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.