Matthew 22:6
Treated them
shamefully and
killed them. This dishonorable and wicked response to the king's invitation was similar to the people who killed the landowner's son in the previous parable (Matt. 21:38-39). The king was just in bringing punishment upon these evildoers.
Matthew 22:12
Wedding clothes. The wedding clothes here represent the whole-hearted righteous behavior that marks the disciple of Jesus. It may be compared elsewhere in Matthew to the fruit that corresponds to repentance (Matt. 3:8; 7:16).
Matthew 22:14
Many people are
called but
few are
chosen. This saying explains the somewhat mysterious "
wedding clothes" (Matt. 22:12) part of the story: Not everyone who appears to be righteous truly is; there are some wolves who appear to be sheep (Matt. 7:15). See
WCF 10.4;
WLC 61, 68.
Three Attempts to Trap Jesus - Matthew 22:15-40
The three sonship parables (Matt. 21:28–22:14) are followed by three attempts by the Jewish leaders to entrap and discredit Jesus and his teaching. But in each attempt Jesus outwitted his enemies and astonishes the crowds (Matt. 22:33).
Matthew 22:15
Pharisees went and
planned how they might
entrap Jesus. This plan follows upon and sets into motion the earlier decision the Jewish leaders had made about Jesus when they could not explain his miracle-working powers (Matt. 12:14). This shows the leaders' wickedness: Rather than responding with humility and repentance (Matt. 3:17; 4:2) they responded with violence.
Matthew 22:16
we know that
you are truthful. These are deceptive and false words, honoring Jesus with their lips while their hearts are far from him (Isa. 29:13; Matt. 15:8-9), as Matt. 22:15-18 show.
Matthew 22:17
Is it
lawful to
pay taxes to
Caesar? The Jewish people were required to pay many taxes to the oppressive Roman Empire. This was resented by the Jews and created tensions within the Jewish community about how to live faithfully to God within this system. The Jewish leaders' hope was to discredit Jesus and get him into trouble either with the Romans or with the Jewish people, depending on which way he answered this difficult question.
Matthew 22:21
give to
Caesar. Rather than being shamed by his enemies, Jesus showed himself to be very wise. He escaped their trap and simultaneously taught how to relate faithfully to God in an oppressed world. See
WLC 127;
BC 36;
HC 104.
Matthew 22:23
Sadducees who
say there is no resurrection. There were different opinions among the Jews of Jesus' day regarding several theological issues. This included differences of belief regarding the final era of the world and whether this included a resurrection of all people from the dead. This idea is only hinted at in the Old Testament but is developed much more in the centuries before Jesus' time. The Sadducees did not follow these resurrection teachings.
Matthew 22:24
His
brother must
marry his
wife. This practice is described as levirate marriage and is designed to ensure that the male lineage is preserved by having a man sire children in the name of his deceased brother (Deut. 25:5).
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