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MattheW 22:22 | 1577 will be tak en away from you and giv en to a people who will pro duce its fruit . 44 Any one who falls on this stone will be bro ken to piec es ; any one on whom it falls will be crushed .” a
45
When the chief priests and the Phar i sees heard Jesus ’ par a bles , they knew he was talk ing about them . 46 They looked for a way to ar rest him , but they were afraid of the crowd be cause the peo ple held that he was a proph et .
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
22:2-14Ref — ​ Lk 14:16-24
Jesus spoke to them again in par a bles , saying : 2 “ The king dom of heav en is like a king

22 who pre pared a wed ding ban quet for his son . 3 He sent his ser vants to those who had been in vit ed to the ban quet to tell them to come , but they refused to come .

4
“ Then he sent some more ser vants and said , ‘ Tell those who have been in vit ed that I have prepared my din ner : My oxen and fat tened cat tle have been butch ered , and ev ery thing is ready . Come to the wed ding ban quet .’
5
“ But they paid no at ten tion and went off — ​ one to his field , an oth er to his busi ness . 6 The rest seized his ser vants , mis treat ed them and killed them . 7 The king was en raged . He sent his army and de stroyed those mur der ers and burned their city .
8
“ Then he said to his ser vants , ‘ The wed ding ban quet is ready , but those I in vit ed did not deserve to come . 9 So go to the street cor ners and in vite to the ban quet any one you find .’ 10 So the ser vants went out into the streets and gath ered all the peo ple they could find , the bad as well as the good , and the wed ding hall was filled with guests .
11
“ But when the king came in to see the guests , he no ticed a man there who was not wear ing wedding clothes . 12 He asked , ‘ How did you get in here with out wed ding clothes , friend ?’ The man was speech less .
13
“ Then the king told the at ten dants , ‘ Tie him hand and foot , and throw him out side , into the dark ness , where there will be weep ing and gnashing of teeth .’
14
“ For many are in vit ed , but few are cho sen .”
Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar
22:15-22pp — ​Mk 12:13-17 ; Lk 20:20-26
15
Then the Phar i sees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words . 16 They sent their dis ci ples to him along with the He ro di ans . “ Teach er ,” they said , “ we know that you are a man of in teg ri ty and that you teach the way of God in ac cor dance with the truth . You aren ’ t swayed by oth ers , be cause you pay no at ten tion to who they are . 17 Tell us then , what is your opin ion ? Is it right to pay the im pe ri al tax b to Cae sar or not ?”
18
But Jesus , know ing their evil in tent , said , “ You hyp o crites , why are you try ing to trap me ? 19 Show me the coin used for pay ing the tax .” They brought him a de nar i us , 20 and he asked them , “ Whose im age is this ? And whose in scrip tion ?”
21
“ Cae sar ’ s ,” they re plied . Then he said to them , “ So give back to Cae sar what is Cae sar ’ s , and to God what is God ’ s .”
22
When they heard this , they were amazed . So they left him and went away .
a
44 Some manuscripts do not have verse 44 . b
17 A special tax levied on subject peoples , not on Roman citizens
21:44 on this stone Jesus likely is alluding to Isa 8:14 ; 28:16 . Compare Da 2:34 – 35,44 – 45 . 21:45 Pharisees See note on Jn 1:24 . 22:2 The kingdom of heaven See note on Mt 3:2 . a wedding banquet Festivities for such an event would have lasted several days . In this parable , Jesus alludes to the great end-times feast ( compare 8:11 and note ), when God ’ s people will enjoy fellowship with the Messiah in his fully inaugurated kingdom ( compare Rev 19:6 – 10 ). 22:3 they refused to come These invited guests represent those who respond to the message of the kingdom of heaven with indifference ( v . 5 ) and hostility ( v . 6 ). 22:7 burned their city Foreshadows the Romans ’ destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 . 22:11 who was not wearing wedding clothes This man accepted the king ’ s invitation , but on his own terms — ​ which the king found improper . 22:13 weeping and gnashing of teeth Reactions of great anguish . This signals that Jesus is talking about a time of judgment — ​likely upon his return ( see note on Mt 8:12 ). 22:14 For many are invited , but few are chosen Summarizes the theme of the preceding parables ( 21:28 — ​ 22:14 ). God invites many people into his kingdom , as seen in the parable Jesus has just told ( 22:1 – 13 ).
However , as the man thrown out of the wedding feast illustrates ( vv . 11 – 13 ), not all who consider themselves part of God ’ s kingdom are genuine members of it ( compare 7:13 – 14,21 – 23 ). Those who hear and respond favorably to God ’ s invitation are able to join him in celebration ( compare 25:31 – 46 ).
22:15 – 22 Using a question about taxes , the Pharisees aim to get Jesus to speak against the emperor — ​which would support a charge of treason . This exchange is similar to 19:3 – 9 , where their question about divorce sought to draw Jesus into contradicting the Jewish law .
22:16 Herodians Likely refers to Jews who supported Herod Antipas and , by extension , Roman rule . Although it was unusual for the Pharisees — ​who opposed Roman occupation — ​to work with Herodians , in this case it was practical : The presence of the Herodians ensures that any remarks against the empire would be reported to the proper authorities . we know that you are a man of integrity This flattery is intended to provoke Jesus into criticizing imperial taxes . 22:17 Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar A clever query . Answering yes could discredit Jesus among the people for supporting the empire ; but answering no would incriminate him for opposing it . 22:21 give back to Caesar what is Caesar ’ s Jesus