March through Matthew with Jesus:

Matthew 22

During Lent in March we continue reading through the Gospel of Matthew, one chapter a day--28 chapters--with points to ponder, background information and personal application. Pray God strengthens our faith on this spiritual journey in His Holy Word

Some Points to Ponder as we read Matthew 22:

1. Matthew 22:1-14 begins with Jesus telling the Parable of the Wedding Feast. Wedding banquet imagery is often used in the New Testament to describe the reality and relationship between Christ (the Bridegroom) and His Church (the Bride--aka US). For example, see Revelation 19:6-10. 

The Jews were the first to be invited to God’s salvation wedding banquet, but many rejected God’s prophets and ultimately God’s perfect Prophet, Jesus. This is why more, namely Gentiles, are invited off the streets to come to banquet. Many Gentiles also reject Christ and will be thrown out of the salvation wedding feast into “the outer darkness” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”(aka hell; Mt. 22:13-14).

+ IT IS ONLY through the power of God’s Word and Spirit and by God’s grace that any of us receive and profess faith in Jesus as our Savior.   

2. As we read Matthew 22 it is now Monday or Tuesday of Holy Week. Jesus is challenged by the Pharisees, Saducees, and Herodians about 3 primary issues. They question Jesus (a) about paying taxes to Caesar, (b) about the resurrection, and (c) about which is the greatest of the Commandments. All of their questions are posed out of their unbelief with the evil intent of trying to trap and trip up Jesus, show He is a false teacher, and get Him arrested.

3. The Pharisees, Saducees, and Herodians were all usually fierce RIVALS of one another, but their opposition to Jesus united them.

4. Herodians were those Jews who cooperated with Rome and were despised by other more nationalist Jews for selling out their loyalty to the Jewish nation by cooperating with a foreign power ruling over them.

5. The Jewish Saducees believed only in the first 5 books of what we call the Old Testament (the Pentateuch). Saducees denied there is a resurrection, and they did not believe in angels. (SEE Acts 23:8)

The Pharisees believed in all of the Old Testament Books and angels. Pharisees also believed in a future resurrection of the dead.

6. In Matthew 22:21 Jesus answers a question about whether we should pay taxes by saying: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”

Based on what Jesus says, Lutheran Christians believe God has established TWO KINGDOMS--known as the Left Hand Kingdom (God’s temporal and earthly realm with civil government and earthly powers) and the RIGHT HAND Kingdom (God’s spiritual realm of Truth and Grace). We live in both kingdoms, but have the challenge of navigating and distinguishing between the two of them as we ultimately remain faithful to Jesus/God in our lives. 

7. Which is the greatest of the 10 commandments? We remember in Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus said He did NOT come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.

8. Note the following insightful comments about the connection between the question the Pharisees ask Jesus: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law” (22:36) with the questions Jesus asked the Pharisees: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?”(22:42). G.J. Albreacht and M.J. Albecht write in their commentary about Matthew:   

Martin Luther…pointed out that Jesus preached the law when he answered the question about the greatest commandment, and then he preached the gospel when he declared himself to be the Son of David who was prophesied in Psalm 110. Furthermore, it is through faith in the Son of David that the Holy Spirit gives us the desire and the strength to love God and to love our neighbor. And it is in the Son of David that we find forgiveness for all those times we have failed to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And it is in the Son of David that we find forgiveness for all those times we have failed to love our neighbors as ourselves.    (The People’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, CPH, 1996, p.320-321)

We now read Matthew 22…    

Matthew 22 (ESV)

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

22 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

The Great Commandment

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 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 is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, 44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

    until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

+Prayer+ Dear Jesus, thank You for obeying God’s Law perfectly for me. In thankful response to Your grace, empower me to love You with my entire being and to love my neighbor as myself. Thank You for Your undeserved love and forgiveness, Jesus. Amen.

Pastor Scott Schmieding

Senior Pastor

Immanuel Lutheran Church and School

115 S. Sixth Street

Saint Charles, MO 63301

636.946.2656