The Parable of the Marriage Feast

221 And Jesus answering spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 The kingdom of the heavens has become like a king who made a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his bondmen to call the persons invited to the wedding feast, and they would not come. 4 Again he sent other bondmen, saying, Say to the persons invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatted beasts are killed, and all things ready; come to the wedding feast. 5 But they made light of it, and went, one to his own land, and another to his commerce. 6 And the rest, laying hold of his bondmen, ill-treated and slew [them]. 7 And [when] the king [heard of it he] was wroth, and having sent his forces, destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he says to his bondmen, The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy; 9 go therefore into the thoroughfares of the highways, and as many as ye shall find invite to the wedding feast. 10 And those bondmen went out into the highways, and brought together all as many as they found, both evil and good; and the wedding feast was furnished with guests. 11 And the king, having gone in to see the guests, beheld there a man not clothed with a wedding garment. 12 And he says to him, [My] friend, how camest thou in here not having on a wedding garment? But he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him feet and hands, and take him away, and cast him out into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called ones, but few chosen ones.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

15 Then went the Pharisees and held a council how they might ensnare him in speaking. 16 And they send out to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth, and carest not for any one, for thou regardest not men's person; 17 tell us therefore what thou thinkest: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said, Why tempt ye me, hypocrites? 19 Shew me the money of the tribute. And they presented to him a denarius. 20 And he says to them, Whose [is] this image and superscription? 21 They say to him, Caesar's. Then he says to them, Pay then what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God. 22 And when they heard [him], they wondered, and left him, and went away.

The Question about the Resurrection

23 On that day came to him Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they demanded of him, 24 saying, Teacher, Moses said, If any one die, not having children, his brother shall marry his wife and shall raise up seed to his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brethren; and the first having married died, and not having seed, left his wife to his brother. 26 In like manner also the second and the third, unto the seven. 27 And last of all the woman also died. 28 In the resurrection therefore of which of the seven shall she be wife, for all had her? 29 And Jesus answering said to them, Ye err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not God of [the] dead, but of [the] living. 33 And when the crowds heard [it] they were astonished at his doctrine.

The Great Commandment

34 But the Pharisees, having heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, were gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, demanded, tempting him, and saying, 36 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 And he said to him, Thou shalt love [the] Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding. 38 This is [the] great and first commandment. 39 And [the] second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments the whole law and the prophets hang.

The Question about David's Son

41 And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus demanded of them, 42 saying, What think ye concerning the Christ? whose son is he? They say to him, David's. 43 He says to them, How then does David in Spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand until I put thine enemies under thy feet? 45 If therefore David call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor did any one dare from that day to question him any more.

The Preaching of John the Baptist

31 Now in those days comes John the baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 and saying, Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh. 3 For this is he who has been spoken of through Esaias the prophet, saying, Voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of [the] Lord, make straight his paths. 4 And John himself had his garment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his nourishment was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the country round the Jordan, 6 and were baptised by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Offspring of vipers, who has forewarned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce therefore fruit worthy of repentance. 9 And do not think to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for [our] father; for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 And already the axe is applied to the root of the trees; every tree therefore not producing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptise you with water to repentance, but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not fit to bear; he shall baptise you with [the] Holy Spirit and fire; 12 whose winnowing fan [is] in his hand, and he shall thoroughly purge his threshing-floor, and shall gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

The Baptism of Jesus

13 Then comes Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptised of him; 14 but John urgently forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptised of thee; and comest thou to me? 15 But Jesus answering said to him, Suffer [it] now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffers him. 16 And Jesus, having been baptised, went up straightway from the water, and lo, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him: 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight.