Matthew 22

₁And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, ₂“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, ₃and sent his servantsto call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. ₄Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ ₅But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ₆while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. ₇The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. ₈Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. ₉Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ ₁₀And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

₁₁“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. ₁₂And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. ₁₃Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ₁₄For many are called, but few are chosen.”

₁₅Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. ₁₆And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. ₁₇Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” ₁₈But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? ₁₉Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ₂₀And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” ₂₁They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ₂₂When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

₂₃The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, ₂₄saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ ₂₅Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. ₂₆So too the second and third, down to the seventh. ₂₇After them all, the woman died. ₂₈In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

₂₉But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. ₃₀For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ₃₁And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ₃₂‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” ₃₃And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

₃₄But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ₃₅And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ₃₆“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ₃₇And 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. ₃₈This is the great and first commandment. ₃₉And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ₄₀On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

₄₁Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ₄₂saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” ₄₃He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,