Year of the Bible
Matthew 22
Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 22:
In the twenty-second chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. The parable of the wedding feast illustrates that marriage has its ultimate goal and fulfillment in Jesus Christ. At the heart of the wedding feast is spousal love—Jesus is the bridegroom and the Church is the bride. The Father has given his Son in marriage to the bride so that the bride may participate in the life of the Blessed Trinity. Pope John Paul II taught: “The Father, in union with the Son, is eternally the principle of the ‘spiration’ of the Holy Spirit, who is the love in which the Father and Son reciprocally remain united.” The Father who begets, loves the Son who is begotten, and the Son loves the Father with a love that’s identical with that of the Father’s. Divine love is on one side paternal and on the other filial. The love between the Father and the Son not only unites them, but their reciprocal love proceeds from them as the third person of the Blessed Trinity—the Holy Spirit. It’s the same Holy Spirit who reveals Jesus Christ, the bridegroom, to his bride, the Church.
The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 22:
The Parable of the Marriage Feast
1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.’ 5 But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the streets, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
The Question about Paying Taxes
15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodi-ans, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the money for the tax.” And they brought him a coin. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled; and they left him and went away.
The Question about Man’s Resurrection
23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies, having no children, his brother must marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, to which of the seven will she be wife? For they all had her.”
29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
The Greatest Commandment
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 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. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
A Question about the Christ
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
till I put your enemies under your feet’?
45 If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more questions.
Daily Lectio Divina Question:
The chief priests and the Pharisees were the observant ones, trying to follow what they understood God to be asking. Lord, where do I stand if “many are called, but few are chosen” (v. 14)?
Bible Commentary provided by Scott Hahn and Mark Shea, Gospel of Matthew, ed. Jennifer Phelps, Catholic Scripture Study (Charlotte, NC: Catholic Scripture Study International, 2007), 205.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this. If you're looking for a good Catholic edition of the Bible, look no further
Mateo 22
1 Jesús les habló de nuevo con parábolas
y dijo:
2 –El Reino de los Cielos es como un
rey que celebró las bodas de su hijo, 3 y
envió a sus siervos a llamar a los invitados
a las bodas; pero éstos no que
rían acudir. 4 Nuevamente envió a otros
siervos diciéndoles: Decid a los invitados:
mirad que tengo preparado ya
mi banquete, se ha hecho la matanza
de mis terneros y mis reses cebadas, y
todo está a punto; venid a las bodas.
5 Pero ellos, sin hacer caso, se marcharon:
quien a su campo, quien a su negocio.
6 Los demás echaron mano a los
siervos, los maltrataron y los mataron.
7 El rey se encolerizó, y envió a sus tropas
a acabar con aquellos homicidas y
prendió fuego a su ciudad. 8 Luego les
dijo a sus siervos: Las bodas están preparadas
pero los invitados no eran dignos.
9 Así que marchad a los cruces de
los caminos y llamad a las bodas a cuantos
encontréis». 10 Los siervos salieron a
los caminos y reunieron a todos los que
encontraron, malos y buenos; y se llenó
de comensales la sala de bodas. 11 Entró
el rey para ver a los comensales, y
se fijó en un hombre que no vestía traje
de boda; 12 y le dijo: Amigo, ¿cómo has
entrado aquí sin llevar traje de boda?
Pero él se calló. 13 Entonces el rey les dijo
a los servidores: Atadlo de pies y manos
y echadlo a las tinieblas de afuera;
allí habrá llanto y rechinar de dientes.
14 Porque muchos son los llamados, pero
pocos los elegidos.
15 Entonces los fariseos se retiraron y
se pusieron de acuerdo para ver cómo
podían cazarle en alguna palabra. 16 Y le
enviaron a sus discípulos, con los herodianos,
a que le preguntaran:
–Maestro, sabemos que eres veraz
y que enseñas de verdad el camino de
Dios, y que no te dejas llevar por nadie,
pues no haces acepción de personas.
17 Dinos, por tanto, qué te parece: ¿es lícito
dar tributo al César, o no?
18 Conociendo Jesús su malicia, respondió:
–¿Por qué me tentáis, hipócritas?
19 Enseñadme la moneda del tributo.
Y ellos le mostraron un denario.
20 Él les dijo:
–¿De quién es esta imagen y esta
inscripción?
21 –Del César –contestaron.
Entonces les dijo:
–Dad, pues, al César lo que es del
César y a Dios lo que es de Dios.
22 Al oírlo se quedaron admirados, lo
dejaron y se fueron.
23 Aquel mismo día se le acercaron
unos saduceos –que niegan la resurrección–
y le preguntaron:
24 –Maestro, Moisés dijo: Si alguien
muere sin tener hijos, su hermano se casará
con la mujer y dará descendencia
a su hermano. 25 Pues bien, había entre
nosotros siete hermanos. El primero se
casó y falleció, y, al no tener descendencia,
dejó su mujer a su hermano. 26 Lo
mismo sucedió con el segundo y el tercero,
hasta el séptimo. 27 Después de todos
ellos, murió la mujer. 28 Entonces, en
la resurrección, ¿de cuál de los siete será
esposa?, porque la tuvieron todos.
29 Jesús les respondió:
–Estáis equivocados por no entender
las Escrituras ni el poder de Dios:
30 porque en la resurrección no se casarán
ni ellas ni ellos, sino que serán en el
cielo como los ángeles. 31 Y sobre la resurrección
de los muertos, ¿no habéis leído
lo que os dejó dicho Dios: 32 Yo soy el
Dios de Abrahán y el Dios de Isaac y el
Dios de Jacob? No es Dios de muertos
sino de vivos.
33 Y la muchedumbre, al oírlo, quedaba
admirada de su enseñanza.
34 Los fariseos, al oír que había hecho
callar a los saduceos, se pusieron de
acuerdo, 35 y uno de ellos, doctor de la
ley, le preguntó para tentarle:
36 –Maestro, ¿cuál es el mandamiento
principal de la Ley?
37 Él le respondió:
–Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo
tu corazón y con toda tu alma y con
toda tu mente. 38 Éste es el mayor y el
primer mandamiento. 39 El segundo es
como éste: Amarás a tu prójimo como
a ti mismo. 40 De estos dos mandamientos
dependen toda la Ley y los Profetas.
41 Estaban reunidos unos fariseos y
Jesús les preguntó:
42 –¿Qué pensáis del Mesías? ¿De
quién es hijo?
–De David –le respondieron.
43 Él les dice:
–¿Entonces, cómo David, movido
por el Espíritu, le llama Señor al decir:
44 Dijo el Señor a mi Señor:
Siéntate a mi derecha,
hasta que ponga a tus enemigos
bajo tus pies?
45 Por lo tanto, si David le llama Señor,
¿cómo va a ser hijo suyo?
46 Y nadie podía responderle una palabra;
y desde aquel día ninguno se atrevió
a hacerle ya más preguntas.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina para el día de hoy
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).