The Bible — World English Bible
Matthew 22
In brief
Matthew 22 opens with the parable of the wedding feast, where the invited guests refuse to come and the invitation is extended to everyone. Three confrontations follow: the Pharisees and the tribute owed to Caesar, the Sadducees and the resurrection, then a teacher of the law who asks which is the greatest commandment. Jesus answers: love God with your whole being and your neighbor as yourself. Finally he himself asks a question about the Christ, son of David and Lord, which no one can answer. The chapter shows God's invitation and what he expects.
The chapter in 5 parts
1Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying,
2“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a wedding feast for his son,
3and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.
4Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’
5But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise,
6and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.
7When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
8“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy.
9Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the wedding feast.’
10Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.
11But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing,
12and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless.
13Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’
14For many are called, but few chosen.”
15Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk.
16They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you teach, for you aren’t partial to anyone.
17Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
18But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites?
19Show me the tax money.” They brought to him a denarius.
20He asked them, “Whose is this image and inscription?”
21They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
22When they heard it, they marveled, and left him, and went away.
23On that day Sadducees (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him,
24saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’
25Now there were with us seven brothers. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.
26In the same way, the second also, and the third, to the seventh.
27After them all, the woman died.
28In the resurrection therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her.”
29But Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.
30For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like God’s angels in heaven.
31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,
32‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
33When the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
34But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together.
35One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him.
36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
37Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38This is the first and great commandment.
39A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,
42saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “Of David.”
43He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,
44‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?’
45“If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
46No one was able to answer him a word, neither did any man dare ask him any more questions from that day forward.
Key verses
For many are called, but few chosen.”
The conclusion of the parable: many are called, few are chosen. The text shows that the invitation is wide, but that it calls for a response. Christian traditions understand the word chosen differently, which this verse alone does not settle.
They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Before the coin bearing Caesar's image, Jesus distinguishes two debts without setting them against each other: what belongs to the civil authority and what belongs to God. Many read here that the human being, created in God's image, belongs wholly to him.
‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
Jesus relies on the name God gives himself before Moses to affirm the resurrection: God is not the God of the dead but of the living. Those who belong to him remain alive to him.
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
The greatest commandment: love God with your whole being, then love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus joins two texts of the law and makes them the summary of everything God expects. This note does not copy out the verse, which the site displays.
‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?’
Jesus cites Psalm 110 to pose a question that no one can solve: how can the Christ be both son of David and his Lord? He hints that the Messiah goes beyond what people expected.
Bible verses to meditate on
Test your knowledge
What the sermons say
Frequently asked questions about Matthew 22
What does give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar mean?
Asked about taxes, Jesus has a coin shown that bears Caesar's image and answers that we should give Caesar what is his, and God what is his. He avoids his opponents' trap. Many take from it that believers have duties toward civil authority, but that their ultimate loyalty belongs to God.
What is the greatest commandment according to Matthew 22?
Jesus answers that we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind, then love our neighbor as ourselves. He adds that the whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments: love of God and neighbor sums up what God expects.
What does the parable of the wedding feast mean?
A king prepares the wedding of his son, but the invited guests refuse to come. He then invites everyone found on the roads. The parable shows that God's invitation is offered to all and calls for a sincere response. The man without wedding clothes, in verse 11, reminds us that the invitation is binding.
Articles quoting Matthew 22
World English Bible translation — public domain.