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

2
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

3
He sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they were unwilling to come.

4
Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

5
But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own field, another to his business,

6
and the rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.

7
The king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

9
Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding banquet as many as you find.’

10
So those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11
But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.

12
And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

13
Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14
For many are called, but few are chosen.”

15
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words.

16
And 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.

17
Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

18
But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?

19
Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.

20
And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”

21
They 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.”

22
When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

23
The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question,

24
“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’

25
Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.

26
So too the second and third, down to the seventh.

27
After them all, the woman died.

28
In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

29
But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.

30
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

31
And 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.”

33
And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

34
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.

35
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.

36
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

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.

38
This is the great and first commandment.

39
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

40
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

41
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying,

42
“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”

43
He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet’?

45
If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

46
And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

📖 Matthew 22 – The Invitation of Salvation, Jesus’ Wisdom, and the Greatest Commandment

🧾 Summary of Matthew 22

This chapter includes three main events:

The parable of the Wedding Banquet,
A series of trap questions from the religious leaders (about taxes, the resurrection, the greatest commandment),
Jesus’ counterquestion about the identity of the Messiah.

Main Points:

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (verses 1–14):
- A king held a wedding feast for his son.
- The invited guests refused to come and even mistreated the king’s messengers.
- The king became angry, punished them, and invited anyone who would come.
- One guest was found not wearing wedding clothes and was thrown out.
- Message:
  “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
The Question about Paying Taxes to Caesar (verses 15–22):
- The Pharisees and Herodians tried to trap Jesus with a question about paying taxes.
- Jesus answered wisely:
  “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
The Question about the Resurrection (verses 23–33):
- The Sadducees (who did not believe in the resurrection) asked about a woman who married seven brothers.
- Jesus answered that in the resurrection there is no marriage, and God is the God of the living, not the dead.
- He proved the resurrection from the Law of Moses (about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).
The Question about the Greatest Commandment (verses 34–40):
- A lawyer asked which commandment was the greatest.
- Jesus’ answer:
  “Love the Lord your God… and love your neighbor as yourself.”
- All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.
Jesus Questions the Pharisees about the Messiah (verses 41–46):
- Jesus asked how the Messiah could be called David’s son when David himself called Him Lord.
- This shows that the Messiah is more than just David’s descendant — He is Lord.
- The religious leaders could not answer anymore and did not dare to ask further questions.

📘 Key Teachings of Matthew 22

God’s invitation to salvation is open to all, but it must be received with sincerity and repentance.
Rejecting God’s invitation brings serious consequences.
We must give to God what belongs to God — including our lives.
The resurrection is real, and eternal life is God’s promise.
Love for God and neighbor is the heart of all the law and the life of Christ’s followers.
Jesus is not merely a teacher or prophet — He is the true Lord and Messiah.
Jesus’ divine wisdom brings all human wisdom into submission.

✨ The Spiritual Meaning of Matthew 22

God invites everyone into relationship with Him, but not everyone is willing to come — some even reject and oppose Him.
The wedding garment symbolizes righteousness and holiness — it is not enough merely to come; we must be spiritually clothed appropriately (living in repentance).
The resurrection is not just a doctrine, but the foundation of hope in faith.
Love for God and neighbor is not only a command, but the heart of the Christian life.
Knowing about Jesus is not enough; we must know who He truly is — the Messiah and Lord.