See Verse / Commentary

Matthew

Jesus spoke to them using parables again. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who arranged a wedding reception for his son,” Jesus explained. “He sent out his servants to call everyone who was invited to the wedding reception, but they refused to come. So he sent out other servants, with the instructions, ‘Tell those who are invited, “I have arranged everything for the wedding banquet. The bulls and fattened calves have been killed. Everything is ready, so come to the banquet!”’ But they paid no attention and went off to do whatever they wanted — one to his fields, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king became very angry, and sent his soldiers to kill those murderers and burn down their town. Then the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. So go out in the streets and invite everyone you find to come to the wedding banquet.’ So the servants went out into the streets and brought back everyone they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was full. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man who did not have wedding clothes on. He asked him, ‘My friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. Then the king said to his servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet, and throw him outside into the darkest place, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’ For many are invited, but few choose to respond.” Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they could trap him by what he said. They sent to him their disciples together with representatives of Herod’s party. “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man, and you teach God’s way in truth,” they began. “You do not worry what people think of you, and you are impartial. So please tell us what you think. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Jesus sensed their evil intentions, and asked them, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used to pay the tax.” They brought a denarius coin to him. “Whose image and whose inscription is this?” he asked them. “Caesar’s,” they replied. “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s,” he said to them. When they heard this they were astonished, and they left him and went away. The same day some Sadducees came to him. They say there is no resurrection. They asked him, “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies childless, his brother should marry his widow and raise up children on behalf of his brother. Once there were seven brothers among us. The first married, and died, and being childless left his widow to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third husband, right up to the seventh. Later the woman died too. So then, when the resurrection comes, which of the seven brothers will she be married to?” Jesus replied, “You are much mistaken! You do not know the Scriptures, or the power of God. For in the resurrection people do not marry, and they are not given in marriage. They are like the angels in heaven. And about the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘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.” When the crowds heard what he said, they were astonished at his teaching. When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, an expert in the Law, asked him a question to test him: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole being, and your whole mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The whole Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.” While the Pharisees were gathered there, Jesus asked them a question. “What do you think about the Messiah?” he asked. “Whose son is he?” They replied, “The son of David.” He said to them, “So how is it that David by inspiration of the spirit calls him ‘lord’? David says, ‘The Lord said to my lord: Sit at My right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’ If David called him lord, how is he his son?” Nobody could give him any answer, and nobody from that time on dared to ask him any more questions.

Matthew