A summary of Matthew Chapter 22

Friday, 25 September 2026

A summary of Matthew Chapter 22.

The individual chapters of Matthew have given a broad panorama of what is going on in redemptive history. In the recent chapters, we saw that Chapter 20 was filled with hints of the transition from the dispensation of the law to the dispensation of grace. It dealt with order and propriety concerning the redemptive process, ensuring that each step is completed as the plan progresses.

It also presented the truth that God has made faith in what He has done the necessary condition for man’s salvation. Nothing more can be added to it, and without meeting that one condition, there is no chance of obtaining access.

Chapter 21 continued that thought, dealing specifically with the object of that faith, Jesus Christ. Chapter 21 ended with the parable of the wicked vinedressers. It clearly revealed that the vineyard would be taken away from Israel and given to other vinedressers.

That continued as Chapter 22 began, as seen in the parable of the wedding feast. The symbolism was that the Father was preparing Jesus as a bridegroom. The invitation was made to Israel, but they rejected the offer.

Because of this, they were destroyed and their city, Jerusalem, was burned, exactly what later occurred. Therefore, the message went throughout the world, inviting anyone to come and share in the banquet. At the end of the parable, it was seen that only those who had the appropriate garments, signifying the righteousness of Christ, were welcome. All others would be cast into outer darkness.

The rest of the chapter shows Israel what their true responsibilities are and where their proper doctrine should lie. What is said is directed to Israel. As such, even though the parable of the wedding feast showed that their people and city would be destroyed, it does not mean that it is the end of the line for Israel the nation.

Rather, the interactions show that any future for them must include a right understanding of what is expected of them and how to appropriate their right to be God’s people once again.

The first note of this was the challenge of the Pharisees and Herodians concerning one’s obligation to society. They attempted to trap Jesus into taking one side or another, but He gave a rightly centered third option. We live in the world and must interact with the world around us.

Israel under the law still has obligations to fulfill apart from the law. Using an earthly example of Caesar, the exchange demonstrates that what belonged to Caesar was to be rendered to Caesar. What can be inferred from this is that Caesar is being used as a type of Christ. If God has determined a new path for Israel, apart from the law, they must meet that obligation.

This was seen in the use of the word eikón when Jesus asked, “Whose, the ‘likeness, this’? And whose inscription?” That word is used in 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Colossians 3:14 when referring to Christ. Jesus is the image of God. The inscription that this is the case is seen in Luke 23 –

“And an inscription [epigraphé] also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Luke 23:38

Jesus is the image of God. The inscription at His crucifixion was a sign to Israel that He is their King. God gave the law to Israel, and they were obligated to it. But God also gave Jesus to Israel. Thus, they are obligated to Him. As Jesus fulfilled the law, Israel must come to Jesus (the fulfillment of the law), thus rendering to God what is God’s, both under the law and under the Headship of Christ.

After that, Jesus was challenged by the Sadducees concerning the resurrection. The resurrection is the ultimate sign of Jesus’ authority as the designated Messiah and representative of God. Therefore, if a resurrection was possible and to be expected based on the state of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then it was to be expected that when Jesus resurrected, they should have understood that He was the fulfillment of the messianic promises.

After that, the Pharisees had a lawyer, a man who was a specialist in the law, test Jesus concerning the greatest commandment. Jesus’ response was a two-fold answer: total allegiance and devotion to God and love toward one’s neighbor that matched one’s love of himself. Jesus finished the exchange, saying, “In these, the two commandments, all the law and the prophets, they hang.”

As seen, the impossibility of meeting these two commandments was highlighted. It thus takes the reader’s mind back to the previous two encounters: First, that there is an obligation to God through the law and a fulfillment of it in Christ, to which the people are obligated. Second, that there was an absolute need for Christ because only He could adequately satisfy the demands of the law.

The chapter finished with the final piece of the “need for Jesus” puzzle. Jesus asked the Pharisees, who had gathered, a question concerning the Sonship of the Christ. Their answer was that the Christ was the son of David, something exactingly seen in their Scriptures. However, they missed the important point from those Scriptures that David considered the Christ his “Lord.”

In citing the 110th Psalm, it is clear that this son of David, who is his Lord, would be given the full authority of God –

“He said, Lord, to the ‘Lord, Mine’,
‘You sit from ‘rights, Me’,
Until if I should put the ‘enemies, Yours’ – footstool, the ‘feet, Yours’.’” Matthew 22:44

As this is so, it is an implicit reference to the deity of Christ. This then solidifies the previous thought even further: the obligation to Israel under the law was to God, but because Jesus is the Lord incarnate, Israel has a full obligation to Him as well. Rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s can be seen in this dispensation as “rendering unto Christ what is Christ’s.”

The law is not a means to an end. It is also not the final obligation for Israel. It is a part of God’s redemptive plan that was fulfilled in Christ. To be obedient to the law, one must bow the knee to Christ, who is God incarnate.

Life application: The chapter continues the Bible’s theme of the law versus grace. There is no way around a relationship with Jesus in order to be pleasing to God. As Jesus fulfilled the law, Israel’s obligation is to accept Christ’s fulfillment of the law and come to God through Him. In doing so, they will be rendering their total allegiance to God, because Jesus is God incarnate.

Nothing else will do. And more, for those who teach that people today must observe the Law of Moses, in part or in whole, there will be no salvation for them. If they were saved before heading down that unholy path, there will be no rewards credited to them from that day forward.

God is not in the business of sharing His glory with others. We can either come to Him as He has determined, or not at all. The absolutes of the Christian faith are not negotiable because God, who cannot lie, has set them forth.

“He says to him, the ‘Jesus’, ‘I, I am the Road, and the Truth, and the Life. None, he comes to the Father if not through Me.’” John 14:6 (CG)

Lord God, today we lift up Israel, hoping they will get Jesus right so that many will be saved before the time of trouble comes. We also lift up those who are mired in law observance instead of resting in Christ Jesus. May they give up on their path and walk the road of Jesus alone. Amen.

Matthew 22

22 And answering, the ‘Jesus’, again, He said in parables to them, saying, 2“It resembled, the ‘kingdom the heavens,’ man, king, who he made nuptials – the ‘son, his’. 3And he sent, the ‘servants, his’ to call those having been called to the nuptials. And not they inclined to come. 4Again, he sent other servants, saying, ‘You say to those having been called, “You behold, the ‘brunch, mine’ I prepared, the ‘oxen, mine’, and the fatted have been sacrificed, and all – readied. You come to the nuptials!’” 5The ‘also having been uncaring’, they departed, the – indeed – to the ‘his field’, the also to the ‘emporium, his’. 6The ‘also rest’, having seized the ‘servants, his’, they mistreated, and they killed. 7Having heard, also, the king, he angered, and having sent the ‘troops, his’ he destroyed the ‘murderers, those’, and the ‘city, theirs’ he burned. 8Then, he says to ‘servants, his’, ‘The, indeed, nuptial, ready, it is. Those, also, having been invited, not they were worthy. 9You go, therefore, upon the ‘through-departures, the roads’, and as many, if you should find, you call to the nuptials.’ 10And having departed, the ‘servants, those’ into the roads, they gathered all, as many as they found, evil, both, and good. And it filled, the nuptial – reclinings.

11Having entered, also, the king, to view those reclining, he beheld there – man, not ‘having been donned, apparel, nuptial’. 12And he says to him, ‘Shammer! How – you entered here, not having ‘apparel, nuptial’?’ The ‘also’, he muzzled. 13Then, the king, he said to the servants, ‘Having bound his feet and hands, you take him, and you cast into the ‘darkness, the outer’. There, it will be the weeping and the ‘gnash, the teeth’.’

14Many, also, they are invitees, and few, elect.”

15Then, having gone, the Pharisees, counsel, they took: how, Him, they might ensnare in word. 16And they send to Him, the ‘disciples, theirs’ with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we have known that true, You are, and the ‘road, the God’ in truth You teach, and not it concerns You about anyone. Not, also, You look to ‘appearance, men’. 17You tell, therefore, us what to You, it seems? It permits to give census to Caesar or not?”

18Having known, also, the ‘Jesus’, the ‘depravity, theirs’, He said, “Why, Me, you test, hypocrites? 19You display to me the ‘coin, the census’.”

They also offered to Him – denarius.

20And He says to them, “Whose, the ‘likeness, this’? And whose inscription?”

21They say to Him, “Caesar’s.”

Then He says to them, “You render, therefore, those Caesar’s to Caesar, and those the ‘God’s’ to God.” 22And having heard, they wondered, and having left Him, they departed.

23In that, the ‘day’, they approached Him, Sadducees (saying not is ‘resurrection’), and they queried Him, 24saying, “Teacher, Moses, he said if anyone, he should die not having children, he will affinitize the ‘brother, his, the wife, his’, and he will raise seed – the ‘brother, his’. 25They were, also, among us seven brothers, and the first, having married, he died, and not having seed, he left the ‘wife, his’ to the ‘brother, his’. 26Similarly, also, the second, and the third, until the seventh. 27Afterward, also of all, she died, even the woman. 28In the resurrection, therefore, which of the seven, she will be – wife? All, for, they had her.”

29Answering, also, the ‘Jesus’, He said to them, “You roam, not having known the Scriptures nor the ‘power, the God’. 30 In, indeed, the resurrection, neither they marry, nor they are espoused, but like ‘messengers, the God, in heaven’, they are. 31Concerning, also, the ‘resurrection, the dead’, not you read the ‘having been uttered to you by the God’, saying, 32‘I, I am the ‘God, Abraham’, and the ‘God, Isaac’, and the ‘God, Jacob’?’ Not, He is, the God – ‘God, dead’, but living.” 33And having heard, the crowds, they were outstruck upon the ‘teaching, His’.

34The ‘also Pharisees’, having heard that He muzzled the Sadducees, they gathered upon the same. 35And he queried, one from them – ‘jurisprudent, testing Him’, and saying, 36“Teacher, which-such commandment – greatest in the law?” 37The ‘also Jesus’, He said to him, “You will love – ‘Lord, the God, yours’ in all the ‘heart, yours’, and in all the ‘soul, yours’, and in all the ‘cognition, yours’. 38This, it is – first and great commandment. 39Second, also, like it: You will love the ‘neighbor, yours’ as yourself. 40In these, the two commandments, all the law and the prophets, they hang.”

41Having been gathered, also, the Pharisees, He queried them, the ‘Jesus’, 42saying, “What – you, you think about the Christ? Whose Son, He is?”

They say to Him, “The ‘of David’.”

43He says to them, “How then, David – in Spirit, ‘Lord,’ Him, he calls, saying:

44‘He said, Lord, to the ‘Lord, Mine’,

“You sit from ‘rights, Me’,

Until if I should put the ‘enemies, Yours’ – footstool, the ‘feet, Yours’.”’

45If therefore, David, he calls Him ‘Lord,’ how ‘Son, His’ He is?” 46And none, He could Him answer – word, nor he ventured, any, from that, the day, to question Him longer.