1Jesus again used stories to speak to them, saying,
2“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son.
3He sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the feast, but they refused to come.
4Then he sent other servants, telling them, ‘Tell those who were invited: Look, I’ve prepared my dinner. My cattle and fattened animals have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!’
5But they paid no attention and went their own ways—one to his farm, another to his business.
6The rest grabbed his servants, mistreated them terribly, and killed them.
7When the king heard about this, he was furious. He sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned down their city.
8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
9So go to the main roads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.’
10Those servants went out onto the roads and gathered everyone they found, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing wedding clothes.
12He asked him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man had no answer.
13Then the king told his servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’
14For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
15Then the Pharisees left and discussed how they could trap Jesus with his own words.
16They sent their disciples to him, along with some Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and teach God’s way faithfully, without caring about anyone’s opinion, because you don’t show favoritism.
17Tell us, then, what do you think? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18But Jesus knew their evil intentions and said, “Why are you trying to test me, you hypocrites?
19Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a Roman silver coin.
20He asked them, “Whose image and title are on this?”
21They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then he told them, “So give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
22When they heard this, they were amazed. They left him and went away.
23That same day, some Sadducees came to Jesus. (The Sadducees say that people do not rise from the dead.) They asked him,
24“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children to carry on his brother’s name.’
25There were seven brothers among us. The first one married and then died. Since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother.
26In the same way, the second brother also married her, and the third, and so on up to the seventh brother.
27After all of them, the woman also died.
28So in the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her as their wife.”
29But Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power.
30For in the resurrection, people will not marry or be given in marriage; instead, they will be like God's angels in heaven.
31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what God said to you:
32‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
33When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.
34Now when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35One of them, an expert in the Law, tested him with this question:
36“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law?”
37Jesus replied to him, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38This is the first and most important commandment.
39And the second is like it: ‘You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.’
40All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”
41While the Pharisees were still gathered, Jesus asked them a question,
42saying, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They answered him, “He is the son of David.”
43He said to them, “How then does David, speaking by the Spirit, call him ‘Lord,’ saying,
44‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
45“So if David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he also be David’s son?”
46No one could answer him a single word, and from that day on, no one dared to ask him any more questions.