Matthew 22 – Questions, Parables, and the Greatest Commandment

Matthew 22: Questions, Parables, and the Greatest Commandment

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

Chapter with Audio

22 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, ² “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, ³ and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. ⁴ Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ ⁵ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶ while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. ⁷ The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. ⁹ Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ ¹⁰ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to look at 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 attendants, ‘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.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

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.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

²³ The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, ²⁴ saying, “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.

The Great Commandment

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.”

Whose Son Is the Christ?

⁴¹ Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴² saying, “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,

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.

Chapter Analysis

Matthew 22: The Wedding Feast And The Greatest Commandment

The Parable Of The Wedding Feast

📖 Matthew 22:1–14

¹ Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying the kingdom of heaven is like a king who arranged a marriage for his son.
² He sent servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, but they were unwilling to come.
³ Again he sent other servants, telling the invited ones that the dinner was prepared, the oxen and fatted cattle were killed, and all things were ready, so they should come to the wedding.
⁴ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm and another to his business.
⁵ The rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.
⁶ When the king heard, he was furious. He sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
⁷ Then he told his servants that the wedding was ready, but those invited were not worthy.
⁸ They were to go into the highways and invite as many as they found to the wedding.
⁹ So the servants went out into the highways and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
¹⁰ When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man without a wedding garment.
¹¹ He asked how the man came in without a wedding garment, and the man was speechless.
¹² The king told the servants to bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
¹³ Many are called, but few are chosen.

🔹 The Truth

The kingdom is pictured as a wedding feast prepared by the king for his son.

Those first invited rejected the king’s invitation and mistreated his servants.

Coming to the feast still required being clothed appropriately by the king’s provision.

🔹 The Promise

God graciously invites those who could never have earned a place at His feast.

✅ Conclusion

The parable warns against rejecting God’s invitation and against trying to enter without the righteousness He provides.

Render To Caesar And To God

📖 Matthew 22:15–22

¹⁴ The Pharisees went and plotted how they might trap Jesus in His words.
¹⁵ They sent their disciples with the Herodians, pretending respect and asking whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not.
¹⁶ Jesus knew their wickedness and asked why they tested Him, calling them hypocrites.
¹⁷ He asked them to show Him the tax money, and they brought Him a denarius.
¹⁸ Jesus asked whose image and inscription were on it.
¹⁹ They answered, “Caesar’s.”
²⁰ Then He told them to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.
²¹ When they heard this, they marveled, left Him, and went away.

🔹 The Truth

The Pharisees and Herodians tried to trap Jesus with a political question.

Jesus exposed their hypocrisy and answered with perfect wisdom.

Earthly responsibilities do not cancel the greater duty to God.

🔹 The Promise

God gives wisdom that cannot be trapped by dishonest schemes.

✅ Conclusion

Jesus teaches that civil duties have their place, but God must receive what belongs to Him.

The Sadducees Question The Resurrection

📖 Matthew 22:23–33

²² The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.
²³ They spoke of a woman who married seven brothers one after another, each dying without children.
²⁴ They asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection, since all seven had married her.
²⁵ Jesus answered that they were mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.
²⁶ In the resurrection, people neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.
²⁷ Concerning the resurrection of the dead, Jesus reminded them that God said, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
²⁸ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
²⁹ When the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

🔹 The Truth

The Sadducees denied the resurrection because they did not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

Jesus affirmed the resurrection of the dead.

God is the God of the living.

🔹 The Promise

Death does not cancel God’s covenant faithfulness or His power to raise the dead.

✅ Conclusion

Jesus silenced the Sadducees by showing that the resurrection is rooted in Scripture and the power of God.

The Greatest Commandment

📖 Matthew 22:34–40

³⁰ When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
³¹ One of them, a lawyer, tested Him by asking which was the great commandment in the law.
³² Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
³³ This is the first and great commandment.
³⁴ The second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
³⁵ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

🔹 The Truth

The greatest commandment is to love God with the whole heart, soul, and mind.

The second is to love the neighbor as oneself.

The Law and the Prophets hang on love for God and neighbor.

🔹 The Promise

God makes clear what true obedience is centered on: love for Him and love for others.

✅ Conclusion

Jesus shows that true obedience is not mere rule-keeping. It flows from love for God and love for neighbor.

David’s Son And David’s Lord

📖 Matthew 22:41–46

³⁶ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them what they thought about the Christ and whose Son He was.
³⁷ They answered that He was the Son of David.
³⁸ Jesus asked how David, in the Spirit, could call Him Lord, saying,
³⁹ “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
⁴⁰ If David called Him Lord, how is He his Son?
⁴¹ No one was able to answer Him a word, and from that day no one dared question Him anymore.

🔹 The Truth

The Christ is truly the Son of David.

Yet He is also David’s Lord.

Jesus reveals that the Messiah is greater than merely an earthly descendant of David.

🔹 The Promise

God’s promised Christ is both King in David’s line and Lord over David.

✅ Conclusion

Matthew 22 ends with Jesus asking the most important question: who is the Christ? He is David’s Son and David’s Lord.

Summary Conclusion

Matthew 22 shows Jesus teaching about the wedding feast, answering traps about taxes and resurrection, revealing the greatest commandment, and confronting the leaders with the identity of the Christ. The chapter warns against rejecting God’s invitation, exposes ignorance of Scripture and God’s power, and centers true obedience on love for God and neighbor. Above all, it points to Jesus as both David’s Son and David’s Lord.

Final Questions For You

1. What does the wedding feast teach about accepting God’s invitation on His terms?
2. Why did Jesus say the Sadducees were mistaken?
3. What does it mean that the Christ is both David’s Son and David’s Lord?