The parable of the marriage feast. Christ orders tribute to be paid to Caesar. He confutes the Sadducees, shows which is the first commandment in the law and puzzles the Pharisees.

¹ And responding, Jesus again spoke to them in parables, saying:

² “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was king, who celebrated a wedding for his son.

³ And he sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding. But they were not willing to come.

⁴ Again, he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell the invited: Behold, I have prepared my meal. My bulls and fatlings have been killed, and all is ready. Come to the wedding.’

⁵ But they ignored this and they went away: one to his country estate, and another to his business.

⁶ Yet truly, the rest took hold of his servants and, having treated them with contempt, killed them.

⁷ But when the king heard this, he was angry. And sending out his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and he burned their city.

⁸ Then he said to his servants: ‘The wedding, indeed, has been prepared. But those who were invited were not worthy.

⁹ Therefore, go out to the ways, and call whomever you will find to the wedding.’

¹⁰ And his servants, departing into the ways, gathered all those whom they found, bad and good, and the wedding was filled with guests.

¹¹ Then the king entered to see the guests. And he saw a man there who was not clothed in a wedding garment.

¹² And he said to him, ‘Friend, how is it that you have entered here without having a wedding garment?’ But he was dumbstruck.

¹³ Then the king said to the ministers: ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.’ ”

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees, going out, took counsel as to how they might entrap him in speech.

¹⁶ And they sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying: “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and that you teach the way of God in truth, and that the influence of others is nothing to you. For you do not consider the reputation of men.¹

1. 22:16The Herodians: That is, some that belonged to Herod, and that joined with him in standing up for the necessity of paying tribute to Caesar, that is, to the Roman emperor. Some are of opinion that there was a sect among the Jews called Herodians, from their maintaining that Herod was the Messias.(Challoner)

¹⁷ Therefore, tell us, how does it seem to you? Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar, or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said: “Why do you test me, you hypocrites?

¹⁹ Show me the coin of the census tax.” And they offered him a denarius.

²⁰ And Jesus said to them, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?”

²¹ They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Then render to Caesar what is of Caesar; and to God what is of God.”

²² And hearing this, they wondered. And having left him behind, they went away.

²³ In that day, the Sadducees, who say there is to be no resurrection, approached him. And they questioned him,¹

1. 22:23The phrase “On that day” could also be translated as “In that day,” such that the expression would not indicate the same day, but the same general time frame.(Conte)

²⁴ saying: “Teacher, Moses said: If anyone will have died, having no son, his brother shall marry his wife, and he shall raise up offspring to his brother.

²⁵ Now there were seven brothers with us. And the first, having taken a wife, died. And having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother:

²⁶ similarly with the second, and the third, even to the seventh.

²⁷ And last of all, the woman also passed away.

²⁸ In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.”

²⁹ But Jesus responded to them by saying: “You have gone astray by knowing neither the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

³⁰ For in the resurrection, they shall neither marry, nor be given in marriage. Instead, they shall be like the Angels of God in heaven.

³¹ But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken by God, saying to you:

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.”¹

1. 22:32This formula, which mentions God three times in one definition of who God is, refers also to the mystery of the Trinity.(Conte)

³³ And when the crowds heard this, they wondered at his doctrine.

³⁴ But the Pharisees, hearing that he had caused the Sadducees to be silent, came together as one.

³⁵ And one of them, a doctor of the law, questioned him, to test him:

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

³⁷ Jesus said to him: “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God from all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

³⁸ This is the greatest and first commandment.

³⁹ But the second is similar to it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

⁴⁰ On these two commandments the entire law depends, and also the prophets.”

⁴¹ Then, when the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them,

⁴² saying: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “David’s.”

⁴³ He said to them: “Then how can David, in the Spirit, call him Lord, saying:

⁴⁴ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool?’

⁴⁵ So then, if David calls him Lord, how can he be his son?”

⁴⁶ And no one was able to respond to him a word. And neither did anyone dare, from that day forward, to question him.