Matthew 22
1 Jesus spoke to them using more illustrated stories.
And Jesus answering spoke to them again in parables, saying,
2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who organized a wedding celebration for his son,” Jesus explained.
The kingdom of the heavens has become like a king who made a wedding feast for his son,
3 “He sent out his servants to everyone who was invited to the wedding to tell them to come, but they refused.
and sent his bondmen to call the persons invited to the wedding feast, and they would not come.
4 So he sent out more servants, with the instructions, ‘Tell those who are invited that I've prepared the wedding banquet. The bulls and fattened calves have been killed—everything's ready. So come to the wedding!’
Again he sent other bondmen, saying, Say to the persons invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatted beasts are killed, and all things ready; come to the wedding feast.
5 But they ignored the invitation and left. One went to his fields; another to take care of his business.
But they made light of it, and went, one to his own land, and another to his commerce.
6 The rest grabbed the king's servants, mistreated them, and killed them.
And the rest, laying hold of his bondmen, ill-treated and slew [them].
7 The king became furious. He sent his soldiers to destroy those murderers and burn down their town.
And [when] the king [heard of it he] was wroth, and having sent his forces, destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8 Then the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited didn't deserve to attend.
Then he says to his bondmen, The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy;
9 Go into the streets and invite everyone you find to come to the wedding.’
go therefore into the thoroughfares of the highways, and as many as ye shall find invite to the wedding feast.
10 So the servants went out into the streets and brought back everyone they could find, both the good and the bad. The wedding hall was full.
And those bondmen went out into the highways, and brought together all as many as they found, both evil and good; and the wedding feast was furnished with guests.
11 But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who didn't have a wedding robe on.
And the king, having gone in to see the guests, beheld there a man not clothed with a wedding garment.
12 He asked him, ‘My friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ The man had nothing to say.
And he says to him, [My] friend, how camest thou in here not having on a wedding garment? But he was speechless.
13 Then the king told his servants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and throw him out into the dark, where there'll be crying and grinding of teeth.’
Then said the king to the servants, Bind him feet and hands, and take him away, and cast him out into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
For many are called ones, but few chosen ones.
15 Then the Pharisees left and met together to plot how they could trap him by what he said.
Then went the Pharisees and held a council how they might ensnare him in speaking.
16 They sent their disciples to him, together with some of Herod's supporters. “Teacher, we know you are a honest man, and that you teach God's way is the truth,” they began. “You don't allow yourself to be influenced by anyone, and you don't care about rank or status.
And they send out to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth, and carest not for any one, for thou regardest not men's person;
17 So let us know your opinion. Is it right to pay Caesar's taxes, or not?”
tell us therefore what thou thinkest: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
18 Jesus knew their motives were evil. He asked them, “Why are you trying to trap me, you hypocrites?
But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said, Why tempt ye me, hypocrites?
19 Show me the coin that is used to pay the tax.” They brought a denarius coin to him.
Shew me the money of the tribute. And they presented to him a denarius.
20 “Whose image and whose title is inscribed here?” he asked them.
And he says to them, Whose [is] this image and superscription?
21 “Caesar's,” they replied. “You should give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God,” he told them.
They say to him, Caesar's. Then he says to them, Pay then what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God.
22 When they heard Jesus' answer they were stunned. They went away and left him.
And when they heard [him], they wondered, and left him, and went away.
23 Later the same day some Sadducees came to see him. (They are the ones who say there's no resurrection.)
On that day came to him Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they demanded of him,
24 They asked him, “Teacher, Moses said that if a married man dies without having children, his brother should marry his widow and have children on behalf of his brother.
saying, Teacher, Moses said, If any one die, not having children, his brother shall marry his wife and shall raise up seed to his brother.
25 Well, once there were seven brothers here with us. The first married, and died, and since he had no children he left his widow to his brother.
Now there were with us seven brethren; and the first having married died, and not having seed, left his wife to his brother.
26 The same thing happened to the second and third husband, right up to the seventh.
In like manner also the second and the third, unto the seven.
27 In the end the woman died too.
And last of all the woman also died.
28 So when the resurrection takes place, whose wife of the seven brothers will she be, for she married all of them?”
In the resurrection therefore of which of the seven shall she be wife, for all had her?
29 Jesus replied, “Your mistake is you don't know Scripture or what God can do.
And Jesus answering said to them, Ye err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection people don't marry, and they aren't given in marriage either—they're like the angels in heaven.
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as angels of God in heaven.
31 As for the resurrection of the dead—haven't you read what God said to you,
But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,
32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He's not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not God of [the] dead, but of [the] living.
33 When the crowds heard what he said, they were amazed at his teaching.
And when the crowds heard [it] they were astonished at his doctrine.
34 When the Pharisees heard that he'd left the Sadducees speechless, they got together and went to ask some more questions.
But the Pharisees, having heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, were gathered together.
35 One of them, who was a legal expert, asked him a question to try to trap him:
And one of them, a lawyer, demanded, tempting him, and saying,
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus told them, “‘Love the Lord your God in all you think, in all you feel, and in all you do.’
And he said to him, Thou shalt love [the] Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding.
38 This is the greatest commandment, the first commandment.
This is [the] great and first commandment.
39 The second is just like it, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
And [the] second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 All biblical law and the writings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
On these two commandments the whole law and the prophets hang.
41 While the Pharisees were gathered there, Jesus asked them a question.
And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus demanded of them,
42 “What do you think about the Messiah?” he asked. “Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied.
saying, What think ye concerning the Christ? whose son is he? They say to him, David's.
43 “But how can David under inspiration call him ‘Lord’?” Jesus asked them. “He says,
He says to them, How then does David in Spirit call him Lord, saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit down at my right hand until I defeat all your enemies.’
The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand until I put thine enemies under thy feet?
45 If David called him Lord, how can he be his son?”
If therefore David call him Lord, how is he his son?
46 Nobody could answer him, and from then on nobody dared to ask him any more questions.
And no one was able to answer him a word, nor did any one dare from that day to question him any more.
