Bible Questions and Answers

Matthew 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2  The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3  And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6  And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7  But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

In this parable the kingdom of God is likened to a wedding feast.

The king represents God.

The king’s son represents Jesus Christ.

The marriage feast represents the coming of the kingdom of God when Jesus Christ will return to be united with his bride – the faithful of all ages.

The servants represent the Old Testament prophets.

Those that were bidden represent the people of Israel to whom the gospel of the kingdom of God was first preached.

The people of Israel refused to obey God and illtreated and murdered the prophets.

The burning of the city is a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70.

The servants sent into the highways are the apostles and others sent out to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God to the gentiles.

The wedding garment represents the change of character formed by believing and obeying the gospel in this life.

The man without a wedding garment represents those who receive the gospel yet fail to obey it.

The wedding feast represents the return of Christ to raise and judge the dead; and establish the kingdom of God.

Weeping and gnashing of teeth represent the reaction of those rejected by Christ.

The binding and casting into outer darkness represents the condemnation to death (the second death) and oblivion of those rejected.

The many who are called represents those who hear the gospel.

The few who are chosen represents those who believe and obey it.

    15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16  And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17  Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19  Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20  And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21  They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. 22  When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

This was a trap set by the Pharisees and Herodians. Was it lawful for Jews to pay tribute money to the Romans? They thought if he said ‘yes’, he would alienate many of the Jews who followed him. If he said ‘no’, he could be reported to the Romans as inciting rebellion.

Christ’s clever answer confounded them.

23  The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 24  Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 25  Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: 26  Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27  And last of all the woman died also. 28  Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. 29  Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30  For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31  But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32  I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 33  And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

Resurrection is the corner-stone of the gospel.

The promise to Abraham and his seed of eternal inheritance of the land of Canaan guarantees resurrection.

The Sadducees didn’t believe in resurrection.

They use the ‘levirate’ law to argue that a woman married in turn to each of seven brothers would create an insurmountable problem if resurrection were true.

Levirate marriage is marriage required by the Law in which the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry his brother's childless widow in order to provide an offspring to maintain the brother’s inheritance. The term levirate is itself a derivative of the Latin word levir meaning "husband's brother".

Jesus explains that after resurrection those accepted will be given a nature equal unto the angels. Marriage and reproduction will be unnecessary.

He goes on to prove that there certainly will be a resurrection because God says he is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who are all dead. Because God is not the God of the dead, it follows that God intends to raise them from the dead at the appointed time. 

Abraham Isaac and Jacob could not have been raised again to life before Christ had died for the remission of their sins.

34 ¶  But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38  This is the first and great commandment. 39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

A lawyer (one qualified to teach the Law of Moses) now tests Jesus by asking him which is the first commandment in the Law.

Jesus explains that the Law and the prophets (the whole of scripture) hangs upon the first and second commandments – Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with heart, being, and mind, and thy neighbour as thyself.

This love was demonstrated by Jesus when he gave his life because he truly loved God and his neighbour.

41 ¶  While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42  Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43  He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44  The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45  If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46  And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Jesus now asks the Pharisees if they know whose son the promised Christ is. They say he is the son of David. Jesus says that he must be more than that because David speaking by inspiration calls him Lord. A son cannot be lord over his own father. The answer, which they failed to give, was that Christ, as well as being a descendant of David, is the Son of God.

At this point they ceased to ask him questions.

I hope this helps.

God bless,
Glenn