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Matthew

About this book
Chapter 22

1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.⁠ 3 He sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”’ 5 But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death and set their city on fire.⁠ 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. 9 So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10 And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.⁠ 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say.⁠ 13 Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’⁠ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”⁠ 15 Then the Pharisees went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words. 16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality. 17 Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”⁠ 18 But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” So they brought him a denarius. 20 Jesus said to them, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?”⁠ 21 They replied, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”⁠ 22 Now when they heard this they were stunned, and they left him and went away. 23 The same day Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to him and asked him, 24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children he left his wife to his brother. 26 The second did the same, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.” 29 Jesus answered them, “You are deceived because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.⁠ 31 Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God,⁠ 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living!”⁠ 33 When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching. 34 Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together. 35 And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’⁠ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”⁠ 41 While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them a question: 42 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How then does David 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 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.

Texts in conversation

Compare Matthew 22:11 and Ecclesiastes Rabbah 9:8

New Testament · Rabbinic

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Summary

Jesus' wedding banquet parable in Matthew ends with a guest thrown out for arriving without wedding clothes. Rabbinic tradition in Ecclesiastes Rabbah tells a parable of a king who invites guests to a feast, similarly rejecting any not properly dressed.

Passages

Matthew 22:11

New Testament
8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. 9 So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10 And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say. 13 Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

Ecclesiastes Rabbah 9:8

Rabbinic · Aggadah
Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi stated a parable; to what is this matter analogous? It is to a king who made a feast and invited guests. He said to them: ‘Go bathe and anoint [yourselves], press and launder your garments, and prepare yourselves for the feast.’ But he did not set a time for them when they should come to the feast. The clever among them strolled at the entrance to the king’s palace. They said: ‘Does the king’s palace lack anything?’1 The fools among them paid no heed and were not scrupulous regarding the king’s instructions. They said: ‘Ultimately, we will sense when the king’s feast begins. Is there any feast that does not require preparation and [arranging] seating [for the guests] next to each other?’ The plasterer went to his plaster, the potter to his mortar, the blacksmith to his coal, the launderer to his laundry room. Suddenly, the king said: ‘Everyone to the feast.’ They hurried them.2). These came in their glory, and those came in their repulsiveness. The king was pleased with those who were clever, who fulfilled the king’s instructions, and moreover, they brought honor to the king’s palace, but he was angry at the fools who did not fulfill the king’s instructions, and disrespected the king’s palace. The king said: ‘Let those who prepared themselves for the feast come and partake in the king’s feast, and those who did not prepare themselves for the feast will not partake of the king’s feast.’ One might [think] they would take their leave, [but] the king then said: ‘No, but rather these shall recline, eat, and drink, and those shall stand on their feet, be punished, observe, and suffer.’
700–950 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ecclesiastes Rabbah

References

“... 22:2–14: Parable about the wedding garment. Rabbinic parables that are reminiscent of individual ideas. [...] With several variations, Midr. Eccl. 9:8 (42A): “At every time let your garments be white and your head never lacking oil” (Eccl 9:8). R. Yohanan b. Zakkai said, “If Scripture were speaking of white garments, how many white garments the nations of the world have! And if Scripture were speaking about good oils, how many good oils the nations of the world have! Behold, though, it is speaking only about fulfillments of the commandments and good works and the study of the Torah.” R. Judah the prince told a parable: “Like a king who held a banquet and invited zimmen (guests). He said, ‘Go, bathe yourselves, clean yourselves, anoint yourselves, wash your garments, and prepare yourselves for the banquet!’ Yet he did not fix a specific time for them. The wise walked back and forth at the entrance of the palace. They said, ‘Should the palace of the king lack anything?’ Yet the foolish did not concern themselves with the word of the king. They said, ‘Ultimately we will become aware of something from the king’s banquet! Is there ever a banquet without labor and fixing the order of the table?’ (so Matt. Keh.). Then the limestone painter went to his limestone, the potter to his clay, the smith to his coal, the washer to his washhouse. Suddenly the king commanded that all should come to the banquet. They were compelled to hurry. Some came in their adornment and the others in their ugliness. ...”
Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck, A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash, Volume 1: Matthew (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2022), 1630–1631.

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Matthew 22:11 and Ecclesiastes Rabbah 9:8

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