Matthew 22
1 In further response to them, Jesus told parables.
2 “The Heavenly Reign,” he said, “is like a human ruler who throws a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his enslaved workers to call the invited guests to the banquet, but they wouldn’t come. 4 Then he sent more enslaved workers and told them, ‘Tell the invited guests, “Look! My feast is ready! My oxen and fattened cattle have been prepared,a and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet!”’ 5 But they didn’t care and some left, one to their own farm and another to their business. 6 The rest who stayed seized the enslaved workers, mocked them, and killed them. 7 So the ruler was enraged and ordered his soldiers to destroy those murderers and burn down their city. 8 Then he told his enslaved workers, ‘The wedding banquet is stillb ready, but the invited guests weren’t appropriate for it. 9 So, go out to the city gates and invite everyone you find in the streets to the wedding banquet.’ 10 So those enslaved workers went out to the streets and gathered everyone they found, both the corruptc and the good-hearted,d and the wedding banquet was filled with guests. 11 When the ruler entered, he examined the guests and saw someone was there not wearing wedding clothes, 12 and he told him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ but the person was silenced.e 13 Then the ruler told the servers, ‘Tie his hands and feet and throw him out into the outer darkness!f There’ll be weeping and gnashing of teeth in anguish there.’ 14 You see, many are invited, but few are selected.”g
15 Then the Pharisees went on and held a meeting about how to entrap him with his own words. 16 They sent their students along with the Herodians to him to say, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and you truly teach the path of God, not caring what anyone thinks of you because you don’t defer to those with high status.h 17 So tell us, what do you think? Is it right to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”
18 “Fakers!”i Jesus said to them, knowing their corruption, “Why are you posing tests for me?j 19 Show me the coin used for the census tax.” So, they brought him a denarius.k 20 “Whose image and inscription are these?”
21 “Caesar,” they told him.
“Then repay the things of Caesar to Caesar and the things of God to God,” he responded. 22 At hearing him, they were confounded, so they left him and went away.
23 That same day, Sadducees—who say there is no Reawakeningl—went up and challenged him, 24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother must take on the marriage with his wife and raise children for his brother.’m 25 Once, there were seven brothers among us. The first was married, and since he died without having children, he released his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened with the second and third, and all the way to the seventh, 27 and last of all, the woman died. 28 So, since they all married her, out of the seven, whose wife will she be at the Reawakening?”
29 “You’re wrong,” Jesus answered and told them, “because you don’t know either the scriptures or the power of God. 30 You see, at the Reawakening, they neither marry nor are given in marriage; instead, they are like messengers.n 31 But as for the Reawakening of the dead, haven’t you read God’s statement that says, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?o God is not for the dead but rather for those who live.”p 33 When the crowds heard this, they were stunned by his teaching.
34 Then when the Pharisees heard that the Sadducees had been silenced by him, they gathered themselves, 35 and one of them, a Torah expert,q confronted him with a test, 36 “Teacher, which directive in the Torah is most important?”r
37 “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your being,s and with all your way of thinkingt,’”u he stated. 38 “This is the first and most important directive, 39 and the second is equivalent to it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’v 40 All the Hebrew Scriptures hang on these two directives.”w
41 Then, while the Pharisees were still gathered, Jesus challenged them, 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose heirx is he?”
“David’s,” they said.
43 “Then how,” he said to them, “did David call him ‘lord’ when he said, 44 “The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until those who are hostile toward youy are under your feet’?z 45 If David calls him ‘lord,’ how is he his heir?” 46 No one was able to say a word in answer to him, and from that day on, no one dared to question him anymore.
FOOTNOTES:
a Literally, ‘slaughtered’
b More literally ‘truly’ or ‘certainly’
c Traditionally, ‘evil.’ The Greek term poneros, includes a range of meanings beyond moral depravity, including harm, decay, and burden. Rooted in ponos—which conveys toil, suffering, and hardship—poneros emphasizes oppressive, harmful conditions. Rather than simply moral "evil," this term often indicates harmful external impacts, focusing on social and personal harm rather than abstract judgment.
d In Greek, agathos generally means “good,” but more often implying what is beneficial, useful, or constructive, rather than merely “good” in an abstract or moral sense. In literature outside the Bible, agathos often describes things that serve a beneficial purpose or contribute positively to well-being. This meaning is also reflected in the Septuagint, where agathos describes both moral goodness and practical benefits.
e The word here is not just ‘be silent’ or ‘have nothing to say,’ but to be actively silenced by another. It is implying he was not given a chance to respond.
f The phrase “outer darkness” conveys the severe consequence of being cast away from the community and presence of God, much like the expulsion of those deemed impure in ancient Israel. This concept parallels the scapegoat ritual on the Day of Atonement, where the goat, symbolically carrying the community’s deviations, was sent out into the wilderness, emphasizing a state of sorrowful separation and estrangement from the community of God.
g Traditionally, ‘chosen.’ This word is being used here not about choosing versus rejecting but about calling for a specific moment or purpose. The word is eklego, a compound of ek- (out of/from) and lego (to say/speak), selecting specific people from among many to participate in a calling.
h There are many ways to translate this that could work. Literally, ‘you don’t look at a person’s face.’ Prosopon was about personal appearance, and it was also used to refer to the masks Greek actors used to show different emotions and represent different characters. The basic idea of this sentence is that Jesus teaches the same message regardless of who might be listening, regardless of what high-status people he might displease.
i Related to prosopon referring to actor’s masks, this word is the same as is used for actors in Greek plays. Traditionally, it’s translated as "hypocrites," the Greek hupocrites was commonly used to describe stage actors or people playing a role, emphasizing pretended or performed actions. Translating it as “fakers” clarifies the original Greek sense of someone who outwardly displays devotion for attention, rather than genuine faithfulness—a meaning similar but not identical to the English "hypocrite," which now primarily implies moral inconsistency.
j Connection to Matthew 4:3
k This was a Roman coin worth the wage for a day of labor.
l Traditionally, ‘resurrection.’ ‘Rising again’ or ‘waking up again’ or, since it is all one word, ‘reawakening’ are more literal but can include the idea of resurrection (returning to life after experiencing death), which does seem to be in view based on the context. In fact, “falling asleep” was a common euphemism for dying, so ‘reawakening’ is an appropriate corresponding term. Rising again/Reawakening in this sense cannot mean a disembodied existence in a spiritual world; it means returning to life in physical bodies. The Pharisees taught all God’s people would experience resurrection at some future point; Sadducees did not believe that was true and denied that rabbinic teaching held authority, opting for an ‘only scripture’ (sola scriptura) position. They were societal elites, holding positions as lead priests and members of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin, controlling the temple.
m Citation of Deuteronomy 25:5; see Deuteronomy 25:5-10. The whole book of Ruth is about an instance of this instruction being practiced. Without this instruction, there was no provision for widows who were completely dependent on men to provide, not allowed to make a legitimate living for themselves. They were left with the options of returning to their father, remarrying, begging/gleaning leftovers from harvested fields, or sex work. It also ensured that no family lines were broken, which was culturally important, particularly with questions of Jubilee in mind and how to redistribute property to the originally designated families at the Jubilee year.
n During the few centuries before Jesus, Israel developed teachings regarding angels that was much more involved than what is contained in the Hebrew Scriptures used by Protestant Christians. The concept that divine messengers (traditionally, ‘angels’) do not die and do not marry can be found in the book 1 Enoch, particularly in chapter 15, as well as in other documents.
o Citation of Exodus 3:6. That verse and its context are God’s introduction to Moses, who was then sent to the oppressive leader of Egypt to liberate the people from enslavement, and that rescue succeeded. The people did not die in the escape or in retribution from Pharaoh or in the desert afterward. Jesus is filling the role that Moses filled when he confronted Pharaoh as he challenges the Sadducees.
p This may be a reference to Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
q This is a different and more specific word than the one previously translated throughout Matthew as “Bible scholars.”
r Literally, ‘biggest’
s From the word for ‘inner life’ or ‘soul’ or ‘self’ or ‘life’ in contrast with being dead, ‘life energy.’ It’s the Greek psuche which is used to translate the Hebrew nephesh, where in Genesis God breathes breath into Adam who becomes a nephesh, a living being.
t Alternatives could be ‘understanding,’ ‘imagination,’ or ‘deep thought.’ ‘Mind’ is from the word nous, and this word is dianoia, built on that same root, but involving something more involved.
u This sentence is a quotation of Deuteronomy 6:5; however, the final word is different. The Greek translation of the Hebrew is the word dunamis which means ‘power.’ Scholars do not agree why it is changed here. One possible explanation is that it appears in Leviticus 19:17 and is translated as ‘heart’ by the NET where it says, “You must not hate your brother in your heart.” The proximity with Leviticus 19:18 seems difficult to dismiss.
v Citation of Leviticus 19:18.
w Compare to Matthew 7:12.
x The most direct translation is ‘son,’ but the word huios was also regularly used more figuratively to refer to an heir or descendants more broadly as well as those who were dedicated to following a particular movement or figure and emulating them.
y Traditionally, ‘your enemies.’ It’s important to note that the word echthros is someone who has enmity toward you and acts on that enmity, not someone for whom you have enmity.
z Citation of Psalm 110:1