Matthew — Chapter 22

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1 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
2 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
3 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.
4 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
5 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
6 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
7 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
8 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
9 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.
10 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
11 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
12 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.
13 For many are called, but few are chosen.
14 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
15 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.
16 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
17 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
18 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
19 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
20 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
21 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
22 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
23 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
24 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:
25 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
26 And last of all the woman died also.
27 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
28 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
29 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
30 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
31 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.
32 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
33 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
34 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
35 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
36 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.
37 This is the first and great commandment.
38 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
39 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
40 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
41 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.
42 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
43 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
44 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
45 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
Abrahamic Catechism
Bible Study
Matthew — Chapter 22
✦ Talmud

• The parable of the wedding feast where invited guests refuse to come and outsiders are brought in parallels the Talmudic teaching in Shabbat 153a, where Rabbi Eliezer tells a parable of a king who invited guests to a feast without specifying the time — the wise dressed immediately while the foolish assumed they would have warning. The Talmud in Sanhedrin 38a teaches that the feast of the World to Come is prepared for those who merit it, regardless of their prior status.

• The question about paying taxes to Caesar engages the Talmudic principle in Nedarim 28a and Gittin 10b: dina d'malkhuta dina — the law of the government is binding law. The sages recognized the legitimacy of Roman taxation while maintaining spiritual independence. Bava Kamma 113a discusses the conditions under which tax obligations are halakhically valid. Jesus's answer — "render unto Caesar" — is neither revolutionary nor collaborationist but operates within the rabbinic framework of pragmatic political accommodation.

• The Sadducees' question about the woman married to seven brothers tests the doctrine of resurrection, which the Talmud defends vigorously in Sanhedrin 90a-91b against Sadducean denial. The Talmud in Sanhedrin 90b cites multiple proof-texts for resurrection from the Torah, and Rabbi Gamaliel demonstrates it from Deuteronomy, where God says "I will give" (future tense) the land to the patriarchs — proving they must rise to receive it. Jesus uses similar exegetical logic with "I am the God of Abraham."

• The question about the greatest commandment yields Jesus's response combining Deuteronomy 6:5 (love God) and Leviticus 19:18 (love your neighbor), which matches the Talmudic tradition in Makkot 23b-24a of reducing the 613 commandments to essential principles. The Talmud in Berakhot 13a treats the Shema as the fundamental acceptance of divine sovereignty, and Shabbat 31a records Hillel identifying "love your neighbor" as the essence of Torah. Jesus combines what the Talmud holds as the two highest principles.

• Jesus's counter-question about David calling the Messiah "Lord" in Psalm 110 engages a Christological puzzle the Talmud itself touches in Sanhedrin 38b, discussing Metatron and angelic figures who seem to share divine authority. Nedarim 32b identifies Melchizedek with Shem and connects Psalm 110's priesthood to the pre-Aaronic order. The Talmudic tradition contains strands of "two powers in heaven" theology (Chagigah 15a) that provide context for the exalted Messiah Jesus implies.