Matthew 22
1Once again, taking up the conversation, "Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2'The Kingdom of the Heavens is like a man, a king, who prepared wedding festivities for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the festivities, but they were not willing to come. 4Again, he sent other slaves, saying: —Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my banquet. My bulls and fatted calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding festivities!— 5But they were indifferent and went away—one to his own field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his slaves, treated them with contempt, and killed them. 7The king was enraged. Sending his troops, he destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8Then he said to his slaves: —The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9Go, therefore, to the thoroughfares where the roads lead out of the city, and invite as many as you find to the wedding festivities.— 10Those slaves went out into the roads and gathered everyone they found, both the evil and the good; and the wedding hall was filled with guests reclining at the tables.
11But when the king entered to look over the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in a wedding garment. 12He said to him: —Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?— But the man was muzzled. 13Then the king said to the attendants: —Tie him hand and foot and throw him out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and the grinding of teeth. 14For many are invited, but few are chosen.'"
15Then the Pharisees went and took counsel on how they might ensnare him in his speech. 16They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians, —"Teacher, we know that you are true and that you teach the way of God in truth. You are not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not look at the status of men. 17Tell us, then, what you think: Is it lawful 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 census-tax." They brought him a denarius. 20And he said to them: "Whose image is this, and whose inscription?"
21They said to him, —"Caesar’s."— Then he said to them: "Give back to Caesar, therefore, the things that belong to Caesar, and to God the things that belong to God." 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
23On that same day, Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) approached him and questioned him, 24saying: —"Teacher, Moses said: ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother shall perform the duty of a brother-in-law to his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother. 26The same happened with the second and the third, down to 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 wandering astray because you do not know 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 the God of the dead, but of the living." 33When the crowds heard this, they were struck with awe at his teaching.
34When the Pharisees heard that he had muzzled the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35One of them, an expert in the Law, tested him with a question: 36—"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"—
37He 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 the whole Law and the Prophets hang."
41While the Pharisees were still gathered, Jesus questioned them, 42saying: "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, —"David’s."— 43He said to them: "How then does David, by the Spirit, call him 'Lord,' saying:
44‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies underneath your feet’?
45If David, then, calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" 46No one was able to answer him a word, nor did anyone dare to question him further from that day on.