Matthew 22 · KJV
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Matthew 22

The wedding banquet

And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.

Jesus compares the kingdom to a king's wedding feast for his son. The invited guests refuse to come, some even killing the king's servants; the king destroys them and their city, and sends his servants to invite everyone they can find, bad and good. One guest without wedding clothes is thrown out. Jesus concludes that many are called but few are chosen.

What does this mean?

The meaning of the wedding garment is debated; it is often taken to stand for a life that matches the invitation, such as righteousness or repentance. 'Called' means invited; 'chosen' means accepted in the end.

Historical context

Wealthy hosts sent an invitation in advance and a second summons when the feast was ready, so refusing at the last moment was a serious insult.

Why does it matter?

Many scholars think the king burning the city alludes to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, known to Matthew's first readers; others see a conventional image of royal punishment. Luke has a simpler banquet parable without the king, the violence or the wedding garment (Luke 14:15–24).

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Paying tribute to Caesar

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

Pharisees, with supporters of Herod, try to trap Jesus by asking whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. He asks for a coin and, pointing to the emperor's image and inscription on it, tells them to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what belongs to God. Amazed, they leave him.

What does this mean?

'Tribute' (KJV) here is the Roman poll tax. A 'penny' (KJV) is a denarius, a Roman silver coin. The word 'image' may recall that humans bear God's image (Genesis 1:27), an echo many interpreters see.

Historical context

Judea had paid tax directly to Rome since AD 6, when a census provoked a revolt led by Judas the Galilean. Answering 'yes' would alienate many Jews; 'no' would sound like sedition. Herodians backed Herod's dynasty and cooperation with Rome. Denarii of the emperor Tiberius bore his head and called him son of the divine Augustus, which many Jews found offensive.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in three Gospels

How Matthew tells it

Matthew has the Pharisees send their own disciples along with the Herodians, and has Jesus call the questioners 'hypocrites' and ask for 'the tax money'. Luke describes them as spies meant to hand Jesus over to the governor. Otherwise the three accounts agree closely.

The Sadducees and the resurrection

The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 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. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

Sadducees, who deny the resurrection, pose a puzzle: a woman married in turn to seven brothers, each dying childless; whose wife will she be in the resurrection? Jesus says they know neither the scriptures nor the power of God: in the resurrection people do not marry, and God's words to Moses show that the patriarchs are alive to him.

  • Scripture connection · Quotation

    Matthew 22:32 quotes Exodus 3:6

    Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
    Exodus 3:6 · KJV

    God's words to Moses at the burning bush. Jesus uses them to argue for the resurrection against the Sadducees.

Historical context

The Sadducees were a priestly, aristocratic group associated with the temple leadership. Josephus says they rejected traditions not found in the written Law and denied life after death. The puzzle relies on levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5–10), in which a man married his dead brother's childless widow to continue his line.

Why does it matter?

Jesus argues from the books of Moses, which the Sadducees accepted. Belief in resurrection was held by the Pharisees and many ordinary Jews, drawing on texts such as Daniel 12:2. The crowds' astonishment echoes the reaction to the Sermon on the Mount (7:28).

Editorial notes, not scripture.

The greatest commandment

But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Hearing that Jesus has silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees gather, and one of them, an expert in the Law, tests him: which is the greatest commandment? Jesus answers: to love God with all one's heart, soul and mind, and, second, to love one's neighbour as oneself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two.

  • Scripture connection · Quotation

    Matthew 22:37 quotes Deuteronomy 6:5

    And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
    Deuteronomy 6:5 · KJV

    Part of the Shema, the central confession of Jewish faith, recited daily.

  • Scripture connection · Quotation

    Matthew 22:39 quotes Leviticus 19:18

    Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
    Leviticus 19:18 · KJV

    Jesus pairs two commands from different books of the Law, a pairing also known in some Jewish teaching of the time.

What does this mean?

'Lawyer' (KJV and WEB) means an expert in the Jewish Law, not an advocate in the modern sense. 'Hang' means depend.

Historical context

Later rabbis counted 613 commandments in the Law, and Jewish teachers discussed which were 'heavy' and which 'light', and whether the whole could be summed up in one principle.

Why does it matter?

Love for God and neighbour gives the key to how Matthew's Jesus reads the Law, alongside the Golden Rule (7:12) and the priority of mercy (9:13; 12:7).

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in two Gospels

How Matthew tells it

In Matthew the questioner is a Pharisee who comes to test Jesus. In Mark he is a scribe impressed by Jesus' answers, who agrees warmly and is told he is not far from the kingdom. Mark's version begins with 'Hear, O Israel' and adds 'strength'. Only Matthew says the whole Law and the Prophets hang on these two.

Whose son is the Messiah?

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Jesus now questions the Pharisees: whose son is the Messiah? They say David's. He asks how, then, David can call him 'Lord' in a psalm. No one can answer, and from then on no one dares to question him.

  • Scripture connection · Quotation

    Matthew 22:44 quotes Psalm 110:1

    The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
    Psalm 110:1 · KJV

    The Old Testament verse most often quoted or alluded to in the New Testament. Jesus asks how the Messiah can be David's son if David calls him 'Lord'.

Historical context

Psalm 110 is headed 'A Psalm of David' and was traditionally taken as David's words. It was widely accepted that the Messiah would be a descendant of David, and in ancient thought a father ranked above his son, which gives the puzzle its force.

Why does it matter?

Jesus does not deny that the Messiah is David's son (Matthew calls Jesus that in his first verse), but implies he is more than that. The exchange ends the series of temple debates with Jesus' opponents silenced.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

Chapters

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  7. 7
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  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28

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Reading

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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