Matthew 22

The Story of the Wedding Banquet

22Jesus responded by telling still more stories.G2532G2424G611G2036G846G3825G1722G3850G30042"God's kingdom," he said, "is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son.G932G3772G3666G444G935G3748G4160G1062G846G52073He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn't come!G2532G649G846G1401G2564G2564G1519G1062G2532G2309G3756G20644"He sent out another round of servants, instructing them to tell the guests, 'Look, everything is on the table, the prime rib is ready for carving. Come to the feast!'G3825G649G243G1401G3004G2036G2564G2400G2090G3450G712G3450G5022G2532G4619G2380G2532G3956G2092G1205G1519G10625"They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to work in his shop.G1161G272G565G3303G1519G2398G68G1161G1519G846G17116The rest, with nothing better to do, beat up on the messengers and then killed them.G1161G3062G2902G846G1401G5195G2532G6157The king was outraged and sent his soldiers to destroy those thugs and level their city.G1161G935G191G3710G2532G3992G846G4753G622G1565G5406G2532G1714G846G41728"Then he told his servants, 'We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren't up to it.G5119G3004G846G1401G3303G1062G2076G2092G1161G2564G2258G3756G5149Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.'G4198G3767G1909G1327G3598G2532G3745G302G2147G2564G1519G106210The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on—every place filled.G2532G1565G1401G1831G1519G3598G4863G3956G3745G2147G5037G4190G2532G18G2532G1062G4130G34511"When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn't properly dressed.G1161G1525G935G1525G2300G345G1492G1563G444G1746G3756G1746G1062G174212He said to him, 'Friend, how dare you come in here looking like that!' The man was speechless.G2532G3004G846G2083G4459G1525G5602G3361G2192G1062G1742G1161G539213Then the king told his servants, 'Get him out of here—fast. Tie him up and ship him to hell. And make sure he doesn't get back in.'G5119G2036G935G1249G1210G846G5495G2532G4228G142G846G142G2532G1544G1519G1857G4655G1563G2071G2805G2532G1030G359914"That's what I mean when I say, 'Many get invited; only a few make it.'"G1063G4183G1526G2822G1161G3641G1588

Paying Taxes

15That's when the Pharisees plotted a way to trap him into saying something damaging.G5119G4198G5330G2983G4824G3704G3802G846G1722G305616They sent their disciples, with a few of Herod's followers mixed in, to ask, "Teacher, we know you have integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion, and don't pander to your students.G2532G649G846G846G3101G3326G2265G3004G1320G1492G3754G1488G227G2532G1321G3598G2316G1722G225G2532G3756G3199G4671G4012G3762G1063G991G1519G3756G4383G44417So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"G2036G2254G3767G5101G1380G4671G1832G1325G2778G2541G2228G375618Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, "Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me?G1161G2424G1097G846G4189G2036G5101G3985G3165G527319Do you have a coin? Let me see it." They handed him a silver piece.G1925G3427G2778G3546G1161G4374G846G122020"This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?"G2532G3004G846G5101G3778G1504G2532G192321They said, "Caesar." "Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his."G3004G846G2541G5119G3004G846G591G3767G2541G3588G2541G2532G2316G3588G231622The Pharisees were speechless. They went off shaking their heads.G2532G191G2296G2532G863G846G565

Marriage and Resurrection

23That same day, Sadducees approached him. This is the party that denies any possibility of resurrection.G1722G1565G2250G4334G846G4523G3588G3004G1511G3361G386G2532G1905G84624They asked, "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies childless, his brother is obligated to marry his widow and get her with child.G3004G1320G3475G2036G1437G5100G599G2192G3361G5043G846G80G1918G846G1135G2532G450G4690G846G8025Here's a case where there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no child, and his wife passed to his brother.G1161G2258G3844G2254G2033G80G2532G4413G1060G5053G2532G2192G3361G4690G863G846G1135G846G8026The second brother also left her childless, then the third—and on and on, all seven.G3668G1208G2532G2532G5154G2193G203327Eventually the wife died.G1161G5305G3956G1135G599G253228Now here's our question: At the resurrection, whose wife is she? She was a wife to each of them."G3767G1722G386G5101G1135G2071G2033G1063G3956G2192G84629Jesus answered, "You're off base on two counts: You don't know your Bibles, and you don't know how God works.G2424G611G1161G2036G846G4105G3361G1492G1124G3366G1411G231630At the resurrection we're beyond marriage. As with the angels, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God.G1063G1722G386G3777G1060G3777G1547G235G1526G5613G32G2316G1722G377231And regarding your speculation on whether the dead are raised or not, don't you read your Bibles? The grammar is clear: God says,G1161G4012G386G3498G314G3756G314G3588G4483G5213G5259G2316G300432'I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.' The living God defines himself not as the God of dead men, but of the living."G1473G1510G2316G11G2532G2316G2464G2532G2316G2384G2316G2076G3756G2316G3498G235G219833Hearing this exchange the crowd was much impressed.G2532G3793G191G1605G1909G846G1322

The Most Important Command

34When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault.G1161G5330G191G3754G5392G4523G5392G4863G1909G84635One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up:G2532G1520G1537G846G3544G1905G3985G846G2532G300436"Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?"G1320G4169G3173G1785G1722G355137Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.'G1161G2424G2036G846G25G2962G4675G2316G1722G3650G4675G2588G2532G1722G3650G4675G5590G2532G1722G3650G4675G127138This is the most important, the first on any list.G3778G2076G4413G2532G3173G178539But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.'G1161G1208G3664G846G3778G25G4675G4139G5613G457240These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."G1722G5025G1417G1785G2910G3650G3551G2532G4396

David’s Son and Master

41As the Pharisees were regrouping, Jesus caught them off balance with his own test question:G1161G5330G4863G2424G1905G84642"What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said, "David's son."G3004G5101G1380G5213G4012G5547G5101G5207G2076G3004G846G113843Jesus replied, "Well, if the Christ is David's son, how do you explain that David, under inspiration, named Christ his 'Master'?G3004G846G4459G3767G1138G1722G4151G2564G846G2962G300444God said to my Master, "Sit here at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool."G2962G2036G3450G2962G2521G1537G3450G1188G2193G302G5087G4675G2190G4675G5286G422845"Now if David calls him 'Master,' how can he at the same time be his son?"G1487G1138G3767G2564G846G2962G4459G2076G846G520746That stumped them, literalists that they were. Unwilling to risk losing face again in one of these public verbal exchanges, they quit asking questions for good.G2532G3762G1410G611G846G3056G3761G5111G5100G575G1565G2250G1905G846G3765