Matthew: Chapter 22
Chapter 22 continues to record the interaction between Jesus and the chief priests and the Pharisees from the previous chapter. Interestingly, this chapter shows the attempts of different groups to trap Jesus, but ultimately fail.
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
Jesus once again spoke to them in parables about the kingdom of heaven. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sends his servants to those who have been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refuse. Then the king sends more servants and instructs them to tell the invited about all the preparations, dinner and how everything is ready, and invites them. But they paid no attention and each went off their own way; some even ill treated and killed the servants. The king enraged by this sends his army and destroys those murderers and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants, "The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find." So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. The king asked, "Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?" The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, "Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
"For many are invited, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14
There are three groups identified in this parable. The first are the invited guests, who refused to show up and were destroyed. The second are the ones invited, because the first group did not show up. The third is just like the second, but didn't wear the proper attire for the wedding.
The first group is like the second son and the bad tenants described in the previous chapter. They did not do what the LORD wanted despite knowing it, and were stubborn and continued in their rebellious path. Therefore, the invite of the kingdom of heaven was plucked from their fruitless lives and was given to others who would produce the fruits of the kingdom of heaven. The fruit and the attire are closely related. The wedding attire signifies the readiness or preparedness required to enter the kingdom of heaven. Just because we are invited, we can't automatically enter the kingdom of heaven. We need to be prepared and be clothed in the word of God to enter it. The preparedness again, is not based on good deeds or a morally good life. While these are required and in fact encouraged by God, these solely can't take one to heaven. To be properly clothed to enter the kingdom of heaven, one has to first repent, attain salvation, be transformed and continue in doing the will of the Father. This too, is hard to do by one's own strength, thus we need the grace of the LORD on top of all these, so that we are the few who are chosen.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
After Jesus had uttered the parables about the kingdom of heaven, outlining the predicament of the people, the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap Jesus in his words. They sent their disciples to Jesus along with the Herodians (a group who were in favor of the rule of Herod and the Romans). With long flattery they asked Jesus, his opinion on paying taxes to Caesar.
Their reasoning for this particular question was that, based on what Jesus responds they can either report him to the authorities or portray him to be against his own people. But Jesus knowing their evil intent, Jesus called them hypocrites, acknowledged that he knew they were trying to trap him and asked them to show the coin used for paying the tax. When they brought Jesus the coin, he asked them, whose portrait and inscription was on the coin. They replied "Caesar's" and Jesus said to them,
"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Matthew 22:21
When those who asked Jesus the question, heard this, they were amazed and left Jesus and went away. Jesus called them hypocrites for two reasons. Firstly, they asked the question with the intention to trap Jesus and didn't actually care about taxation at this point. Secondly, the currency which they were using, which bore the inscription of Caesar, implied that they were inherently benefiting from the rule. Yet, they didn't want to pay the cost of the benefits. Supposing this taxation was very oppressive and cruel, they should have completely boycotted the currency, thereby making a statement in a non-hypocritical way. Thus, give to Caesar, what you are legally required to give for the benefits you enjoy.
Now, what about the second part of Jesus' reply: "... and to God what is God's." We owe everything to God, because our very existence is because of his grace. But what does the LORD expect? Is it money? Sacrifice? No. The LORD just expects us to love him with all our heart, soul and mind. To understand him. And to do his will. We can do all this by providing time for the LORD, earnestly. And this is what is expected of us.
Marriage at the Resurrection
The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. They described a scenario based on a law given by Moses, if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. Now there were seven brothers among us, the first one married and died without children, so his brother married the widow but died without children and so on through all the seven brothers. Finally the woman died. "Now then, at resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?"
Jesus directly answered them saying, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will never marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven."
The Sadducees, didn't believe in resurrection in the first place, and hence this strange question from them. Perhaps they thought the question would have stumped Jesus. But as always, Jesus gave them the answer, which to us reveals more about heaven. Jesus points out that their ignorance stems from them not knowing and understanding the scriptures enough to realize the absurdity of their question, and also not believing in the power of God enough to realize that God has power over death and resurrection. Beyond this, Jesus also reveals how the social norms would be different in heaven.
Jesus doesn't stop with this. The Sadducees, considered only the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) as scriptures, so Jesus gave proof of resurrection from the Torah to explain to them.
"But about the resurrection of the dead - have you not read what God said to you, '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." Matthew 22:31-32 (Also see Exodus 3:6)
Jesus here points out and shows that the LORD, when talking to Moses, introduced himself as "being" the God of his forefathers, and not as, "was" the God of his forefathers. When the crowds heard his, they were astonished at his teaching.
The Greatest Commandment
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they got together, and one of them, an expert in the law tested Jesus with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40 (Also see Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18)
This question, asked by the expert in the law, is rather interesting, and the answer Jesus gives, sums up all the instructions in the Bible. The first and greatest commandment talks about our commitment to the LORD, whom we have to love with all our heart, soul and mind. Meaning, to love the LORD with everything of us, without compromising. The second commandment here, talks about our commitment to our fellow humans. If we love each other, like how we love ourselves, then there would no hatred, envy, jealousy, strife etc., we will all live in harmony with one another.
Since this realization is hard to come by, the Bible builds up on this, and specifically instructs how one should be with regards to a particular scenario. Once we begin to love the LORD completely, we will be transformed like him, that is, his nature would be mimicked in us. This transformation would further help us to love each other as ourselves.
Whose Son Is the Christ?
Once all these groups had asked Jesus various questions, Jesus asked the Pharisees who were gathered together a question. "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" To this, they replied, "The son of David."
Jesus them said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says, " 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right had until I put your enemies under your feet." ' (Psalm 110:1). If then David calls him 'Lord', how can he be his son?"
No-one could say a word in reply to Jesus' question, and from that day on no-one dared to ask him any more questions.
To summarize, let's remember to be clothed properly to partake in the kingdom of heaven for which we are invited. Let's remember to prioritize our time for the LORD and love him with our heart, soul and mind. And finally, let us remember to love each other as ourselves. There is a place made ready for us, where we would be like angels, let's strive to partake in it! See you in the next one. Take care of yourselves and each other!
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