Matthew 22
1 Jesus answered and spoke again in parables to them, saying,
Then Jesus told [the Jewish leaders] other parables [in order to illustrate what will happen to the people who do not accept him as the King God promised to send]. [This is one of those parables: ]
2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son,
“[God] [MTY/EUP] [is like] a king [SIM] who [told his servants that they should] make a wedding feast for his son.
3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come.
[When] the feast [was ready], the king sent his servants to tell the people who had been {whom he had} invited that it was time for them to come to the wedding feast. [The servants did that]. But the people who had been invited did not want to come.
4 Again he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "Look, I have made ready my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast."'
So he sent other servants [to] again [tell the people whom he had invited that they should come to the feast]. He said [to those servants], ‘Say to the people whom I invited [to come to the feast], “The king says that he has prepared the food. The oxen and the fattened calves have been butchered [and cooked]. Everything is ready. It is time [now for you to] come to the wedding feast!’”’
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise,
[But when the servants told them that, they] disregarded [what the servants said]. Some of them went to their own fields. Others went to their places of business.
6 and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.
The rest of them seized the king’s servants, mistreated them, and killed them.
7 The king was enraged, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
[When the king heard what had happened], he became furious. He commanded his soldiers to go and kill those murderers and burn their cities.
8 "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren't worthy.
[After his soldiers had done that], the king said to his other servants, ‘I have prepared the [wedding] feast, but the people who were {whom I} invited do not deserve to [come to it because they did not consider it an honor to have been invited].
9 Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.'
So, go to the intersections of the main streets. Tell whomever you find that they should come to the [wedding] feast.’
10 And those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding was filled with those reclining.
So the servants went there, and they gathered everyone they saw [who wanted to come to the feast]. They gathered [both people that were considered] to be evil and [those that were considered to be] good. They brought them into the hall where the wedding [feast took place]. The hall was filled with people.
11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who did not have on wedding clothing,
But when the king went [into the hall] to see the guests who were there, he saw someone who was not wearing clothes [that had been provided for the guests to wear] at a wedding [feast].
12 and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?' He was speechless.
The king said to him, ‘Friend, (you should never have entered this hall, because you are not wearing the clothes [that guests wear] at wedding [feasts]!/how did you enter this hall, because you are not wearing the clothes [that are appropriate for guests to wear] at a wedding [feast]?) [RHQ]’ The man did not say anything, [because he did not know what to say].
13 Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.'
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie this person’s feet and hands and throw him outside where there is total darkness. People who are there cry out [because they are suffering] and they gnash their teeth [because of their severe pain].’”
14 For many are called, but few chosen."
[Then Jesus said, “The point of this story is that God] has invited many [to come to him], but only a few people are the ones whom he has chosen [to be there].”
15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk.
After Jesus said that, the Pharisees met together in order to plan how they could cause him to say something that would enable them to accuse him.
16 They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you teach, for you are not partial to anyone.
They sent to him some of their disciples, [who thought that the Israelites should pay only the tax that the Jewish authorities required them to pay]. They also sent some members of the party that supported Herod. [The members of that party thought that the Israelites should pay only the tax that the Roman government required them to pay]. [Those who were sent came and] said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and that you teach the truth about what God wants [us to do]. We also know that you do not change what you teach because of what someone says about you, even if it is an important person who does not like what you [IDM] teach.
17 Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
So tell us what you think [RHQ] [about this matter]: Is it right that we pay taxes to the Roman government [MTY], or not?”
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test me, you hypocrites?
But Jesus knew that what they really wanted to do was evil. [They were wanting him to say something that would get him in trouble with either the Jewish authorities or the Roman authorities. So he said to them], “You are (hypocrites/pretending to ask a legitimate question), but you are just wanting [RHQ] me to say something for which you can accuse me.
19 Show me the tax money." They brought to him a denarius.
Show me [one of] the coins with [which people pay] the [Roman] tax.” So they showed him [a coin called] a denarius.
20 He asked them, "Whose is this image and inscription?"
He said to them, “Whose picture is [on] this [coin]? And [whose] name [is on it]?”
21 They said to him, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
They answered, “[It has the picture and name of] Caesar, [the head of the Roman government].” Then he said to them, “Okay, give to the government what they [require], and give to God what he [requires].”
22 When they heard it, they were astonished, and left him, and went away.
When those men heard Jesus say that, they marveled [that his answer did not enable anyone to accuse him]. Then they left Jesus.
23 On that day Sadducees came to him, the ones saying that there is no resurrection. And they asked him,
During that same day, some Sadducees came to Jesus. [They are a Jewish sect who do not] believe that people will become alive again after they die. They [wanted to] ask [Jesus] a question.
24 saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies, having no children, his brother is to marry his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.'
[In order to discredit the idea that dead people will live again], they said [to him], “Teacher, Moses wrote [in the Scriptures], ‘If a man dies who did not have any children, his brother must marry the [dead man’s] widow in order that she can have a child by him. The child [will be considered] the descendant of the man [who died], [and in that way the dead man will have descendants].’
25 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first married and died, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.
Well, there were seven boys in a family [living] near us. The oldest one married someone. He [and his wife] did not have any children, and he died. So the second brother married the widow. [But he also died without having a child].
26 In like manner the second also, and the third, to the seventh.
The same thing [happened to] the third [brother], and also to the other four [brothers, who one by one married this same woman].
27 After them all, the woman died.
Last of all, the widow also died.
28 In the resurrection therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her."
So, at the time when people are raised from the dead, which of the seven [brothers do you think] will be her husband? Keep in mind that they had all been married to her.”
29 But Jesus answered them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.
Jesus replied to them, “You are certainly wrong [in what you are thinking]. You do not know [what is written in] the Scriptures. [You] also do not know [that] God has [the] power [to make people alive again].
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven.
The fact is that [the woman will not be the wife of any of them, because] after [God causes all dead] people [to] live again, no one will be married. Instead, [people] will be like the angels in heaven. [They do not marry].
31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,
But as for dead people becoming alive again, God said something about that. (I’m sure you have read it./Have you not read it?) [RHQ] [Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses],
32 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
‘I am the God whom Abraham [worships] and the God whom Isaac [worships] and the God whom Jacob worships.’ It is not dead people who worship God. It is living people who worship him. [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob died long before Moses lived, but God said that they were still worshipping him, so we know their spirits were still alive]!”
33 When the crowds heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
When the crowds of people heard [Jesus teach] that, they were amazed.
34 But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together.
But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had answered the Sadducees in such a way that the Sadducees could not [think of anything that they might say to] respond to him, the Pharisees gathered together to [plan what they would say to him]. [Then they approached him].
35 One of them, a Law scholar, asked him a question, testing him.
One of them was a man who had studied well the laws [that God gave Moses]. He wanted to see if Jesus [could answer] his question well [or if he would say something wrong]. He asked him,
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"
“Teacher, which commandment in the laws [that God gave Moses] is the most important?”
37 He said to him, "'You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
Jesus [quoted the Scriptures as he replied], “‘You must love the Lord your God with all [IDM] your (inner being/heart). [Show that you love him] in all that you desire, in all that you feel, and in all that you think.’
38 This is the great and first commandment.
That is the most important commandment [in the laws that God gave Moses].
39 A second likewise is this, 'You are to love your neighbor as yourself.'
The next most important commandment [that everyone must surely obey] is: ‘You must love the people you come in contact with as much as [you love] yourself.’
40 The whole Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."
These two commandments are the basis of every law [that Moses wrote in the Scriptures] and also of all that the prophets [wrote].”
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,
While the Pharisees were still gathered together [near] Jesus, he asked them,
42 saying, "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "Of David."
“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose descendant is he?” They said to him, “[He is] the descendant of [King] David.”
43 He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,
Jesus said to them, “[If the Messiah is King David’s descendant], then (David should not have called him ‘Lord’ when David was saying [what] the [Holy] Spirit [prompted him to] say./Why did David call the Messiah ‘Lord’ when David was speaking [what] the [Holy] Spirit [prompted him to] say?) [RHQ]
44 'The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet'?
[David wrote this in the Scriptures about the Messiah]: ‘God said to my Lord, “Sit [here beside me] on my right, [the place of greatest honor you] [MTY]. [Sit here] while I completely defeat your enemies [MTY].”’
45 "If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?"
So, since [King] David called [the Messiah] ‘my Lord’, ([the Messiah] cannot be [just someone] descended from David!/how can he be [only] the descendant of [King] David?) [RHQ] [He must be much greater than David]!”
46 No one was able to answer him a word, neither did anyone dare ask him any more questions from that day forth.
No one [who heard what Jesus said] was able to think of even one word to say to him [in response]. And after that, no one else ever dared to ask him another question [to try to trap him].
