(Mat 22:3 NASB) “And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
Mat 22:3: The King is Elohim (Psalm 45:10-16). The Wedding Feast is the marriage supper of the Lamb. This is the event that will apparently usher in the Kingdom of Heaven.
His slaves are His prophets He sent to warn Israel (Jer. 25:4). Those who had been unwilling to come are the Jewish people who would not listen to Him in that day, especially the religious leaders (Jer. 6:16-17).
(Mat 22:4 NASB) “Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”‘
Mat 22:4: The King has prepared a feast. What is this feast? The feast is wisdom (Prov. 9:1-6).
(Mat 22:5 NASB) “But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,
(Mat 22:6 NASB) and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
Mat 22:6: Elohim does not react well to His Word being rejected and ignored (Prov. 1:24-31).
(Mat 22:7 NASB) “But the king was enraged and sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire.
Mat 22:7: This is a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem which happened some forty years after Yeshua told this parable (Luke 19:42-44).
(Mat 22:8 NASB) “Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
(Mat 22:9 NASB) ‘Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’
Mat 22:9: There was mass rejection by Israel. Keep in mind the invitation is for the Wedding Feast. The message that Messiah was spreading is “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand…” (Matt. 4:17, Mark 1:14-15). This invitation was ignored.
Therefore Yeshua went to the prostitutes and tax gatherers. Keep in mind that He never left the land of Israel with this message. Remember who He came for (Matt. 15:24).
(Mat 22:10 NASB) “And those slaves went out into the streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.
Mat 22:10: Christianity has the mistaken notion that this parable tells us that all the Jews rejected Messiah. Nope!
On the contrary, the ones who responded to His call were Jews (with only a couple exceptions).
But perhaps the most misunderstood part of this parable is the next passage.
(Mat 22:11 NASB) “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes,
(Mat 22:12 NASB) and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And he was speechless.
Mat 22:12: The Wedding Feast is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. But what are the wedding clothes? We are told in Revelation 19:7-9. The wedding clothes are the righteous acts of His people. Righteous acts are following His Torah (Deut. 6:25, 1 John 3:7)
(Mat 22:13 NASB) “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Mat 22:13: Those who do not follow Torah will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (Isa. 52:1, Ga. 5:19-21).
(Mat 22:14 NASB) “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Mat 22:14: The call goes out to many. But only a few are among the chosen ones (Deut. 14:1-3, Psalm 105:43-45, Hagg. 2:22-23).
(Mat 22:15 NASB) Then the Pharisees went and counseled together how they might trap Him in what He said.
Mat 22:15: The Pharisees knew what Yeshua was saying. They despised Him for His Words. If they actually knew Scripture, they would have known that His Words were the Words of the Father.
(Mat 22:16 NASB) And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.
(Mat 22:17 NASB) “Tell us therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?”
Mat 22:17: The Herodians take their turn at putting Yeshua in an indefensible position in front of the religious leaders and the masses of people. They initially try to butter Him up with empty flattery.
What they are asking is a good question that needed an answer. The poll-tax was collected from the people and they hated paying it. If Yeshua said they should not pay it, then the Herodians would have had Him arrested for telling the people not to pay. But the people will hate hearing that they should pay the tax.
(Mat 22:18 NASB) But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?
(Mat 22:19 NASB) “Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.
(Mat 22:20 NASB) And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
(Mat 22:21 NASB) They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”
(Mat 22:22 NASB) And hearing this, they marveled, and leaving Him, they went away.
Mat 22:22: Yeshua knew that He was being tested in front of the people. The fact is, the Romans provided valuable services for the people such as peace, protection, roads and other things. They are to render to Caesar what is due to him for these services.
What is meant to “give unto Elohim the things that are Elohim’s?” He is referring to the tithe and tributes that are commanded (Lev. 27:30, Deut. 16:10).
(Mat 22:23 NASB) On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Him and questioned Him,
(Mat 22:24 NASB) saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘IF A MAN DIES, HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP AN OFFSPRING TO HIS BROTHER.’
Mat 22:24: The Herodians went down swinging, hanging their heads. Next up at bat, are the Sadducees.
They attempt to mock the resurrection since they do not believe in it. They quote the Levirate Law and state how that will cause great confusion at the resurrection (Deut. 25:5-10).
(Mat 22:25 NASB) “Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother;
(Mat 22:26 NASB) so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh.
(Mat 22:27 NASB) “And last of all, the woman died.
(Mat 22:28 NASB) “In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her.”
Mat 22:28: The Sadducees thought that the Scriptures teach that a woman would have several husbands in this particular scenario at the resurrection. Yeshua told them that they did not actually know the Scripture.
(Mat 22:29 NASB) But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God.
(Mat 22:30 NASB) “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
Mat 22:30: Yeshua said they do not know the Scriptures if they make comments such as this one. What was it in the Torah that they missed? They must have missed that man was originally created in the image of angels (Gen. 1:26-27). Angels are also compared to man in Psalm 103:17-22.
(Mat 22:31 NASB) “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,
(Mat 22:32 NASB) ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
Mat 22:32: He is the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex. 3:6, and other places). Elohim is not the Elohim of the dead. This is not a reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob being alive in some soul-state. Keep in mind that Yeshua was rebuking the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection. He is saying that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not gone forever. They are merely asleep. They will be resurrected.
(Mat 22:33 NASB) And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
(Mat 22:34 NASB) But when the Pharisees heard that He had put the Sadducees to silence, they gathered themselves together.
Mat 22:34: The people were astonished that Yeshua was factually stating the resurrection to be true. The reasoning He used was impeccable. Elohim is not the Elohim of the dead, but of the living. He is called the “Living Elohim” in many places in Scripture (Deut. 5:26, Josh 3:10, Jer. 10:10).
The Herodians struck out and the Sadducees also went down swinging. The Pharisees are putting their heads together for their turn at bat. I imagine the man they sent was nicknamed “the Mighty Casey…”
(Mat 22:35 NASB) And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him,
(Mat 22:36 NASB) “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
(Mat 22:37 NASB) 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.’
(Mat 22:38 NASB) “This is the great and foremost commandment.
Mat 22:38: We are told in Mark the greatest commandment is that whole commandment which also says “Hear Oh Israel, Yahweh our Elohim is One.” (Mark 12:28-30).
(Mat 22:39 NASB) “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
(Mat 22:40 NASB) “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Mat 22:40: These are quotes from the Torah (Deut 6:4, Lev. 19:18 not shown). All of Yahweh’s Torah is dependent upon these two things: loving Elohim and loving our neighbor. Paul says we can sum up the whole or Torah with one word (Gal. 5:14).
(Mat 22:41 NASB) Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,
(Mat 22:42 NASB) saying, “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.”
Mat 22:42: Yeshua knew how they would answer. The Messiah is known as the “Son of David” (Isa 9:6-7, 11:1-4, Jer. 23:5-6). Yeshua is going to the obvious answer to His question against them.
(Mat 22:43 NASB) He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,
(Mat 22:44 NASB) ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT THINE ENEMIES BENEATH THY FEET”‘?
Mat 22:44: This is a quote from Psalm 110:1. The ancient rabbis knew this passage in Psalm 110:1 was speaking of Messiah. Even 850 years after Messiah, we see that Ancient Rabbi Saadias Gaon (882-942 CE) said, “This is Messiah our righteousness, as it is written, The Lord said to my Lord.”
If even Rabbis 850 years after Messiah could not deny this statement as being Messianic, then the Rabbis in the day of Yeshua would certainly not be prepared to say otherwise.
(Mat 22:45 NASB) “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?”
(Mat 22:46 NASB) And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.
Mat 22:46: Why would King David call his own son “master,” if this reference to Messiah is not also a reference to Deity? Yeshua is once again proclaiming His Deity as Messiah in a very direct manner.
No one was able to answer his question. They did not attempt to ask Him another question.
Baseball was never my favorite game. But when I study this chapter, I see the Herodians, the Sadducees, and Pharisees stepping up to the plate to take their swings at Messiah. But Yeshua struck out the side…
Patrick McGuire