Matthew 22

And Jesus answered and again spoke to them in parables, saying,

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who prepared a wedding feast for his son,

and he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, but they did not want to come.

Again he sent out other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look! I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and the fatted cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’

But they, having paid no attention, went off; one to his own farm, another to his business,

and the rest, having seized his slaves, mistreated and killed them.

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

Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy.

Therefore, go to the main streets, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’

And those slaves went out on the roads and gathered together everyone that they found, both wicked and good, and the wedding feast was filled with those reclining to eat.

But when the king came in to see those reclining to eat, he saw a man there who had not been clothed in wedding clothing.

And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you enter here without wedding clothes?’ And he was speechless.

Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the darkness outside; there will be sobbing and gnashing of teeth.

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

Then the Pharisees, having gone out, plotted how to entrap him in his words.

And they sent to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are honest and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth and you are not concerned about anyone’s status because you do not show favoritism.

Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay a census tax to Caesar, or not?”

But knowing their wickedness, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?

Show me the coin used for the census tax.” And they brought a denarius to him.

And he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Then give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

And having heard that, they were amazed, so they left him and went away.

On that same day some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to him and asked him,

saying, “Teacher, Moses said, If someone dies, having no children, his brother must marry his wife and raise up offspring for his dead brother.

Now there were with us seven brothers. And the first married and died, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.

Likewise the second also, and the third, up to the seventh.

And after them all, the woman died.

So in the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since they all had her?”

But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

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

But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God, saying,

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.”

And having heard that, the crowd was astonished at his teaching.

Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together

and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him:

“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest one in the law?”

And he said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

This is the greatest and most important commandment.

And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets.”

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

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

He said to them, “Then how does David, speaking by the spirit, call him ‘Lord’? For he said,

So if David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

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