Old/New Testament
The parable of the wedding feast
22 Jesus spoke to them once again in parables.
2 “The kingdom of heaven,” he said, “is like a king who made a wedding feast for his son. 3 He sent his slaves to call the invited guests to the wedding, and they didn’t want to come.
4 “Again he sent other slaves, with these instructions: ‘Say to the guests, Look! I’ve got my dinner ready; my bulls and fatted calves have been killed; everything is prepared. Come to the wedding!’
5 “But they didn’t take any notice. They went off, one to his own farm, another to see to his business. 6 The others laid hands on his slaves, abused them and killed them. 7 (The king was angry, and sent his soldiers to destroy those murderers and burn down their city.) 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the guests didn’t deserve it. 9 So go to the roads leading out of town, and invite everyone you find to the wedding.’ 10 The slaves went off into the streets and rounded up everyone they found, bad and good alike. And the wedding was filled with partygoers.
11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who wasn’t wearing a wedding suit.
12 “ ‘My friend,’ he said to him, ‘how did you get in here without a wedding suit?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie him up, hands and feet, and throw him into the darkness outside, where people weep and grind their teeth.’
14 “Many are called, you see, but few are chosen.”
Paying taxes to Caesar
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might trap him into saying the wrong thing. 16 They sent their followers to him, with the Herodians.
“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful, and that you teach God’s way truthfully. You don’t care what anyone thinks about you, because you don’t try to flatter people or favor them. 17 So tell us what you think. Is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar, or not?”
18 Jesus knew their evil intentions.
“Why are you trying to trick me, you hypocrites?” he said. 19 “Show me the tribute coin.” They brought him a dinar.
20 “This . . . image,” said Jesus, “and this . . . inscription. Who do they belong to?”
21 “Caesar,” they said.
“Well then,” said Jesus, “you’d better give Caesar back what belongs to Caesar! And—give God what belongs to God!”
22 When they heard that they were astonished. They left him and went away.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.