Matthew 22

1Once more Jesus answered them by speaking in parables: 2“What happens in the kingdom of heaven can be compared to this: a king prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to summon the guests who had already been invited, but they refused to come. 4So he sent more servants with this message: ‘Tell the guests, “See, my banquet is prepared. My bulls and my fattened calves have been slaughtered. Everything is ready, so come to the wedding.”’ 5The guests did not care. They went off, one to his farm and another to his trade. 6The rest laid hands on the king’s servants, abused them, and killed them. 7The king was furious. He sent his troops, wiped out those murderers, and set their city on fire. 8Then he told his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but the guests I invited did not deserve to come. 9So go out to where the roads leave the city, and invite to the wedding anyone you come across.’ 10The servants went out into the streets and brought in everyone they could find, bad and good alike, and the wedding feast was crowded with guests. 11The king came in to look over his guests, and among them he saw a man who had not put on clothes for a wedding. 12He said to him, ‘Friend, how is it that you came in here with no wedding clothes on?’ The man had nothing to say. 13The king then gave orders to his attendants: ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him out into the darkness outside, where people will weep and grind their teeth.’ 14For the invited are many, but the chosen are few.”

15Then the Pharisees went off and plotted how they could catch Jesus out by his own words. 16They sent their own disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and that you teach God’s way in keeping with the truth. No one’s opinion moves you, for you do not judge people by their rank. 17So give us your opinion. Does the law permit paying the head tax to Caesar, or not?” 18Jesus was aware of their malice. “You hypocrites,” he said, “why are you putting me to the test? 19Show me the coin that pays the tax.” They brought him a silver coin worth a day’s wage. 20Then he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose title is written on it?” 21“Caesar’s,” they answered. And he said to them, “Then pay Caesar what you owe Caesar, and pay God what you owe God.” 22His answer astonished them, and they went off and left him alone.

23That same day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24“Teacher,” they said, “Moses gave this rule: ‘If a man dies and leaves no children, his brother is to take the widow as his wife and so give his dead brother descendants.’ 25There were seven brothers in our community. The first one married and died, and because he had no children, his widow went to his brother. 26The same thing happened to the second brother, and the third, and so on through all seven. 27Finally, after them all, the woman died. 28So when the dead are raised, which of the seven will have her as his wife? All of them were married to her.”

29Jesus replied, “You have gone astray, because you understand neither the Scriptures nor God’s power. 30For once the dead are raised, men no longer take wives and women are no longer given as brides; they are like the angels of God in heaven. 31As for the dead being raised, have you not read what God said to you: 32‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead but of the living.” 33His teaching amazed the crowds who heard it.

34The Pharisees heard that Jesus had put the Sadducees to silence, and they came together in one place. 35One of their number, a man trained in the law, put a question to him to test him: 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law ranks highest?” 37Jesus answered him, “’Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with your whole mind.’ 38This command is the great one, the first of all.

39A second command is of the same kind: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ 40The whole of the law, and the prophets as well, hangs on these two commands.”

41While the Pharisees were still gathered there, Jesus put a question to them: 42“What is your view of the Christ? Whose son is he?” “David’s,” they answered. 43He asked them, “Why then does David, moved by the Spirit, give him the title Lord? For David says, 44‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Take your seat at my right hand until I have put your enemies beneath your feet.”’ 45So if David calls him ‘Lord’, how can he be David’s son?” 46None of them could give him any answer at all. And after that day no one was bold enough to put another question to him.