Jesus exposes false religion and warns of judgment

22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 22:2 "The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 22:3 He sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not come. 22:4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet."' 22:5 But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 22:6 The rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them. 22:7 The king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death and set their city on fire. 22:8 Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. 22:9 So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' 22:10 And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 22:11 But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 22:12 And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' But he had nothing to say. 22:13 Then the king said to his attendants, 'Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!' 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen." 22:15 Then the Pharisees went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words. 22:16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You do not court anyone's favor because you show no partiality. 22:17 Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 22:18 But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, "Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? 22:19 Show me the coin used for the tax." So they brought him a denarius. 22:20 Jesus said to them, "Whose image is this, and whose inscription?" 22:21 They replied, "Caesar's." He said to them, "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 22:22 Now when they heard this they were stunned, and they left him and went away. 22:23 The same day Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to him and asked him, 22:24 "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children for his brother.' 22:25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children he left his wife to his brother. 22:26 The second did the same, and the third, down to the seventh. 22:27 Last of all, the woman died. 22:28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her." 22:29 Jesus answered them, "You are deceived, because you don't know the scriptures or the power of God. 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 22:31 Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, 22:32 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living!" 22:33 When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching. 22:34 Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together. 22:35 And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him: 22:36 "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" 22:37 Jesus said to him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 22:38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 22:39 The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 22:40 All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." 22:41 While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them a question: 22:42 "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said, "The son of David." 22:43 He said to them, "How then does David by the Spirit call him 'Lord,' saying, 22:44 'The Lord said to my lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet"'? 22:45 If David then calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" 22:46 No one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer. 23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 23:2 "The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. 23:3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 23:4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. 23:5 They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long. 23:6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues 23:7 and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call them 'Rabbi.' 23:8 But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. 23:9 And call no one your 'father' on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 23:10 Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one teacher, the Christ. 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 23:12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 23:13 "But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in. 23:15 "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves! 23:16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.' 23:17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 23:18 And, 'Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.' 23:19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. 23:22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it. 23:23 "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law - justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. 23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! 23:25 "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too! 23:27 "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. 23:28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 23:29 "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 23:30 And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 23:31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 23:32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! 23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 23:34 "For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, 23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 23:36 I tell you the truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these things! 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! 23:38 Look, your house is left to you desolate! 23:39 For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Jesus tells a wedding banquet parable, answers traps with wisdom, and condemns the proud, empty religion of the scribes and Pharisees. He shows that God’s invitation is real and wide, but it must be answered rightly. He also warns that stubborn rejection of God’s Son brings judgment.

Jesus begins with a parable about a king who prepares a wedding feast for his son. The first invited guests refuse the invitation. Some ignore it. Others mistreat and kill the king’s servants. The king judges them, then sends his servants out again to gather many others. The hall is filled. But one man is found without wedding clothes and is cast out. The point is clear: God’s invitation is broad, but it must be received in a fitting way. Being near the feast is not enough.

Jesus then faces more traps. The Pharisees and Herodians ask about paying taxes to Caesar. Jesus sees their evil intent and answers with wisdom: give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God. Civil duty matters, but God’s claim is greater.

The Sadducees then try to deny the resurrection with a hard case about marriage. Jesus says they are wrong because they do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. In the resurrection, life will not be like this present age. He proves the resurrection from God’s words to Moses, showing that God is the God of the living.

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus says that all the law rests on two commands: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the true center of God’s law.

Jesus then questions the Pharisees about the Messiah. If the Christ is David’s son, why does David call him Lord? Jesus shows that the Messiah is greater than a merely human descendant. He is David’s Lord.

After that, Jesus warns the crowds about the scribes and Pharisees. He does not deny that they sit in Moses’ seat, but he says they do not practice what they teach. They seek honor, burden others, and love public display. Jesus commands humility instead. The greatest must be a servant.

Then comes a long series of woes. The religious leaders shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. They make converts but lead them deeper into error. They twist oaths, neglect justice, mercy, and faithfulness, and focus on small outward acts while missing what matters most. They clean the outside but leave the inside full of greed and self-indulgence. They look righteous to people, but inside they are corrupt. They honor the prophets in speech, yet they stand in the same line as those who killed them. Jesus says that judgment is coming on that generation.

The section ends with grief. Jesus laments over Jerusalem. He longed to gather her people, but they would not come. Because of that refusal, their house is left desolate. Yet there is still a future moment when they will say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

• God’s kingdom invitation is real and wide, but refusal and presumption both bring judgment.
• Being present among God’s people is not the same as being ready for the King.
• Civil authority has real but limited claims; God’s claim is higher.
• True doctrine depends on Scripture and the power of God, not on clever traps.
• The greatest commands are to love God and to love your neighbor.
• The Messiah is David’s son, but also David’s Lord.
• Religious leaders can have office without obedience, and outward religion without inward purity.
• Jesus grieves over Jerusalem even while pronouncing judgment.

• Do not treat 'many are called, but few are chosen' as a saying detached from the parable.
• Do not use 'render to Caesar' to give the state unlimited authority.
• Do not read Matthew 23 as hatred of Jews as an ethnic people; it is a prophetic rebuke of specific leaders and their rejecting stance.
• Do not turn Jesus’ words about titles into a rigid ban on every ordinary use of such words.
• Do not soften the warnings about outer darkness, hell, and desolation.

This unit shows God’s kingly rule, the coming judgment on unbelief, and the true meaning of covenant faithfulness. Jesus stands as the Son, the Lord of David, and the final interpreter of the law and the prophets. The passage also points ahead to the coming desolation of Jerusalem and to the need for a real response to God’s summons.

Receive God’s invitation with repentance and faith. Do not mistake outward religious closeness for true readiness. Give rightful respect to earthly authority, but give your whole self to God. Value Scripture, humility, justice, mercy, and faithful obedience more than display, status, or clever argument.

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