| Chapter 22 |
1 |
Again Jesus spoke to them in figurative language. |
2 |
"The Kingdom of the Heavens," He said, "may be compared to a king who celebrated the marriage of his son, |
3 |
and sent his servants to call the invited guests to the wedding, but they were unwilling to come. |
4 |
"Again he sent other servants with a message to those who were invited. "`My breakfast is now ready," he said, `my bullocks and fat cattle are killed, and every preparation is made: come to the wedding.' |
5 |
"They however gave no heed, but went, one to his home in the country, another to his business; |
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and the rest seized the king's servants, maltreated them, and murdered them. |
7 |
So the king's anger was stirred, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burnt their city. |
8 |
Then he said to his servants, "`The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited were unworthy of it. |
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Go out therefore to the crossroads, and everybody you meet invite to the wedding.' |
10 |
"So they went out into the roads and gathered together all they could find, both bad and good, and the banqueting hall was filled with guests. |
11 |
"Now the king came in to see the guests; and among them he discovered one who was not wearing a wedding-robe. |
12 |
"`My friend,' he said, `how is it that you came in here without a wedding robe?' |
13 |
"The man stood speechless. Then the king said to the servants, "`Bind him hand and foot and fling him into the darkness outside: there will be the weeping aloud and the gnashing of teeth.' |
14 |
"For there are many called, but few chosen." |
15 |
Then the Pharisees went and consulted together how they might entrap Him in His conversation. |
16 |
So they sent to Him their disciples together with the Herodians; who said, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful and that you faithfully teach God's truth; and that no fear of man misleads you, for you are not biased by men's wealth or rank. |
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Give us your judgement therefore: is it allowable for us to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?" |
18 |
Perceiving their wickedness, Jesus replied, "Why are you hypocrites trying to ensnare me? |
19 |
Show me the tribute coin." And they brought Him a shilling. |
20 |
"Whose likeness and inscription," He asked, "is this?" |
21 |
"Caesar's," they replied. "Pay therefore," He rejoined, "what is Caesar's to Caesar; and what is God's to God." |
22 |
They heard this, and were astonished; then left Him, and went their way. |
23 |
On the same day a party of Sadducees came to Him, contending that there is no resurrection. And they put this case to Him. |
24 |
"Teacher," they said, "Moses enjoined, `If a man die childless, his brother shall marry his widow, and raise up a family for him.' |
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Now we had among us seven brothers. The eldest of them married, but died childless, leaving his wife to his brother. |
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So also did the second and the third, down to the seventh, |
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till the woman also died, after surviving them all. |
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At the Resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? for they all married her." |
29 |
The reply of Jesus was, "You are in error, through ignorance of the Scriptures and of the power of God. |
30 |
For in the Resurrection, men neither marry nor are women given in marriage, but they are like angels in Heaven. |
31 |
But as to the Resurrection of the dead, have you never read what God says to you, |
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`I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of dead, but of living men." |
33 |
All the crowd heard this, and were filled with amazement at His teaching. |
34 |
Now the Pharisees came up when they heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, |
35 |
and one of them, an expounder of the Law, asked Him as a test question, |
36 |
"Teacher, which is the greatest Commandment in the Law?" |
37 |
"`Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,'" He answered, "`with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole mind.' |
38 |
This is the greatest and foremost Commandment. |
39 |
And the second is similar to it: `Thou shalt love thy fellow man as much as thyself.' |
40 |
The whole of the Law and the Prophets is summed up in these two Commandments." |
41 |
While the Pharisees were still assembled there, Jesus put a question to them. |
42 |
"What think you about the Christ," He said, "whose son is He?" "David's," they replied. |
43 |
"How then," He asked, "does David, taught by the Spirit, call Him Lord, when he says, |
44 |
"`The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand until I have put thy foes beneath thy feet'? |
45 |
"If therefore David calls Him Lord, how can He be his son?" |
46 |
No one could say a word in reply, nor from that day did any one venture again to put a question to Him. |