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Matthew 22

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Matthew 22 Overview

Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast, where invited guests reject the king’s summons and one attendee is found without a wedding garment. Religious opponents then test Him about tribute to Caesar, resurrection, and the greatest commandment. Jesus answers each challenge and finally asks how David’s son can also be David’s Lord.

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Before you read Matthew 22

Coming from

Matthew 21 established the immediate context: Jesus enters Jerusalem on a colt in fulfillment of Zechariah, cleanses the temple, receives children’s praise, curses a fruitless fig tree, and answers challenges to His authority.

In this chapter

Matthew 22 exposes rejection of the King’s invitation, shows Jesus’ wisdom under hostile questioning, and ends by pressing His opponents toward the mystery of Messiah’s identity.

Leads into

Matthew 23 continues the account: Jesus pronounces a sustained series of woes against scribes and Pharisees for hypocrisy, love of status, obstructing others, manipulative oath systems, distorted priorities, outward cleanliness with inward corruption, and identification with the persecutors of the prophets.

Key understandingExplore deeper

The wedding parable warns privileged hearers not to presume on invitation while rejecting the king. The garment detail emphasizes suitability to the king’s feast; it should not be turned into a detailed sacramental or works system beyond the parable’s warning.

Jesus’ tribute answer distinguishes obligations to civil government from the ultimate claim of God, without making either sphere absolute.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Invitation can be rejected through indifference or hostility

The first guests value farms, merchandise, and violence over the king’s summons.

God’s kingdom summons reaches unexpected people

Servants gather people from the highways after original invitees refuse.

Civil obligations do not erase God’s higher ownership

Caesar may receive what bears his image, but human beings ultimately belong to God.

Resurrection life is real and cannot be reduced to present social arrangements

Jesus corrects the Sadducees from Scripture and God’s continuing relationship with the patriarchs.

Love of God and neighbor summarizes the law’s moral direction

All the law and prophets hang on these commands.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Deuteronomy 6:4–5

Jesus names wholehearted love for God as the first great commandment.

Leviticus 19:18

Love of neighbor supplies the second commandment.

Exodus 3:6

Jesus uses God’s self-identification as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in His resurrection argument.

Psalm 110:1

Jesus uses David’s psalm to show that Messiah is more than merely David’s descendant.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Do not make the wedding garment a stand-alone doctrine detached from the parable

Its function is to warn that appearing at the feast on one’s own terms is not enough.

Do not use render to Caesar to make government’s authority unlimited

Jesus also affirms what belongs to God, whose claim is ultimate.

Do not reduce love commandments to a method of earning eternal life

They summarize moral duty; sinners still need grace and salvation through Christ.

Read Matthew 22 watching for…

Reasons the invited guests refuse the feast.

The expansion of the invitation to the highways.

The garment confrontation.

The trap built into the tax question.

Jesus’ resurrection argument from Moses.

The final question from Psalm 110.

Chapter outline5 sections

1-14The parable of the marriage feast warns those who refuse the king’s invitation 15-22Jesus answers a trap about tribute to Caesar 23-33Jesus answers the Sadducees about the resurrection 34-40Jesus identifies the great commandments as love for God and neighbor 41-46Jesus asks how Christ can be both David’s son and David’s Lord

And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

For many are called, but few are chosen.

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,

Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:

Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.

And last of all the woman died also.

Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

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

But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto 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 when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

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Matthew 22:17

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