Matthew 22

Matthew 22:1

Chapter 21 ended with two parables illustrating that Jesus acted with the authority of the Father and the Son. Chapter 22 opens with the third and final parable in this series, a parable that illustrates He carried the authority of the Spirit as well. God the Father sent His Spirit to woo a bride for His Son. The ministry of the Spirit is to call people to the wedding, to win a bride for Jesus Christ. Who did He call first? Salvation is to the Jew first and then the Gentile (Rom_2:9-10).

Matthew 22:4

Just as the Jews had rejected the authority of the Father and the Son, they rejected the ministry of the Spirit. They rejected Jesus when He came to Jerusalem just as they would reject the apostles when they ministered there after Pentecost.

Matthew 22:7

“We’re too busy. We’re not interested,” said the Jews. So the Father said to the Spirit, “Go to the highways and byways. Go to the Gentiles. Go to the Oregonians and tell them to come. The meal is ready. The doors are open. Whosoever will, let him come” (see Rev_22:17).

Matthew 22:10

Good and bad came. That’s the church. That’s us.

Matthew 22:11

Jesus is telling us that in the church, there will be those traveling in our midst and sitting at the table who are not dressed properly. What does this mean? I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.Isa_61:10 Who is dressed appropriately? Who is really saved? The one who says, “I need a Savior. I don’t have the answer. I’m not righteous. Lord, I need You to robe me with Your robe of righteousness.”

Matthew 22:13

You see, it’s not the person who sits in the pew or is dipped in the water who is saved. It’s the one who says, “Lord I need You. You are my Savior. You are my Redeemer.”

Matthew 22:15

The Pharisees and Sadducees decided to counterattack with a series of political, ethical, theological, and personal questions for Jesus. Why? Unknowingly, they were fulfilling the prophecy of Exodus 12 which says that before the Passover lamb was sacrificed, it was to be inspected and observed for five days in order to make sure it was free of blemish or disease. So, too, before the Passover Lamb of God was sacrificed on the Cross, He underwent a period of scrutiny and examination by the most brutal inspectors of all: the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and HerodiansHis enemies.

Matthew 22:16

First came the Pharisees and Herodians. The Pharisees were those who kept the most minute details of the law. The Herodians, on the other hand, were a political party. It was an interesting combination because the two didn’t normally get together. But political and philosophical enemies will often unite in opposition to Jesus Christ. The Pharisees and Herodians thought they had Jesus cornered. If He said, “Yes, pay taxes to Caesar,” that would be a most unpopular sentiment. You see, Caesar claimed to be God, and the Jews felt that by paying taxes to Caesar, they were in essence acknowledging him as such. On the other hand, if Jesus said, “No, don’t pay taxes,” He could be arrested for tax evasion and political rebellion.

Matthew 22:18

In other words, Jesus said, “Because coins are stamped with the image of Caesar, they belong to Caesar. But because man is made in the image of God, man belongs to God.”

Matthew 22:23

The Sadducees brought the next question. As those who didn’t believe in resurrection, they asked a question that inferred there were practical problems with a belief in life after death. “If a woman had seven husbands,” they asked, “which one would she be married to in heaven?”

Matthew 22:29

Jesus simply said, “In heaven, relationships are different than they are on earth.” But then He continued…

Matthew 22:31

God didn’t say, “I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” He said, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” By quoting this verse, Jesus gave the Sadducees this message: God is the God of the living. Heaven is real.

Matthew 22:34

The scribes had determined that of the 613 commandments in the Old Testament, 248 were positive injunctions and 365 were negative prohibitions. No doubt hoping to spark a controversy, the lawyer asked Jesus which of the 613 was the greatest commandment.

Matthew 22:37

Jesus went right to the heart of the law: the Shemah. “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deu_6:5). The Jews knew this was the Great Commandment. Orthodox Jews wrote it out and put it in their mezuzahsthe small, elongated boxes thy fastened to their front doorposts. They wrote it out and put it in their phylacteriesthe leather pouches they wore on their foreheads in obedience to the command to keep the Word always on their minds. Thus, it would have been no surprise that Jesus named the Shemah, Deu_6:4, as the greatest commandment. But then He went on…

Matthew 22:39

“Like unto it” means “linked to it.” In other words, the First and Second Commandments are inextricably linked together. Using this commandment, there are those who say that in order to love our neighbor, we must first love ourselves. I don’t believe that is what Jesus is saying here. Rather, I believe He is saying, “Just as you already love yourself, care for yourself, and think about yourself, you are to love your neighbor in the same way.” You see, according to 1Jn_4:20, loving my neighbor is not dependent upon loving myself. It is dependent upon loving God. The ability to love God and to love people are inextricably linked. The problem is, most of us separate the two because of our “TV dinner” spirituality. In a TV dinner, the Salisbury steak, peas, mashed potatoes, and cherry cobbler are all in separate compartments. And that’s just what we do spiritually. “Oh yes, I love God,” we say. “I’m going to worship Sunday night.” But on Monday we call our boss an idiot behind his back, and on Wednesday we complain about how our neighbor idles his car too early in the morning. Yet Sunday finds us worshiping the Lord once again. We compartmentalize our lives thinking that how we treat people has nothing to do with our relationship with God. Jesus says our walk with God is not a TV dinner. Rather, if we really love God, we’ll inevitably love people, and our lives will become like a chicken pot pie. No longer compartmentalized, the peas, potatoes, and chicken will all be mixed together. Truly, if our love for God is genuine, it will naturally flow into a love for people.

Matthew 22:40

The message of the Law and the Prophets, indeed the message of the entire Old Testament is summed up in one word: love. That is why Jesus says, “Love the Lord and love your neighbor and in so doing, you will exemplify the essence of all Old Testament teaching.” I love the picture Jesus painted when He said that the Law and the prophets hang on loving God and loving our neighbor. As I look to heaven and love God; and as I look to my right and left and love people, I see the picture of a Cross. On these two hang all the Law and the Prophets. Who hung on the Cross? The One who loved His Father with all of His heart and soul, mind and strength; the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. Jesus is the Perfect One who loves His Father and who loves us.

Matthew 22:41

Jesus quotes here from Psalms 110. We will see Peter use this same reference in his first sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Act_2:34). This passage would have caused great consternation in the minds of the Pharisees who were so eager to confound and confuse Jesus. You see, in the Jewish culture, one would never call his offspring “Lord.” “Why, then,” asked Jesus, “is David calling his own offspring Lord? Truly, David is referring to Someone greater than himself. If Christ be merely the Son of David as you suppose, David would never have called him Lord.”

Matthew 22:46

The scribes and Pharisees, who prided themselves on their deep knowledge of Scripture, were stumped. Using the written Word, Jesus Christthe Living Wordhad beaten them at their own game.