Matthew 22
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Matthew 22
Matthew 22
The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end
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— Prayers ( Blue )
— Promises ( Green )
— Warnings ( Red )
— Commands ( Purple )
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Q: What is the point of the parable of the marriage feast ( 22:1-14 )
Responding to a Royal Invitation ( 22:1-14 )
( 22:1-14 ) And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
— In this culture, two invitations were expected when banquets were given.
— The first ask the guests to attend; the second announced that all was ready.
— In this story King invited his guest three times-and each time they rejected his invitation.
— God wants us to join Him it at his banquet, which will last for eternity.
— That's why he sends us invitations again and again
— Have you accepted His invitation?
Going Deeper
— This parable is the third given in response to the Jewish leaders who challenged His authority ( 22:23, 28-30, 33-39 )
— When the people realized that Jesus was not going to free them from Roman oppression they turned on Him (from Sunday to Thursday of Passover week)
— Jesus was teaching on Wednesday morning ( 21:23 ); and it was to the multitudes that this third judgment was directed
— This parable accurately depicts the rejection of the Messiah by the Jewish leaders and God putting aside the Jewish people temporarily and moving forward with His plan for the Gentiles (the Church)
The Invitation Rejected ( 22:1-6 )
— Jesus answered the chief priests and elders ( 21:23 )
— He responded to their challenge of His authority
( 22:3 ) and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
— The king sent his slaves to those who had been invited to the wedding feast
— Who were these invitees? They were the lost sheep of the house of Israel
— It is inconceivable that when the actual call came to attend, they were unwilling to come
Q: After the invited wedding guests refuse to come what does the king do ( 22:4 )?
— The King calls again the guests again
— “Remind the guests,” the king says in effect, “of all of the preparations that have been made.”
— The oxen are fattened livestock have been butchered and waiting to be roasted, everything is ready
— Plead with the people to come to the wedding feast now
— But they refuse to come and this time their refusal is even more crash and brutal than before
— Another group was irritated with the king’s persistence and mistreated and killed his slaves ( 22:6 )
Q: In the parable who is the King and who are the invited guests ( 22:1-14 )?
— The king was God
— The invited guests were His chosen people, Israel
— God first chose His people through Abraham ( Gen 12:2-3 )
— Then He called them out of Egypt ( Hos 11:1 )
— “You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth” ( Amos 3;2 )
— Israel is pictured as an abandoned newborn which God bathed, anointed with oil, clothed and protected ( Ezek 16:4-14 )
— The wedding feast represented God’s promised blessing to Isreal
— The Slaves represent the NT apostles, prophets and preachers because their message pertained to the King’s Son, Jesus Christ
— The parable illustrates God’s gracious patience and forbearance with the rejecters, His willingness to call Israel again and again
The Rejecters Punished ( 22:7-8 )
( 22:7-8 ) But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
— As with the parable of the vineyard, God’s patience is limited
— The king destroyed the murderers who killed his emissaries ( apostles, prophets and preachers )
— The king set their city on fire; All this occurred in 70 A.D.
Going Deeper
— The king declared those who were invited as not worthy
— They were not worthy not because of their lack of righteousness
— “Both evil and good” people were called ( 22:10 )
— The original invitation was based on the king’s gracious favor not merit
— Ironically, they were declared as not worthy because they refused an invitation that was in no way based on worth
The New Guests Invited ( 22:9-10 )
( 22:9-10 ) Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
— The servants were told to invite anyone they could find
— This is what Jesus commanded in the Great Commission ( Matt 28:19 )
— God predicted this through the prophet Hosea ( Hos 2:23; 1:10; Rom 9:25-26 )
—”Then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ ” ( Hos 2:23 )
—Paul wrote that “salvation has come to the Gentiles.” ( Rom 11;11 )
— The second group of people were not better than the first
— God has always extended His call for salvation to both evil and good people, because neither are righteous enough and both are equally in need of salvation
Q: Was the intruder to the feast invited? Was he a party-crasher ( 22:11-14)?
The Intruder Expelled ( 22:11-14 )
( 22:11-14 ) “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
— The man had obviously been included in the general invitation because the servants were instructed to bring whoever they found
— The man did not belong because he refused to wear the garments given to him to wear to the banquet
—The king had mad some provision for the other guests; the guest was fully accountable for being improperly dressed
— When the king allowed the man to justify himself he was speechless
— The wedding clothes picture the God imputed righteousness needed to enter God's kingdom
— Christ has provided this garment of righteousness for everyone, but each person must choose to put it on in order to enter the King's banquet (eternal life)
— There is an open invitation, but we must be ready
Going Deeper
— Since Cain’s first attempt to please God by offering his self-appointed sacrifice, men have been trying to come to the Lord on their own terms
— They may fellowship with believers, join the church, become active in the leadership, give generously to its support, and speak of devotion to God
— Like the tares among the wheat, they freely coexist for a while with God’s people
— For more on imagery of clothes of righteousness and salvation see Psalm 132:16, Isaiah 61:10, Zechariah 3:3-5; Revelation 3:4, 5; 19:7, 8
Q: What did Jesus mean when He said, “many are called, but few are chosen” ( 22:14 )?
( 22:14 )“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
— The Gospel message went out to many and represents everyone who heard the Gospel
— But the few were those who heard and were willing to accept it and thereby be among the chosen
— The gospel invitation is sent to everyone, because it is not the Father’s will that any should perish ( 2 Pet 3:9 )
— But not everyone wants God, and many who claim to want Him do not want Him on His terms
— xref. Matthew 13 parable of the seeds
Q: Who came to test Jesus with respect to paying taxes ( 22:15-17)
The Attack ( 22:15-17 )
( 22:15-17 ) Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. 16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. 17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
— The Pharisees didn’t personally come to test Jesus, they sent their disciples and the Herodians accompanied them
— Thinking they had a foolproof plan to corner him, they asked Jesus about paying Roman taxes
— They wanted to trap Him into making a subversive statement against Rome
— If Jesus agreed that it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees would say he was opposed to God, the only king they recognized
— It Jesus said that taxes should not be paid, the Herodians would hand him over to Herod on the charge of rebellion
— In this case the Pharisees were not motivated by love for God's laws and the Rhodians were not motivated by love for Roman justice
— Jesus answered exposed their evil motives and embarrassed them both
— Caesar's image on the coins with a constant reminder of Israel subjection to Rome
Going Deeper
— The Herodians had a strong alliance to Rome; associated with the family of Herod
— The Herod family was not Jewish but Idumean, descendants of Israel’s ancient enemies the Edomites
— Beginning with Herod the Great, they had received political appointments, including rulership over parts of Palestine
— The Herodians and Pharisees were not allies and were usually at great odds with each other
— The Jewish were required to pay taxes to support the Roman government
— They hated this taxation because the money went directly into Caesar's treasury, where some of it went to support the pagan temples and decadent lifestyle of the Roman aristocracy
— The poll-tax was paid every year and took place during a yearly census ( Lk 2:1-4 )
— The poll tax was one of the most hated of all the taxes imposed upon the Jews by the Romans
— It was therefore not by accident that the Pharisees had instructed their disciples to induce Jesus to make a statement about the poll-tax
The Accusation ( 22:18 )
( 22:18 ) But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?
— By His divine discernment Jesus perceived their wickedness,
— It was impossible to blind-side Jesus; He knew they would ask the question and their reason for asking it
— He knew that the words of praise by the men was not motivated by admiration but by malice
— Jesus had never seen these men before, but He knew they were emissaries of the Pharisees as surely as if He had overheard the plot
— That demonstration of omniscience was in itself another marvelous testimony of His deity
The Analogy ( 22:19-21a )
( 22:19-21a ) Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. 20 And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” 21 They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
— The poll tax was paid with a denarius, which represented a day’s wages for a Roman solider
— The men who tried to trap Jesus readily brought Him the coin being more than glad to help Him fall into their snare
— Why did Jesus ask them for a coin? Maybe Jesus had none of His own
Going Deeper
— If the particular coin in Jesus’ hand was minted by Tiberius, one side bore an engraving of his face and the reverse and engraving of him sitting on his throne in priestly robes, with an inscription designating him as high priest
— Several emperors, including Julius Caesar, called themselves deity
The Answer and the Aftermath ( 22:21b-22 )
( 2 2:21b-22 ) And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.
— Instead, Jesus said, “Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God” ( NLT)
— Jesus said render which carries the idea of an obligation and responsibility for something that is not optional
— Jesus never used the word “give” which is what the disciples of the Pharisees used; and it is unfortunate that this is the way that the NLT translates
— For the Jews paying taxes was not a legitimate duty
— Jesus declared that the payment not only was legal but morally obligatory
— What Godly wisdom! Jesus developed this wisdom by being in fellowship with His father His whole life
Going Deeper
— But even more importantly, Jesus went on to say, men must render to God that things that are God’s
— He was not separating secular human society from religion, saying, in effect, that one owes allegiance to human government in regard to material things and allegiance to God in regard to the spiritual
— Scripture never makes such a dichotomy, because all things in every area of life belong to God
— Here, the Life Application Study Bible, makes this distinction and I have purposely omitted notes on this verse for this reason
Q: What was the only thing that the Sadducees and the Pharisees could agree on?
The God of the Living ( 22:23-33 )
( 22:23-33 ) The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 24 saying: “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. 27 Last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
The Absurdity ( 22:24-28 )
— The custom of Levite marriage had been practiced for many centuries and was honored by God even before He directed Moses to place it in the law ( Deut 25:5-6 )
— This law protected women were left alone, because in that culture they usually had no other means of support themselves
— It was in fulfilment of the levirate law that Boaz took Ruth as his wife because her first husband died
— To the Sadducees it seemed the perfect means to prove the absurdity of the idea of resurrection
— If all eight would appear in the resurrection exactly in the condition and circumstances in which they died, how could their marriage be reconciled?
Going Deeper
— It was still Wednesday, as Jesus continued to teach in the Temple after having driven the merchants out of it the previous day ( 21: 12, 23 )
— Sometime later on that day, after he had put to silence the Pharisees and the Herodian co-conspirators ( 22:16 ), some Sadducees attempted to succeed where the others had failed
— Until the Lord’s coming to Jerusalem on the previous Monday, the Sadducees had shown little interest in Jesus
— The fact that he was popular with the people, believed in the resurrection, and was opposed by the Pharisees was of little consequence to them as long as as what He said and did had no direct, practical effect on them or their activities
— Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple, however, immediately got their attention
Q: The Sadducees were mistaken in two ways. What were they ( 22:29-32 )?
The Answer ( 22:29-32 )
( 22:29-32 ) Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
— The Sadducees had argued with the Pharisees about the resurrection, now they come to Jesus to test him
— The Sadducees probably expected Jesus to say nothing and walk away in humiliation and disgrace
— But Jesus answered without hesitation
— The Sadducees had succeeded only in putting their own ignorance on display for everyone in the Temple to see and hear
— They were mistaken in two ways
— They did not understand the power of God
— They did not understand scripture
— Jesus said it was more important to understand God's power than to know what heaven will be like
— In every generation and culture, ideas of eternal life tends to be based on images and experiences of present life
— Jesus answer that these faulty ideas are caused by ignorance of God's word
— We must not make up our own ideas about eternity in heaven by thinking of it and God in human terms
Ignorance of God’s Power ( 22:30 )
( 22:30 ) For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.
— The Pharisees taught that our resurrected bodies would be the same as our earthly bodies
— Jesus also exposed the Sadducees false notion about angles
— There will not be marriage in heaven because everyone will be perfectly and intimately related to everyone else including to the living God Himself
Ignorance of Scripture ( 22:31-33 )
( 22:31-32 ) But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
— Because Jesus knew that the Sadducees would not be convinced from scripture unless it was from the Pentateuch, Jesus reminded them of Ex 3:6
— Even Moses showed that the dead are raised
— While Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were long dead, the Lord was still their God every bit as much as when they were alive
— Jesus’ use of the present tense pointed to the resurrection and eternal life that at all believers enjoy in Him
— The most important point is that Abraham, Issac and Jacob are alive and well in eternity with God. The Sadducees did not believe in eternal life
The Great Commandment ( 22:34-40 )
( 22:34-40 ) But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
— We might think the Pharisees would of been glad to see the Sadducees silence.
— The question that the Sadducees had always used to trapped them was finally answered by Jesus
— But the Pharisees were too proud to be impressed
— Jesus’ answer gave them a theological victory over the Sadducees, but they were more interested in defeating Jesus then in learning the truth
Going Deeper
— When challenged by the Sadducees to prove that the resurrection was taught by Moses, the Pharisees apparently could muster only two or three obscure references
— They argued that Numbers 18:28 implied resurrection in that it spoke of giving “the Lord’s offering to Aaron the priest,” the present tense indicating that Aaron was still alive
— An even more obscure text cited Deut 31:16, which speaks of the people’s arising; but their arising was not to a future life but to harlotry
— A third text was Deut 32:39, in which the Lord says, “It is I who put to death and give life” a reference simply to His sovereign authority over death and life
— Jesus’ excellent exegetical argument is based on the emphatic present tense of the I am used in that passage in the Pentateuch ( Gen 28:13 )
— Jesus had accomplished what the wisest Pharisee or scribe had never been able to do: unequivocally prove the resurrection even from the Pentateuch
— And in so doing, “He had put the Sadducees to silence” ( Matt 22:34 )
The Question by the Lawyer ( 22:36 )
( 22:36 ) “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
— When the lawyer asked about the law he was referring to which was the greatest commandment of Moses
— The Scribes and Pharisees considered the whole OT to be authoritative
— The Sadducees only considered the first five books to be authoritative
Q: Explain the greatest commandment in your own words ( 22:37-39 )? How can a person know when he or she is being obedient to this text?
The Response of the Lord ( 22:37-40 )
( 22:37-40 ) Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
— Jesus responded with the most quoted and most familiar Scripture passage in Judaism
— This was known as the Shema and every faithful Jew recited the Shema twice a day
Going Deeper
— This passage is called the Shema (Hebrew for “Hear”)
— This text begins with “Hear, O Israel!” and comprises the texts of Deut 6:4-9; 11:13-21 and Num 15:37-41
— These texts were written on small pieces of paper called phylacteries and worn on the foreheads and left arm of Jewish men during prayer
Q: The Pharisees have asked questions of Jesus and now He turns the tables on them. What question does He ask them ( 22:41-46) ?
Whose Son is Christ ( 22:41-46 )
( 22:41-46 ) While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 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 then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: 44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’? 45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” 46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.
— Jesus turned the tables and asked them a penetrating question-who they thought the Messiah was?
— The Pharisees knew that the Messiah would be a descendent of David, they did not understand that he would be God himself
— Jesus quoted from Psalm 110:1 to show that the Messiah would be greater than David
— Jesus affirms that David’s Psalm is speaking of the Messiah
— Jesus gives us an incredible insight with regards to knowing God and His Messiah. Jesus handles God’s word in a way that prioritizes God word as the truth and figuring out how our (man’s) thinking is faulty. It is not our intelligence that will help us understand scripture, it’s God’s revelation though the Holy Spirit as we chew (meditate) on God’s word and dig out for what the real meaning is.
Romans 12:2 (NIV) 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
— (Hebrews 1:13 uses the same text as proof of Christ deity) the most important question we will ever answer is what we believe about Christ
— Other theological questions are irrelevant until we believe that Jesus is who He said is
Going Deeper
— If David then calls Him “Lord,” Jesus asks the Pharisees, how is He His son?
— Jesus’ point was that the title “Son of David” alone is not sufficient for the Messiah
— He is also the Son of God
— Jesus is saying that I am not giving you new teaching or revelation
— You should have been able to figure it our for yourselves, and would have done so if you truly believed Scripture
— Every Jew recognized Psalm 100 as being written by David and as one of the clearest messianic passages in the OT
— The first Lord in the Hebrew text is Yahweh, whereas the second is Aḏōnāy
— The ideas is this: The Lord ( Yahweh) said to David’s lord ( Aḏōnāy ); in other words, David addressed the Messiah as his Lord
— Jesus was pointing out the title “son of David” did not begin to sum up all that is true about the Messiah who is also “son of God” (Luke 22:70)
— The inescapable implication is that Jesus was declaring His deity
Additional Resources
MacArthur, John. Matthew 16-23. Moody Press, 1988.
MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.
Life Application Bible (NIV). Zondervan Grand Rapids, Michigan and Tyndale House Publishers. Carol Stream, Illinois
J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee.
Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973.
Bible Study Questions: https://www.biblestudys.org/Bible%20Books/Matthew/Matthew%20Chapter%2022%20Continued.html