22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, |
22:2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. |
22:3 "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. |
22:4 "Again he sent out other slaves saying, `Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are {all} butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.'" |
22:5 "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, |
22:6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. |
22:7 "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. |
22:8 "Then he *said to his slaves, `The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. |
22:9 `Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find {there,} invite to the wedding feast.' |
22:10 "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. |
22:11 "But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, |
22:12 and he *said to him, `Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. |
22:13 "Then the king said to the servants, `Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' |
22:14 "For many are called, but few {are} chosen." |
22:15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. |
22:16 And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. |
22:17 "Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?" |
22:18 But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? |
22:19 "Show Me the coin {used} for the poll-tax. And they brought Him a denarius." |
22:20 And He *said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" |
22:21 They *said to Him, "Caesar's. Then He *said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."" |
22:22 And hearing {this,} they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away. |
22:23 On that day {some} Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him, |
22:24 asking, "Teacher, Moses said, `IF A MAN DIES HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP CHILDREN FOR HIS BROTHER.' |
22:25 "Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; |
22:26 so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. |
22:27 "Last of all, the woman died. |
22:28 "In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had {married} her." |
22:29 But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. |
22:30 "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. |
22:31 "But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: |
22:32 `I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." |
22:33 When the crowds heard {this,} they were astonished at His teaching. |
22:34 But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. |
22:35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him {a question,} testing Him, |
22:36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" |
22:37 And He said to him, " `YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' |
22:38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. |
22:39 "The second is like it, `YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' |
22:40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." |
22:41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: |
22:42 "What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He? They *said to Him, "{The son} of David."" |
22:43 He *said to them, "Then how does David in the Spirit call Him `Lord,' saying, |
22:44 `THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET'?" |
22:45 "If David then calls Him `Lord,' how is He his son?" |
22:46 No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question. |