Matthew 22

Devotionals, Articles, and Bible Study Resources on Matthew 22

1Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables:
2“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
3He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come.
4Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business.
6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.
7The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.
8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy.
9Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’
10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes.
12‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless.
13Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14For many are called, but few are chosen.”
15Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words.
16They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.
17So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?
19Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.
20“Whose image is this,” He asked, “and whose inscription?”
21“Caesar’s,” they answered. So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.
23That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.
24“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.
26The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh.
27And last of all, the woman died.
28In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.”
29Jesus answered, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
30In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.
31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you:
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.”
33When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
34And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together.
35One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question:
36“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”
37Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38This is the first and greatest commandment.
39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
41While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus questioned them:
42“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” “David’s,” they answered.
43Jesus said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? For he says:
44‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand
until I put Your enemies
under Your feet.”’
45So if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be David’s son?”
46No one was able to answer a word, and from that day on no one dared to question Him any further.
— Matthew 22

Related Resources from Heartlight

Isn't This Why You're Wrong?
Illustration of Matthew 22:23-29 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:23-29 NLT -- That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that no person will rise from death.) The Sadducees asked Jesus a question. They said, "Teacher, Moses told us that if a married man dies and he had no children, then his brother must marry the woman. Then they will have children for the dead brother. There were seven brothers among us. The first one married but died. He had no children. So his brother married the woman. Then the second brother also died. The same thing happened to the third brother and all the other brothers. The woman was last to die. But all seven men had married her. So when people rise from death, whose wife will she be?" Jesus answered, "You don't understand because you don't know what the Scriptures say. And you don't know about the power of God."

Authoritatively Alone!
Illustration of Matthew 22:41-46 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:41-46 NLT -- So while the Pharisees were together, Jesus asked them a question. Jesus said, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" The Pharisees answered, "The Christ is the Son of David." Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Then why did David call him 'Lord'? David was speaking by the power of the {Holy} Spirit. David said, 'The Lord (God) said to my Lord (Christ): Sit by me at my right side, and I will put your enemies under your control.' David calls the Christ 'Lord.' So how can he be David's son?" None of the Pharisees could answer Jesus' question. And after that day no person was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions {to try to trick him}.

Whose Face Do You See?
Illustration of Matthew 22:17-22 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:17-22 NLT -- "So tell us what you think. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar? Yes or no?" But Jesus knew that these men were trying to trick him. So he said, "You hypocrites! Why are you trying to catch me saying something wrong? Show me a coin used for paying the tax." The men showed Jesus a silver coin. Then Jesus asked, "Whose picture is on the coin? And whose name is written on the coin?" The men answered, "It is Caesar's picture and Caesar's name." Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. And give to God the things that are God's." Those men heard what Jesus said, and they were amazed. They left him and went away.

Standards Are Not Forgotten
Illustration of Matthew 22:11-14 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:11-14 NLT -- "Then the king came in to see all the people. The king saw a man there that was not dressed in the right clothes for a wedding. The king said, 'Friend, how were you allowed to come in here? You are not wearing the right clothes for a wedding.' But the man said nothing. So the king told some servants, 'Tie this man's hands and feet. Throw the man out into the darkness. In that place, people will cry and grind their teeth {with pain}.' Yes, many people are invited. But only a few are chosen."

The Hall Will Be Filled
Illustration of Matthew 22:7-10 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:7-10 NLT -- "The king was very angry. The king sent his army to kill those people that killed his servants. And the army burned their city. After that, the king said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready. I invited those people, but they were not good enough to come to my feast. So go to the street corners and invite all the people you see. Tell them to come to my feast.' So the servants went into the streets. They gathered all the people they could find. The servants brought good people and bad people to the place where the wedding feast was ready. And that place was filled with people."

The Power of Stories!
Illustration of Matthew 22:1-4 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:1-4 NLT -- Jesus used stories to say some other things to the people. Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a king that prepared a wedding dinner for his son. The king invited some people to the feast. When the feast was ready, the king sent his servants to tell those people to come. But the people refused to come to the king's feast. Then the king sent some more servants. The king said to the servants, 'I have already invited those people. So tell them that my feast is ready. I have killed my best bulls and calves to be eaten. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.'"

God of the Living!
Illustration of Matthew 22:31-33 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:31-33 NLT -- "Surely you have read what God said to you about the rising from death? God said, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' {If God said he is their God, then} these men are not really dead. He is the God only of living people." All the people heard this. They were amazed at Jesus' teaching.

Love God Through and Through
Illustration of Matthew 22:36-38 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:36-38 NLT -- The Pharisee said, "Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?" Jesus answered, "'You must love the Lord your God. You must love him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and most important command."

Love the Lord your God with all your...
Illustration of Matthew 22:37-39

Illustration of Matthew 22:37-39 -- 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.

The Greatest Commandment
Illustration of Matthew 22:37-39

Inspirational illustration of Matthew 22:37-39 -- 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.

Boils Down to Love
Illustration of Matthew 22:39-40 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:39-40 NLT -- "And the second command is like the first: 'You must love other people the same as you love yourself.' All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands."

Brutal Refusal
Illustration of Matthew 22:5-6 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:5-6 NLT -- "{The servants went and told the people to come.} But the people refused to listen to the servants. Those people went to do other things. One person went to work in his field, and another person went to his business. Some of the other people grabbed the servants, beat them, and killed them."

First Thing First!
Illustration of Matthew 22:34-35 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:34-35 NLT -- The Pharisees learned that Jesus told the Sadducees things they could not argue with. So the Pharisees met together. One Pharisee was an expert in the law {of Moses}. That Pharisee asked Jesus a question to test him.

Speaking the Truth with Courage
Illustration of Matthew 22:15-16 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:15-16 NLT -- Then the Pharisees left the place where Jesus was teaching. They made plans to catch Jesus saying something wrong. The Pharisees sent some men to Jesus {to trick him}. They sent some of their own followers and some men from the group called Herodians. These men said, "Teacher, we know that you are an honest man. We know that you teach the truth about God's way. You are not afraid of what other people think about you. All men are the same to you."

First Thing First!
Illustration of Matthew 22:30 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 22:30 NLT -- "At the time when people rise from death, there will be no marriage. People will not be married to each other. All people will be like the angels in heaven."

Cross References for Matthew 22

Cross References Provided by Open Bible

The Berean Standard Bible

The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern, clear, and faithful translation based on the best available Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Ideal for reading, study, and sharing, it entered the public domain in 2023. For more information, visit berean.bible.