Bible Commentaries

The people I invited did not deserve it. Those who will not respond to the Good News of Christ, are not worthy of Eternal Life (Acts 13:46).

As many people as you find. They are to invite everyone they meet! This came true when the Good News of Christ was preached to everybody in the world (Colossians 1:23).

Good and bad alike. God is not prejudiced as we are. The bad are invited, not to continue to be bad, but to be holy (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

A man who was not wearing wedding clothes. It was the custom for the host to furnish special clothes to be worn in honor of the feast. Alford (Greek Testament) says: "The garment is the imputed and inherent righteousness of the Lord Jesus, put on symbolically in Baptism (Galatians 3:27), and really by a true and living faith (Galatians 3:26)." No one can appear before God in the Kingdom of his Glory without this.

How did you get in here? He had no wedding clothes, which proved he had no right to be there. Both good and bad were called, but ALL must have the imputed [credited— Romans 8:1-4] righteousness of Christ to be the friends of God.

Then the king told the servants. It is the king's right to eject all who do not belong there.

For many are invited, but few are chosen. The invitation is to everyone in the world! But only those who respond and put on the wedding clothes (Titus 3:4-5; Colossians 2:12) become "chosen" by choosing him. [The "few" cannot be counted (Revelation 7:9).]

Made a plan to trap Jesus. The Jews [Pharisees, teachers of the Law, etc.] were fierce enemies of Jesus.

Then they sent some. Some of their junior members who were not so well known, hoping to fool Jesus. Teacher. A title of respect. They wanted to get him off guard.

Is it against our Law to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor? [Caesar is the title of the Roman Emperor.] If he said "no," they could turn him in to the Romans. If he said "yes," it would make the people turn against him. They thought he was caught, whatever he said.

You hypocrites! Jesus knew what they were trying to do.

19-20. Show me the coin. A silver denarius [worth perhaps $180 in 1974 dollars]. It had the face and name of Tiberius Caesar on it.

So Jesus said to them. The fact that they used Roman coins was proof they were under Roman rule. "Pay to the Emperor what belong to him" pleased the members of Herod's party. "Pay to God what belong to God" pleased the Pharisees. What Jesus says shows that civil government and God each have certain things that belong to them alone (Compare Romans 13:1-7). But, "we must obey God, not men" (Acts 5:29). Where the two clash, God must be obeyed I

They were filled with wonder. He was so much wiser than their own teachers.

Some Sadducees came to Jesus. See note on Matthew 3:7. They are the ones. This was their identifying belief—that the dead will not rise. See Acts 23:7-9.

Moses taught. Deuteronomy 25:5-6. This was an old custom to preserve family lines (Genesis 38:6-11).

There were seven brothers. This is a "made up" story which they think will make the "rising from death" look like a foolish idea.

How wrong you are! Their basic error was to say that there were no such things as spirits. So they rejected the idea of a special spiritual creation such as angels. But if man is a spirit who survives death, then the God who created him so that a "body" is necessary to his activity and happiness, would in some way restore a body to him after death. The Bible strongly teaches a "rising from death." See 1 Corinthians 15:35-49. It is because you don't know. The Scriptures proved them wrong. Jesus uses the first five books of the Old Testament [which they did believe] to prove that man is a spirit who survives death. This proves the "raising from death."

For when the dead rise to life. Angels are a separate type of creation. The dead do not become angels, but like the angels. Marriage, birth and death exist only in our present world. In the new heavens and new earth (2 Peter 3:13) marriage will not exist.

Haven't you ever read? The Sadducees believed the first five books of the Bible which Moses wrote. Jesus turns to these and uses them to prove the raising from death.

I am the God of Abraham. Exodus 3:6. I 1 Corinthians 15:44). Compare his account of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).

They were amazed! This was a new idea to them. Some of the teachers of the Law said: "A good answer, Teacher!" (Luke 20:39).

34-35. When the Pharisees heard. The Sadducees had not been able to trap Jesus. Now the Pharisees made plans to do so.

Which is the greatest commandment in the Law? The teachers of the Law had divided into factions over which commandment was the most important. They had "expanded" the Law into 613 separate laws. So they argued over which was the most important, and taught that if this one was obeyed, the person would be given credit for obeying all the others as well.

37-38. You must love the Lord your God. Jesus paraphrases the command of Deuteronomy 6:5. Mark adds: "and with all your strength." Heart, soul, mind, and strength are to be lumped together as meaning "with your complete self." (Compare 1 Thessalonians 5:23.) This is the most important commandment.

The second most important. Leviticus 19:18. The first command sums up man's obligation to God. The second sums up man's obligation to his fellow-man. One who loves God will not rebel against him. One who loves his fellow-man will try to help him. [What happens when someone does not love himself?]

Depend on these two commandments. In the sense of Matthew 5:17; Matthew 7:12; Romans 13:10.

Jesus asked them. They had tried to trap him, yet this question which Jesus asks shows no attitude of revenge.

Whose descendant is he? This is to force them to think about what they already know. He is David's descendant. This is true, but not the whole truth.

43-44. Why then? The Holy Spirit caused David to speak of his descendant as "Lord." Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1 to show this is true. The Jews believed that David wrote that 1 Timothy 3:16).

No one dared ask him any more. Not being able to meet his arguments, they quit trying to trap him, but continue to plot his death.