King James Version
Matthew 22
46 verses with commentary
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables</strong> (ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς πάλιν εἶπεν ἐν παραβολαῖς)—The phrase <em>palin</em> ('again') connects this to the preceding Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen (21:33-46). Jesus intensifies His confrontation with Israel's leaders through <em>parabolais</em> (parables), a teaching method that simultaneously reveals truth to receptive hea...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**XXII.**
(1) **And Jesus answered.**—The word implies a connection of some kind with what has gone before. The parable was an answer, if not to spoken words, to the thoughts that were stirring in the minds of those who listened.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 21 Mt 21:1-9. Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on the First Day of the Week. ( = Mr 11:1-11; Lu 19:29-40; Joh 12:12-19).
**For the exposition of this majestic scene--**recorded, as will be seen, by all the Evangelists--see on Lu 19:29-40.
Mt 21:10-22. Stir about Him in the City--Second Cleansing of the Temple, and Miracles There--Glorious Vindication of the Children's Testimony--T...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son</strong> (ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ βασιλεῖ, ὅστις ἐποίησεν γάμους τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ)—The <em>basileia tōn ouranōn</em> (kingdom of heaven) is compared to a royal wedding feast. The <em>basileus</em> (king) represents God the Father; the <em>huios</em> (son) is Christ; the <em>gamous</em> (marriage...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Which made a marriage for his son.**—The germ of the thought which forms the groundwork of the parable is found, in a passing allusion, in Luke 12:36—“When he shall return from the wedding.” Here, for the first time, it appears in a fully developed form. The parable of Luke 14:15-24 is not specially connected with the idea of a *wedding* feast. The thought itself rested, in part at least, on...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
24. And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, &c.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come</strong> (ἀπέστειλεν τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ καλέσαι τοὺς κεκλημένους εἰς τοὺς γάμους, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελον ἐλθεῖν)—The <em>doulous</em> (servants) represent the prophets and John the Baptist who prepared Israel for Messiah's coming. The <em>keklēmenous</em> (those having been called/invited) refers to I...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Sent forth his servants.**—As in the parable of the Vineyard (Matthew 21:33-46), the servants represent the aggregate work of the prophets up to the time of the Baptist. The refusal of guests invited to what seems to us so great an honour may seem, at first sight, so contrary to human nature as to be wanting in the element of dramatic probability. That refusal, however, would be natural enou...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. The baptism of John--**meaning his whole mission and ministry, of which baptism was the proper character.
**whence was it? from heaven, or of men?--**What wisdom there was in this way of meeting their question will best appear by their reply.
**If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?--**"Why did ye not believe the testimony which he bore to Me,...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong> (πάλιν ἀπέστειλεν ἄλλους δούλους λέγων· εἴπατε τοῖς κεκλημένοις· ἰδοὺ τὸ ἄριστόν μου ἡτοίμακα)—The second group of <em>doulous</em> (servants) likely represents the apostles and early Christ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **My dinner.**—The Greek word points to a morning meal, as contrasted with the “supper,” or evening meal; but, like all such words, (as, *e.g.,* our own dinner), was applied, as time passed on, to meals at very different hours. In Homer it is used of food taken at sunrise; in later authors, of the repast of noon.
**My oxen and my fatlings are killed.**—The words point, under an imagery which I...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people--**rather, "the multitude." In Luke (Lu 20:6) it is, "all the people will stone us"--"stone us to death."
**for all hold John as a prophet--**Crooked, cringing hypocrites! No wonder Jesus gave you no answer.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise</strong> (οἱ δὲ ἀμελήσαντες ἀπῆλθον, ὃς μὲν εἰς τὸν ἴδιον ἀγρόν, ὃς δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐμπορίαν αὐτοῦ)—The verb <em>amelēsantes</em> means 'to be careless, neglectful, indifferent'—not hostile, but dismissive. They didn't attack the invitation; they simply ignored it as unimportant. The <em>agron</em> (fiel...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **They made light of it.**—The words point to the temper of neglect which slights the offer of the kingdom of God, and prefers the interest of this world. This was one form of neglect. Another ran parallel with it, and passed on into open antagonism.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell--**Evidently their difficulty was, how to answer, so as neither to shake their determination to reject the claims of Christ nor damage their reputation with the people. For the truth itself they cared nothing whatever.
**Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things--**What composure and dignity of wisdom does our Lord here display...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them</strong> (οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ κρατήσαντες τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ ὕβρισαν καὶ ἀπέκτειναν)—The <em>loipoi</em> ('the rest/remnant') escalate from apathy to violence. The verb <em>hubrisān</em> ('treated shamefully/insultingly') appears in Jesus's Passion predictions (Luke 18:32)—the same mistreatment He Himself would receiv...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Entreated them spitefully.**—The Greek word implies the wanton infliction of outrage. The parable at this stage looks forward as well as backward, and seems to include the sufferings of Christian preachers and martyrs as well as those of the prophets who were sent to Israel.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**28. But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard--**for true religion is a practical thing, a "bringing forth fruit unto God."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city</strong> (ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ὠργίσθη, καὶ πέμψας τὰ στρατεύματα αὐτοῦ ἀπώλεσεν τοὺς φονεῖς ἐκείνους καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν ἐνέπρησεν)—The <em>ōrgisthē</em> (was angry) reflects divine wrath, not petulant rage but holy, judicial anger against covenant-breaking murder....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **He sent forth his armies.**—As in other parables that shadow forth the judgment of the Son of Man, the words find an approximate fulfilment, first, in the destruction of Jerusalem, and afterwards, in all times of trouble that fall upon nations and churches as the punishment of unbelief and its consequent unrighteousness. The word “armies” suggests in its modern use, action on a larger scale ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29. He answered and said, I will not--**Trench notices the rudeness of this answer, and the total absence of any attempt to excuse such disobedience, both characteristic; representing careless, reckless sinners resisting God to His face.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy</strong> (τότε λέγει τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ· ὁ μὲν γάμος ἕτοιμός ἐστιν, οἱ δὲ κεκλημένοι οὐκ ἦσαν ἄξιοι)—The <em>gamos hetoimos estin</em> ('the wedding is ready') stands unchanged despite human rejection. God's purposes are not thwarted by human refusal. The indictment <em>ouk ēsan axioi</em> ('the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**30. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir--**"I, sir." The emphatic "I," here, denotes the self-righteous complacency which says, "God, I thank thee that I am not as other men" (Lu 18:11).
**and went not--**He did not "afterward repent" and refuse to go; for there was here no intention to go. It is the class that "say and do not" (Mt 23:3)--a falsene...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →Go ye therefore into the highways , and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage</strong> (πορεύεσθε οὖν ἐπὶ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὁδῶν, καὶ ὅσους ἐὰν εὕρητε καλέσατε εἰς τοὺς γάμους)—The <em>diexodous tōn hodōn</em> (literally 'the thoroughfares of the roads'—crossroads, exits, highways) represents places where Gentiles and outcasts gather, outside the respectable city. The command <em>ho...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Into the highways.**—Literally, *the openings of the ways,* the places where two or more roads met, and where, therefore, there was a greater probability of meeting way-farers. In the interpretation of the parable, we may see in this feature of it a prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles, and find an apt illustration of it in St. Paul’s words when he turned from the Jews of the Pisidian Ant...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31. Whether of them twain did the will of his Father? They say unto him, The first--**Now comes the application.
**Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go--**or, "are going"; even now entering, while ye hold back.
**into the kingdom of God before you--**The publicans and the harlots were the first son, who, when told to work in the Lord's vineyard,...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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</strong> (καὶ ἐξελθόντες οἱ δοῦλοι ἐκεῖνοι εἰς τὰς ὁδοὺς συνήγαγον πάντας ὅσους εὗρον, πονηρούς τε καὶ ἀγαθούς· καὶ ἐπλήσθη ὁ γάμος ἀνακειμένων)—The phrase <em>ponērous te kai agathous</em> ('both evil and good') shatters merit-based as...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Both bad and good.**—The words imply, as in the parable of the Drag-net (Matthew 13:47-48), (1) the universality of the offer of the gospel, so that none were shut out through any previous sins; (2) that the assembly of the guests so gathered answers to the visible Church of Christ in which the evil are mingled with the good, waiting for the coming of the King “to see the guests.”
**The wed...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**32. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness--**that is, calling you to repentance; as Noah is styled "a preacher of righteousness" (2Pe 2:5), when like the Baptist he warned the old world to "flee from the wrath to come."
**and ye believed him not--**They did not reject him; nay, they "were willing for a season to rejoice in his light" (Joh 5:35); but they would not receive his test...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **To see the guests.**—The verb conveys the idea of inspecting. The king came to see whether all the guests had fulfilled the implied condition of coming in suitable apparel. The framework of the parable probably pre-supposes the Oriental custom of providing garments for the guests who were invited to a royal feast. Wardrobes filled with many thousand garments formed part of the wealth of eve...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**33. Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard--**(See on Lu 13:6).
**and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower--**These details are taken, as is the basis of the parable itself, from that beautiful parable of Is 5:1-7, in order to fix down the application and sustain it by Old Testament authority.
**and let it out to husb...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless</strong> (ἑταῖρε, πῶς εἰσῆλθες ὧδε μὴ ἔχων ἔνδυμα γάμου; ὁ δὲ ἐφιμώθη)—The address <em>hetaire</em> ('friend/companion') is used by Jesus only in confrontational contexts (20:13; 26:50). The question <em>pōs eisēlthes hōde</em> ('how did you enter here') probes the man's presumption...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Friend.**—(See Note on Matthew 20:13.) The question implies that the act was strange, unlooked-for, inexcusable.
**He was speechless.**—The verb is the same as the “put to silence” of Matthew 22:34, and points literally to the silence of one who has been gagged.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen--**By these "servants" are meant the prophets and other extraordinary messengers, raised up from time to time. See on Mt 23:37.
**that they might receive the fruits of it--**Again see on Lu 13:6.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Take him away.**—The words are wanting in many of the best MSS., and may have been inserted to meet the supposed difficulty of the man being simply “thrust out” after he had been bound hand and foot.
**Into outer darkness.**—The description is reproduced from Matthew 8:12, and, in part also, from Matthew 13:50. (See Notes on those passages.) Here it is emphasized by the contrast between the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one--**see Jr 37:15; 38:6.
**and killed another--**see Jr 26:20-23.
**and stoned another--**see 2Ch 24:21. Compare with this whole verse Mt 23:37, where our Lord reiterates these charges in the most melting strain.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →For many are called, but few are chosen.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For many are called, but few are chosen</strong> (πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσιν κλητοὶ ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί)—This concluding maxim summarizes the parable's theology. <em>Polloi</em> (many) receive the <em>klētoi</em> (calling/invitation)—the gospel goes to all. But <em>oligoi</em> (few) are <em>eklektoi</em> (chosen/elect)—not all who hear respond savingly. This isn't a contradiction but a distinction be...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Many are called.**—(See Note on Matthew 20:16.) The “calling” answers, both verbally and in substance, to the “bidding” or invitation of the parable. The “chosen” are those who both accept the invitation and comply with its condition; those who, in the one parable, work in the vineyard, and in the other, array themselves with the wedding garment of holiness. The “choice,” as far as the para...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**36. Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they did unto them likewise--**see 2Ki 17:13; 2Ch 36:16, 18; Ne 9:26.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 22
Chapter Outline
The parable of the marriage feast.(1-14)
The Pharisees question Jesus as to the tribute.(15-22)
The question of the Sadducees as to the resurrection.(23-33)
The substance of the commandments.(34-40)
Jesus questions the Pharisees.(41-46)
**Verses 1-14**
The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made...
Read full commentary →Paying Taxes to Caesar
Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.</strong> The verb παγιδεύσωσιν (<em>pagideusōsin</em>, 'to entangle' or 'ensnare') comes from παγίς (<em>pagis</em>), meaning trap or snare used for animals. The Pharisees deliberately plot to catch Jesus in verbal contradiction, seeking grounds for accusation. This occurs during Passion Week, Tuesday in the...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **How they might entangle him.**—Literally, *ensnare.* The phrase is identical in meaning with our colloquial “set a trap.” The plot implies that they did not dare to take measures openly against Him as long as popular feeling was at the same level.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**37. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son--**In Mark (Mr 12:6) this is most touchingly expressed: "Having yet therefore one son, His well-beloved, He sent Him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence My Son." Luke's version of it too (Lu 20:13) is striking: "Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send My beloved Son: it may be ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
The Pharisees sent their disciples with the Herodians, a party among the Jews, who were for full subjection to the Roman emperor. Though opposed to each other, they joined against Christ. What they said of Christ was right; whether they knew it or not, blessed be God we know it. Jesus Christ was a faithful Teacher, and a bold reprover. Christ saw their wickedness. Whatever mas...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **With the Herodians.**—The party thus described are known to us only through the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark; and their precise relation to the other sects or schools among the Jews are consequently matters of conjecture. The form of the name (like *Mariani, Pompeiani,* and, we may add, *Christiani*) is Latin, and may be noted as an example of the influence of that language in the pu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**38. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves--**Compare Ge 37:18-20; Joh 11:47-53.
**This is the heir--**Sublime expression this of the great truth, that God's inheritance was destined for, and in due time is to come into the possession of, His own Son in our nature (He 1:2).
**come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance--**that so, from mere servants, w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
The Pharisees sent their disciples with the Herodians, a party among the Jews, who were for full subjection to the Roman emperor. Though opposed to each other, they joined against Christ. What they said of Christ was right; whether they knew it or not, blessed be God we know it. Jesus Christ was a faithful Teacher, and a bold reprover. Christ saw their wickedness. Whatever mas...
Read full commentary →Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Is it lawful to give tribute . . .?**—The question was obviously framed as a dilemma. If answered in the affirmative, the Pharisees would be able to denounce Him to the people as a traitor to His country, courting the favour of their heathen oppressors. If in the negative, the Herodians (on the assumption which seems the more probable) could accuse Him, as He was eventually accused, of “per...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**39. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard--**compare He 13:11-13 ("without the gate--without the camp"); 1Ki 21:13; Joh 19:17.
and slew him.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
The Pharisees sent their disciples with the Herodians, a party among the Jews, who were for full subjection to the Roman emperor. Though opposed to each other, they joined against Christ. What they said of Christ was right; whether they knew it or not, blessed be God we know it. Jesus Christ was a faithful Teacher, and a bold reprover. Christ saw their wickedness. Whatever mas...
Read full commentary →But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Ye hypocrites.**—The special form of the hypocrisy was that the questioners had come, not avowedly as disputants, but as “just men” (Luke 20:20) perplexed in conscience and seeking guidance as from One whom they really honoured.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**40. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh--**This represents "the settling time," which, in the case of the Jewish ecclesiastics, was that judicial trial of the nation and its leaders which issued in the destruction of their whole state.
what will he do unto those husbandmen?
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
The Pharisees sent their disciples with the Herodians, a party among the Jews, who were for full subjection to the Roman emperor. Though opposed to each other, they joined against Christ. What they said of Christ was right; whether they knew it or not, blessed be God we know it. Jesus Christ was a faithful Teacher, and a bold reprover. Christ saw their wickedness. Whatever mas...
Read full commentary →Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. penny: in value seven pence halfpenny
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Shew me the tribute money</strong> (ἐπιδείξατέ μοι τὸ νόμισμα τοῦ κήνσου/<em>epideixate moi to nomisma tou kēnsou</em>). Jesus requests they produce the coin used for paying Roman poll tax (κῆνσος/<em>kēnsos</em>, Latin <em>census</em>). <strong>A penny</strong> (δηνάριον/<em>dēnarion</em>) was a Roman denarius, silver coin worth a day's wage for common laborers (Matthew 20:2). The coin bo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Shew me the** **tribute money.**—The parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:2) indicates that the *denarius* was in common circulation. It was probably part of the fiscal regulation of the Roman government that the poll-tax should be paid in that coin only. In any case, wherever it passed current, it was a witness that the independence of the country had passed away, and that ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**41. They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men--**an emphatic alliteration not easily conveyed in English: "He will badly destroy those bad men," or "miserably destroy those miserable men," is something like it.
**and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons--**If this answer was given by the Pharisees, to whom our L...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
The Pharisees sent their disciples with the Herodians, a party among the Jews, who were for full subjection to the Roman emperor. Though opposed to each other, they joined against Christ. What they said of Christ was right; whether they knew it or not, blessed be God we know it. Jesus Christ was a faithful Teacher, and a bold reprover. Christ saw their wickedness. Whatever mas...
Read full commentary →And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? superscription: or, inscription
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Image and superscription.**—Better, *inscription.* The coin brought would probably be a silver *denarius* of Tiberius, bearing on the face the head of the emperor, with the inscription running round it containing his name and titles.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**42. Jesus saith unto them. Did ye never read in the scriptures--**(Psa 118:22, 23).
**The stone which the builders rejected, &c.--**A bright Messianic prophecy, which reappears in various forms (Is 28:16, &c.), and was made glorious use of by Peter before the Sanhedrim (Ac 4:11). He recurs to it in his first epistle (1Pe 2:4-6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
The Pharisees sent their disciples with the Herodians, a party among the Jews, who were for full subjection to the Roman emperor. Though opposed to each other, they joined against Christ. What they said of Christ was right; whether they knew it or not, blessed be God we know it. Jesus Christ was a faithful Teacher, and a bold reprover. Christ saw their wickedness. Whatever mas...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Pharisees and Herodians attempted to trap Jesus with a question about paying taxes to Rome (v. 17). Either answer seemed dangerous—endorsing Roman taxation would alienate Jewish nationalists; opposing it could invite Roman charges of sedition. Jesus' brilliant response transcends their false dilemma. 'Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's' acknowledges legitimate civil aut...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Render therefore unto Cæsar.**—As far as the immediate question was concerned, this was of course an answer in the affirmative. It recognised the principle that the acceptance of the emperor’s coinage was an admission of his *de facto* sovereignty. But the words that followed raised the discussion into a higher region, and asserted implicitly that that admission did not interfere with the t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**43. Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God--**God's visible Kingdom, or Church, upon earth, which up to this time stood in the seed of Abraham.
**shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof--**that is, the great evangelical community of the faithful, which, after the extrusion of the Jewish nation, would consist chiefly of Gentiles, until "all Israel ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
The Pharisees sent their disciples with the Herodians, a party among the Jews, who were for full subjection to the Roman emperor. Though opposed to each other, they joined against Christ. What they said of Christ was right; whether they knew it or not, blessed be God we know it. Jesus Christ was a faithful Teacher, and a bold reprover. Christ saw their wickedness. Whatever mas...
Read full commentary →When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When they had heard these words, they marvelled</strong> (ἀκούσαντες ἐθαύμασαν/<em>akousantes ethaumasan</em>). The verb θαυμάζω (<em>thaumazō</em>) indicates astonishment, amazement, even shock at the unexpected. Jesus's answer was so brilliant it left them speechless. They came to trap Him; instead they encountered wisdom transcending their political categories. <strong>And left him, and...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **They marvelled.**—We can picture to ourselves the surprise which the conspirators felt at thus finding themselves baffled where they thought success so certain. The Herodians could not charge the Teacher with forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar. The Pharisees found the duty of giving to God what belonged to Him pressed as strongly as they had ever pressed it. They had to change their tactic...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder--**The Kingdom of God is here a Temple, in the erection of which a certain stone, rejected as unsuitable by the spiritual builders, is, by the great Lord of the House, made the keystone of the whole. On that Stone the builders were now "falling" and being "broken" (Is 8:15). T...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
The Pharisees sent their disciples with the Herodians, a party among the Jews, who were for full subjection to the Roman emperor. Though opposed to each other, they joined against Christ. What they said of Christ was right; whether they knew it or not, blessed be God we know it. Jesus Christ was a faithful Teacher, and a bold reprover. Christ saw their wickedness. Whatever mas...
Read full commentary →The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23-28) **The Sadducees.**—(See Note on Matthew 3:7.) These, we must remember, consisted largely of the upper class of the priesthood (Acts 5:17). The form of their attack implies that they looked on our Lord as teaching the doctrine of the resurrection. They rested their denial on the ground that they found no mention of it in the Law, which they recognised as the only rule of faith. The case whi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**45. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables--**referring to that of the Two Sons and this one of the Wicked Husbandmen.
they perceived that he spake of them.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife</strong> (Διδάσκαλε, Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν/<em>Didaskale, Mōusēs eipen</em>). The Sadducees address Jesus as διδάσκαλος (<em>didaskalos</em>, teacher), acknowledging His role without sincere respect. They cite Deuteronomy 25:5-6, the law of levirate marriage (from Latin <em>levir</em>, brother-in-law). <strong>Ra...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**46. But when they sought to lay hands on him--**which Luke (Lu 20:19) says they did "the same hour," hardly able to restrain their rage.
**they feared the multitude--**rather, "the multitudes."
**because they took him for a prophet--**just as they feared to say John's baptism was of men, because the masses took him for a prophet (Mt 21:26). Miserable creatures! So, for this time, "they left ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →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:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now there were with us seven brethren</strong> (ἦσαν δὲ παρ' ἡμῖν ἑπτὰ ἀδελφοί/<em>ēsan de par' hēmin hepta adelphoi</em>). The Sadducees begin their hypothetical scenario, likely fabricated rather than actual case. The number seven (ἑπτά/<em>hepta</em>) evokes completeness in Hebrew thought, suggesting exhaustive fulfillment of the levirate obligation. <strong>Having no issue</strong> (μὴ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. seventh: Gr. seven
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh</strong> (ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ δεύτερος καὶ ὁ τρίτος, ἕως τῶν ἑπτά/<em>homoiōs kai ho deuteros kai ho tritos, heōs tōn hepta</em>). The Sadducees compress the narrative, rushing through six additional marriages in a single verse. This brevity serves rhetorical purpose—emphasizing the absurdity rather than the compassion or tragedy. Each bro...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →And last of all the woman died also.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And last of all the woman died also</strong> (ὕστερον δὲ πάντων ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἡ γυνή/<em>hysteron de pantōn apethanen kai hē gynē</em>). The woman's death completes the scenario, creating the supposed theological puzzle. She outlived all seven brothers who sequentially married her according to levirate obligation, then died childless herself. The phrase <strong>last of all</strong> (ὕστερον...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 22 Mt 22:1-14. Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son.
This is a different parable from that of the Great Supper, in Lu 14:15, &c., and is recorded by Matthew alone.
**2. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son--**"In this parable," as Trench admirably remarks, "we see how the Lord is revealing Himself in ever clearer light as the cen...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven?</strong> (ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει οὖν τίνος τῶν ἑπτὰ ἔσται γυνή;<em>/en tē anastasei oun tinos tōn hepta estai gynē?</em>) The Sadducees present their supposed <em>reductio ad absurdum</em>—if resurrection exists, this scenario creates impossible marital conflict. <strong>For they all had her</strong> (πάντες γὰρ ἔσχον αὐτήν/<em>p...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. and sent forth his servants--**representing all preachers of the Gospel.
**to call them that were bidden--**here meaning the Jews, who were "bidden," from the first choice of them onwards through every summons addressed to them by the prophets to hold themselves in readiness for the appearing of their King.
**to the wedding--**or the marriage festivities, when the preparations were all co...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' response 'Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God' identifies two sources of theological error: scriptural ignorance and underestimating God's power. The Sadducees' question about resurrection (vv. 23-28) revealed both problems—they didn't understand Scripture's teaching on resurrection or God's power to accomplish it. Doctrinal error stems from biblical illiteracy and l...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **Ye do err.**—This is, it may be noted, the one occasion in the Gospel history in which our Lord comes into direct collision with the Sadducees. On the whole, while distinctly condemning and refuting their characteristic error, the tone in which He speaks is less stern than that in which He addresses the Pharisees. They were less characterised by hypocrisy, and that, as the *pessima corrupti...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage--**This points to those Gospel calls after Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and effusion of the Spirit, to which the parable could not directly allude, but when only it could be said, with strict propriety, "that all things were ready." Compare 1Co 5:7, 8, "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage</strong> (ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε γαμίζονται/<em>en gar tē anastasei oute gamousin oute gamizontai</em>). Jesus demolishes the Sadducees' false premise. Resurrection doesn't simply extend earthly existence; it transforms human nature into something radically different. The dual expression <strong>marry</st...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **They** **neither marry, nor are given in marriage.**—In St. Luke’s report (Luke 20:34-35) our Lord emphasises the contrast in this respect between the children of this world and the children of the resurrection. His words teach absolutely the absence from the resurrection life of the definite relations on which marriage rests in this, and they suggest an answer to the yearning questions whi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read</strong> (περὶ δὲ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῶν νεκρῶν οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε/<em>peri de tēs anastaseōs tōn nekrōn ouk anegnōte</em>). After correcting their misconception about resurrection's nature (verse 30), Jesus proves resurrection's reality from Scripture. The question <strong>have ye not read</strong> (οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε/<em>ouk anegnōte</em>) c...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **That which was spoken unto you by God.**—In St. Mark and St. Luke we find the addition “at the bush,” the words probably being a reference to the section of the Law containing Exodus 3, and known by that title. There are, it need scarcely be said, many passages scattered here and there through the Old Testament (such, *e.g.,* as Job 19:25-26; Psalm 16:10-11; Daniel 12:2) in which the hope o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully--**insulted them.
**and slew them--**These are two different classes of unbelievers: the one simply indifferent; the other absolutely hostile--the one, contemptuous scorners; the other, bitter persecutors.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' proof of resurrection—'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'—quotes Exodus 3:6. The present tense 'I am' (not 'I was') indicates Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still live in God's presence though physically dead. God's ongoing relationship with the patriarchs requires their continued existence, implying resurrectio...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. But when the king--**the Great God, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
**heard thereof, he was wroth--**at the affront put both on His Son, and on Himself who had deigned to invite them.
**and he sent forth his armies--**The Romans are here styled God's armies, just as the Assyrian is styled "the rod of His anger" (Is 10:5), as being the executors of His judicial vengeance.
**a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine</strong> (καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ ὄχλοι ἐξεπλήσσοντο ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ/<em>kai akousantes hoi ochloi exeplēssonto epi tē didachē autou</em>). The verb ἐκπλήσσω (<em>ekplēssō</em>) means to strike with astonishment, to amaze utterly, even to stun into silence. Imperfect tense indicates ongoing, continuous amazement—they kep...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) They were astonished at his doctrine.—Better, *teaching.* The wonder was apparently caused by the way in which the truth of the popular creed had been proved from words which seemed to the careless reader to be altogether remote from it. It was the mode of teaching rather than the doctrine taught that astonished them. The other Gospels (Mark 12:28, Luke 20:39) record the admiration of agreeme...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy--**for how should those be deemed worthy to sit down at His table who had affronted Him by their treatment of His gracious invitation?
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-33**
The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Having ...
Read full commentary →The Greatest Commandment
But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together .
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence</strong> (Οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἀκούσαντες ὅτι ἐφίμωσεν τοὺς Σαδδουκαίους/<em>Hoi de Pharisaioi akousantes hoti ephimōsen tous Saddoukaious</em>). The verb φιμόω (<em>phimoō</em>) means to muzzle, to silence completely, like putting a muzzle on an animal's mouth (used this way in 1 Corinthians 9:9 about not muzzling oxen, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **Had put the Sadducees to silence.**—The primary meaning of the Greek verb is to stop a man’s power of speaking with a gag, and even in its wider use it retains the sense of putting men to a coerced and unwilling silence. (Comp. 1Peter 2:15.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. Go ye therefore into the highways--**the great outlets and thoroughfares, whether of town or country, where human beings are to be found.
**and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage--**that is, just as they are.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 34-40**
An interpreter of the law asked our Lord a question, to try, not so much his knowledge, as his judgment. The love of God is the first and great commandment, and the sum of all the commands of the first table. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All our love is too little to bestow upon him, therefore all the powers of the soul must be engaged for him,...
Read full commentary →Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him</strong> (καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν νομικὸς πειράζων αὐτόν/<em>kai epērōtēsen heis ex autōn nomikos peirazōn auton</em>). A νομικός (<em>nomikos</em>, lawyer or scribe) was an expert in Mosaic Law and rabbinic interpretation—professional theologian and legal scholar. <strong>Tempting</strong> (πειράζων/<em>peirazōn<...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **A lawyer.**—The precise distinction between the “lawyer” and the other scribes rested, probably, on technicalities that have left little or no trace behind them. The word suggests the thought of a section of the scribes who confined their attention to the Law, while the others included in their studies the writings of the Prophets also. In Luke 7:30; Luke 11:45, they appear as distinct from...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good--**that is, without making any distinction between open sinners and the morally correct. The Gospel call fetched in Jews, Samaritans, and outlying heathen alike. Thus far the parable answers to that of "the Great Supper" (Lu 14:16, &c.). But the distinguishing feature of our p...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 34-40**
An interpreter of the law asked our Lord a question, to try, not so much his knowledge, as his judgment. The love of God is the first and great commandment, and the sum of all the commands of the first table. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All our love is too little to bestow upon him, therefore all the powers of the soul must be engaged for him,...
Read full commentary →Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **Which is the great commandment . . .?**—Literally, *of what kind.* The questioner asked as if it belonged to a class. Our Lord’s answer is definite, “*This* is the first and great commandment.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. And when the king came in to see the guests--**Solemn expression this, of that omniscient inspection of every professed disciple of the Lord Jesus from age to age, in virtue of which his true character will hereafter be judicially proclaimed!
**he saw there a man--**This shows that it is the judgment of individuals which is intended in this latter part of the parable: the first part repres...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 34-40**
An interpreter of the law asked our Lord a question, to try, not so much his knowledge, as his judgment. The love of God is the first and great commandment, and the sum of all the commands of the first table. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All our love is too little to bestow upon him, therefore all the powers of the soul must be engaged for him,...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>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.</strong> This verse, known as the Greatest Commandment, represents Jesus's distillation of the entire Law into its most foundational principle. A lawyer, testing Jesus, asked which commandment was greatest (v.36), seeking to trap Him in the endless rabbinic debates about ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(37) **Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.**—In St. Mark’s report (Mark 12:29) our Lord’s answer begins with the Creed of Israel (“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord”), and so the truth is in its right position as the foundation of the duty. It is significant (1) that the answer comes from the same chapter (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) which supplied our Lord with two out of His three answers to the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12. Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? **And he was speechless--**being self-condemned.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 34-40**
An interpreter of the law asked our Lord a question, to try, not so much his knowledge, as his judgment. The love of God is the first and great commandment, and the sum of all the commands of the first table. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All our love is too little to bestow upon him, therefore all the powers of the soul must be engaged for him,...
Read full commentary →This is the first and great commandment.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus identifies the greatest commandment: 'This is the first and great commandment' (Greek: αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μεγάλη καὶ πρώτη ἐντολή, 'this is the great and first commandment'), referring to loving God with all heart, soul, and mind (verse 37). The word πρώτη means both 'first' in rank and sequence. Loving God supremely is foundational to all other commands. 'Great' (μεγάλη) indicates magnitude and i...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. Then said the king to the servants--**the angelic ministers of divine vengeance (as in Mt 13:41).
**Bind him hand and foot--**putting it out of his power to resist.
**and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness--**So Mt 8:12; 25:30. The expression is emphatic--"the darkness which is outside." To be "outside" at all--or, in the language of Re 22:15, to be "without" the heavenly ci...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 34-40**
An interpreter of the law asked our Lord a question, to try, not so much his knowledge, as his judgment. The love of God is the first and great commandment, and the sum of all the commands of the first table. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All our love is too little to bestow upon him, therefore all the powers of the soul must be engaged for him,...
Read full commentary →And the second is like unto it , Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus adds the second commandment: 'And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself' (Greek: δευτέρα ὁμοία αὐτῇ, ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν, 'a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself'). This quotes Leviticus 19:18. 'Like unto it' (ὁμοία) means similar in kind and importance. The two commands are inseparable - love for God produces love for ne...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(39) **Thou shalt love thy neighbour.**—The words were found, strangely enough, in the book which is, for the most part, pre-eminently ceremonial (Leviticus 19:18), and it is to the credit of the Pharisees, as ethical teachers, that they, too, had drawn the law, as our Lord now drew it, from its comparative obscurity, and gave it a place of dignity second only to that of the first and great comman...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. For many are called, but few are chosen--**So Mt 19:30. See on Mt 20:16.
Mt 22:15-40. Entangling Questions about Tribute, the Resurrection, and the Great Commandment, with the Replies. ( = Mr 12:13-34; Lu 20:20-40).
For the exposition, see on Mr 12:13-34.
Mt 22:41-46. Christ Baffles the Pharisees by a Question about David and Messiah. ( = Mr 12:35-37; Lu 20:41-44).
For the exposition, ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 34-40**
An interpreter of the law asked our Lord a question, to try, not so much his knowledge, as his judgment. The love of God is the first and great commandment, and the sum of all the commands of the first table. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All our love is too little to bestow upon him, therefore all the powers of the soul must be engaged for him,...
Read full commentary →On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
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KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(40) **All the law and the prophets.**—The words are coupled, as in Matthew 5:17; Matthew 7:12, to indicate the whole of the revelation of the divine will in the Old Testament. The two great commandments lay at the root of all. The rest did but expand and apply them; or, as in the ceremonial, set them forth symbolically; or, as in the law of slavery and divorce, confined their application within l...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 34-40**
An interpreter of the law asked our Lord a question, to try, not so much his knowledge, as his judgment. The love of God is the first and great commandment, and the sum of all the commands of the first table. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All our love is too little to bestow upon him, therefore all the powers of the soul must be engaged for him,...
Read full commentary →Whose Son Is the Christ?
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them</strong> (Συνηγμένων δὲ τῶν Φαρισαίων ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς/<em>Synēgmenōn de tōn Pharisaiōn epērōtēsen autous ho Iēsous</em>). After answering their hostile questions (tribute to Caesar, resurrection, greatest commandment), Jesus seizes initiative and poses His own question. The genitive absolute construction <strong>while ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(41) **While the Pharisees were gathered together.**—St. Mark and St. Luke add here, as St. Matthew does in Matthew 22:46, that “no man dared ask Him any more questions.” They have recourse from this time forth to measures of another kind, and fall back upon treachery and false witness. It was now His turn to appear as the questioner, and to convict the Pharisees of resting on the mere surface eve...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-46**
When Christ baffled his enemies, he asked what thoughts they had of the promised Messiah? How he could be the Son of David and yet his Lord? He quotes Psa 110:1. If the Christ was to be a mere man, who would not exist till many ages after David's death, how could his forefather call him Lord? The Pharisees could not answer it. Nor can any solve the difficulty except he allows ...
Read full commentary →Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' question 'What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?' tests the Pharisees' messianic understanding. Their answer 'The son of David' (v. 42) was correct but incomplete. Jesus then asks how David could call his descendant 'Lord' (v. 43-44, quoting Psalm 110:1). The dilemma: how can Messiah be both David's son (descendant) and David's Lord (superior)? The answer: Jesus is both human (David's so...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(42) **The son** **of David.**—Both question and answer gain a fresh significance from the fact that the name had been so recently uttered in the Hosannas of the multitude (Matthew 21:9; Matthew 21:15). The Pharisees are ready at once with the traditional answer; but they have never asked themselves whether it conveyed the whole truth, whether it could be reconciled, and if so, how, with the langu...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-46**
When Christ baffled his enemies, he asked what thoughts they had of the promised Messiah? How he could be the Son of David and yet his Lord? He quotes Psa 110:1. If the Christ was to be a mere man, who would not exist till many ages after David's death, how could his forefather call him Lord? The Pharisees could not answer it. Nor can any solve the difficulty except he allows ...
Read full commentary →He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord</strong> (λέγει αὐτοῖς· Πῶς οὖν Δαυὶδ ἐν πνεύματι καλεῖ αὐτὸν κύριον/<em>legei autois· Pōs oun Dauid en pneumati kalei auton kyrion</em>). Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1, 'The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool' (verse 44). The phrase <strong>in spirit</strong> (ἐν πνεύματι/<em...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(43) **Doth David in spirit call him Lord**?—The words assume (1) that David was the writer of Psalms 110; (2) that in writing it, he was guided by a Spirit higher than his own; (3) that the subject of it was no earthly king of the house of David, but the far off Christ. On this point there was an undisturbed *consensus* among the schools of Judaism, as represented by the Targums and the Talmud. I...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-46**
When Christ baffled his enemies, he asked what thoughts they had of the promised Messiah? How he could be the Son of David and yet his Lord? He quotes Psa 110:1. If the Christ was to be a mere man, who would not exist till many ages after David's death, how could his forefather call him Lord? The Pharisees could not answer it. Nor can any solve the difficulty except he allows ...
Read full commentary →The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool ?
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1: 'The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.' This crucial messianic text reveals Christ's divine sonship, exaltation, and coming victory. 'The LORD' (Yahweh) addresses 'my Lord' (Adonai—Messiah), inviting Him to the place of highest honor (right hand). The session at God's right hand shows Christ's finished atoning work...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-46**
When Christ baffled his enemies, he asked what thoughts they had of the promised Messiah? How he could be the Son of David and yet his Lord? He quotes Psa 110:1. If the Christ was to be a mere man, who would not exist till many ages after David's death, how could his forefather call him Lord? The Pharisees could not answer it. Nor can any solve the difficulty except he allows ...
Read full commentary →If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?</strong> (εἰ οὖν Δαυὶδ καλεῖ αὐτὸν κύριον, πῶς υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν;<em>/ei oun Dauid kalei auton kyrion, pōs huios autou estin?</em>) Jesus's question creates apparent paradox requiring theological resolution. The conditional 'if' (εἰ/<em>ei</em>) assumes the premise is true—David does call Messiah Lord in Psalm 110:1. Given this, <strong>how</s...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-46**
When Christ baffled his enemies, he asked what thoughts they had of the promised Messiah? How he could be the Son of David and yet his Lord? He quotes Psa 110:1. If the Christ was to be a mere man, who would not exist till many ages after David's death, how could his forefather call him Lord? The Pharisees could not answer it. Nor can any solve the difficulty except he allows ...
Read full commentary →And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 41-46**
When Christ baffled his enemies, he asked what thoughts they had of the promised Messiah? How he could be the Son of David and yet his Lord? He quotes Psa 110:1. If the Christ was to be a mere man, who would not exist till many ages after David's death, how could his forefather call him Lord? The Pharisees could not answer it. Nor can any solve the difficulty except he allows ...
Read full commentary →