22:1  Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,

22:2  "The kingdom of heaven we may compare to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

22:3  "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had received invitations to the wedding feast, and they expressed unwillingness to come.

22:4  "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have received invitations, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock I have all butchered and made everything 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 became 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 has become ready, but those who received invitations did not prove 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 filled with dinner guests.

22:11  "But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who did not dress in wedding clothes,

22:12  and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man became 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 people will weep and gnash their teeth.'

22:14  "For many have received the calling, but few will become 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 tell the truth and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You do not show partiality to any.

22:17  "Tell us then, what do You think? Do you consider it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"

22:18  But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why do you test 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 do you find on this coin?"

22:21  They said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar; and to God the things that belong to God."

22:22  And hearing this, they felt amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.

22:23  On that day some Sadducees (who do not believe in a 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 lived 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 belong to? For they all had married her."

22:29  But Jesus answered and said to them, "You made a mistake, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.

22:30  "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor become given in marriage, but live like angels in heaven.

22:31  "But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God spoke to you by God:

22:32  'I PROCLAIM MYSELF THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'? He does not serve as the God of the dead but of the living."

22:33  When the crowds heard this, they felt 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 do you consider 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 we acknowledge as the great and foremost commandment.

22:39  "The second compares to 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 gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:

22:42  "What do you think about the Christ, whose son do you consider Him?" 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 could He become his son?"

22:46  No one could answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.