22:1 Jesus continued to give parables:

22:2 “The kingdom of the heavens is like a king arranging a wedding for his son.

22:3 He sent out slaves to tell the invited guests to come to the wedding, but they would not come.

22:4 So he sent out slaves again with the instructions, ‘Tell the invited guests, “Look, the meal is ready; the meat is prepared and everything is set. Come to the wedding!”

22:5 But again they ignored him; one went out to his fields, another to his business,

22:6 and the rest grabbed his slaves, beat them up, and killed them.

22:7 “The king was furious and sent soldiers to wipe out those murderers and set their city on fire.

22:8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the invited guests were unworthy.

22:9 So go out to the highways and invite anyone you find to the wedding.’

22:10 So they went out to the roads and gathered up whoever they found, whether good or bad, and the dining hall was full.

22:11 “But when the king came in to greet the guests, he saw someone there who wasn’t wearing proper wedding attire.

22:12 So he said, ‘Buddy, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he was silent.

22:13 So the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him up by his hands and feet, and throw him out into the darkness, where people lament and grind their teeth!’

22:14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

22:15 Then the Pharisees went off and met together to plot how to trick Jesus into saying something incriminating.

22:16 So they sent their disciples, along with the Herodians, to say, “Teacher, we know that you are honest and show people the true way to God, and that you aren’t intimidated by anyone because you don’t care who they are.

22:17 So tell us what you think: Is it permissible to pay the poll tax to Caesar or not?”

22:18 But Jesus knew their evil intent and said to them, “Why do you test me, you pedants?

22:19 Show me the currency you use to pay the poll tax.” So they handed him a denarius

22:20 and he said, “Whose image is this, and whose name is inscribed?”

22:21 “Caesar’s,” they answered. “Then give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give God what belongs to God,” he retorted.

22:22 This response stumped them, so they left and went on their way.

22:23 Later that day the Sadducees, who don’t believe in the resurrection, came to him.

22:24 They said, “Teacher, Moses said that if someone died childless, his brother was obligated to marry the widow and produce offspring for him.

22:25 Now there were seven brothers, and the first married but died childless. So his brother married his widow,

22:26 but the same thing happened. Likewise for the third and all seven of the brothers.

22:27 Finally the woman died.

22:28 So in the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since she had been married to them all?”

22:29 This was Jesus’ response: “You are misled, because you understand neither that scripture nor the power of God.

22:30 For in the resurrection, people don’t marry but are like the Messengers in heaven.

22:31 Now about the rising of the dead: Have you not read what God declared to you when he said,

22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living!”

22:33 And when the crowd heard this, they were awestruck by his teaching.

22:34 Now when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they had a meeting about it.

22:35 And one of them, a lawyer, tested him:

22:36 “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?”

22:37 “You must love the Master your God with all your heart, life, and thoughts,” Jesus answered.

22:38 “This is the first and greatest commandment.

22:39 The second is like it: You must love your neighbor as yourself.

22:40 The entirety of the Law and Prophets hinges on these two commandments.”

22:41 Since the Pharisees were gathered there, Jesus asked them,

22:42 “What is your opinion about the Anointed? Whose descendant is he?”“David’s,” they replied.

22:43 “But how could David, prompted by the Spirit, call him ‘Master’?” asked Jesus. “He said,

22:44 ‘The Master said to my Master, “Sit down at my right until I put your enemies beneath your feet.”’

22:45 How can David call him ‘Master’ if he’s his descendant?”

22:46 No one could refute what Jesus said, so from then on nobody dared to ask him anything else.