[bl] 33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength[bm] and to love your neighbor as yourself[bn] is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”[bo] Then no one dared any longer to question him.
The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he said, “How is it that the experts in the law[bp] say that the Christ[bq] is David’s son?[br] 36 David himself, by the Holy Spirit, said,
37 If David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”[bu] And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.
Warnings About Experts in the Law
38 In his teaching Jesus[bv] also said, “Watch out for the experts in the law.[bw] They like walking[bx] around in long robes and elaborate greetings[by] in the marketplaces,[bz] 39 and the best seats in the synagogues[ca] and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They[cb] devour widows’ property,[cc] and as a show make long prayers. These men will receive a more severe punishment.”
The Widow’s Offering
41 Then[cd] he[ce] sat down opposite the offering box,[cf] and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins,[cg] worth less than a penny. 43 He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth,[ch] this poor widow has put more into the offering box[ci] than all the others.[cj] 44 For they all gave out of their wealth.[ck] But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.”[cl]
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