Matthew 22
1And responding, Jesus again spoke to them in parables, saying:
2"The kingdom of the heavens may be compared to a king who prepared a wedding celebration for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding, but they refused to come. 4Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my feast—my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding celebration.' 5But they paid no attention and went off—one to his own field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his slaves, mistreated them violently, and killed them. 7The king was enraged, and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8Then he says to his slaves, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9So go to the places where the roads lead out, and invite to the wedding celebration as many as you find.' 10And those slaves went out into the roads and gathered everyone they found, both wicked and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests reclining at table.
11"But when the king came in to observe those reclining at table, he saw there a man not wearing wedding clothing. 12And he says to him, 'Comrade, how did you get in here without wedding clothing?' And he was silenced. 13Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind his feet and hands and throw him out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and grinding of teeth.' 14For many are called, but few are chosen."
15Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap him with a statement. 16They send their disciples to him along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and you defer to no one, for you do not regard people's standing. 17So tell us what you think: Is it permitted to pay the census tax to Caesar, or not?"
18But Jesus, knowing their malice, said, "Why are you testing me, you performers? 19Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. 20And he says to them, "Whose image is this, and whose inscription?" 21They say to him, "Caesar's." Then he says to them, "So give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God." 22And when they heard this, they were amazed, and leaving him, they went away.
23On that day Sadducees came to him—those who say there is no resurrection—and they questioned him, 24saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If someone dies without having children, his brother shall marry his 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. 26Likewise the second, and the third, down through the seventh. 27Last of all, the woman died. 28In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her."
29Jesus answered them, "You are deceived, knowing neither the scriptures nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 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 crowds heard this, they were astounded at his teaching.
34Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35And one of them, an expert in the law, tested him with a question: 36"Teacher, which commandment in the law is greatest?"
37He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.' 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40On these two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets."
41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them, 42saying, "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They say to him, "David's." 43He says to them, "How then does David, speaking by the Spirit, call him Lord, saying, 44'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies beneath your feet'? 45If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?"
46And no one was able to answer him a word, nor did anyone dare to question him any longer from that day on.