| Matthew 22 | |
|---|---|
 Gospel of Matthew 22:32–44 onMinuscule 544, from 13th century | |
| Book | Gospel of Matthew |
| Category | Gospel |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 1 |
Matthew 22 is the twenty-second chapter in theGospel of Matthew in theNew Testament section of the ChristianBible. Jesus continues his finalministry inJerusalem before hisPassion. Teaching in theTemple,[1] Jesus enters into debate successively with thePharisees, allied with theHerodians, theSadducees, and a lawyer, ultimately silencing them all.
The original text was written inKoine Greek.This chapter is divided into 46 verses.
The narrative can be divided into the following subsections:
Some earlymanuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
Dale Allison notes that the passage consists of an introduction (verse 1), the parable itself (verses 2–13b) and a commentary (verses 13c and 14:there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen).[4] Protestant biblical commentatorHeinrich Meyer creates a similar break inverse 13, with the final words of the king in the story being "take him away, and cast him into outer darkness" and Jesus adding the remarkthere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.[5] Although the topic concerns awedding feast, the dominant idea here concerns the guests who have been invited to attend.[6]
R. T. France suggests that the theological theme ofreplacement is very strong in thisparable, whenthose who had been invited but refused the repeated invitations, and even murdered the messengers, were substituted by thenew people from unlikely groups, fromthe street corners, includingboth good and bad, as the guests.[7]
Meyer suggests that Jesus' reply, "by way of rejoinder",[9] was his answer to thechief priests' and scribes' desire to arrest him in the previous verse (Matthew 21:46).[10] A number of modern English translations lack wording corresponding to theGreek:Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς,kai apokritheis: for example, theJerusalem Bible reads:Jesus began to speak to them in parables once again[11] and theNew International Version readsJesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ...[12] TheRevised Geneva Translation (2019) maintains the wordingThen Jesus answered, and spoke to them again in parables, saying...[13]
Those invited to the wedding feast declined to attend. Meyer suggests that those who left "having paid no attention" formed the majority, while "the rest", in verse 6, formed a smaller "remainder" of the invitees.[5]
The words "take him away, and" (ἄρατε αὐτὸν καὶ) are missing from the criticalNovum Testamentum Graece.[16] Meyer argues that "the word ἄρατε, not being needed to complete the picture, was struck out. The reading of theReceived text [which includes these words] ought to be maintained".[5]
A trap was laid for Jesus by the Pharisees and the Herodians concerning the Roman poll-tax, which was fiercely opposed by patriotic Jews, but Jesus exposed those who asked the question ashypocrites. France notes that they carried thedenarius: the coin bears Caesar'sidolatrous portrait with theinscription "Son of God".[17]
The "tax money" was τὸ νόμισμα τοῦ κήνσου (to nomisma tou kēnsou), associated with theRoman census (Luke 2:1–5,Acts 5:37).[4]
TheSadducees held no belief in afterlife, because they maintained that it was not taught in any ofMoses'five books, the only authoritative Scriptures they accepted. Jesus pointed out that the basis of the belief in resurrection can be found within the books of Moses, specifically citingExodus 3:6.[17]
A question is asked by a lawyer, one of the Pharisees:
France describes the combination ofDeuteronomy 6:5 andLeviticus 19:18 as a brilliantly creative idea, as it brings the focus on the two halves of theTen Commandments as a foundation of life, and sums up that duty aslove, that is, a God-like attitude beyond the specific requirements of the Law.[17] The Jerusalem Bible suggests that the reference to a lawyer is not original but borrowed fromLuke 10:25,There was a lawyer who, to disconcert [Jesus] ...[20]
Jesus now asks a question of the Pharisees.Johann Bengel suggests that this was not merely the Pharisees gathering together as a group, but gathering "solemnly",[22] having assembled in verse 34 as a result of them hearing that the Sadducees had been "put to silence".[23]
In his answer, France suggests that Jesus was warning the people against judging his ministry in traditional terms, because far from being enthroned in Jerusalem as a king like David, he would soon be put todeath on the cross, where he would be known at last not as a Son of David (a title that ceases to exist), but as 'Son of God' (Matthew 27:54).[24] Similarly,Wilhelm de Wette suggests that Jesus' object was "to awaken a higher idea of His (non-political) mission", but according to Meyer, in opposition to de Wette, this view "is not favoured by the context, which represents Jesus as victor over His impudent and crafty foes, who are silenced and then subjected to the castigation" which is described next, inchapter 23.
This verse ends the "Son of David" dialogue; theJerusalem Bible states that no-one in the gathering "could think of anything to say in reply".[26] It also closes off the whole narrative from Matthew 21:23 onwards, where Jesus has been addressed with "question after question".[4]
