1Jesus fortsatte med endnu en historie om Guds rige: (Luk 14,15)2„Der var engang en konge, som skulle holde bryllup for sin søn.3Da alt var klar til festen, sendte han sine tjenere ud for at lade de indbudte vide, at det nu var tid at komme. Men de ville ikke komme.4Så sendte kongen flere tjenere ud for at sige: ‚Hør nu her! Alt er parat! Mine okser og mit fedekvæg er slagtet. Skynd jer at komme til bryllupsfesten!’5Men de indbudte var ligeglade. En havde travlt med arbejdet på sin gård, en anden med sin forretning.6Andre greb fat i kongens sendebud, mishandlede dem og slog dem ihjel.7Da blev kongen vred. Han sendte sine soldater af sted, og morderne blev udryddet og deres by brændt.8Derefter sagde han til sine tjenere: ‚Alt er klar til fest, men de indbudte gæster var ikke værdige til at komme med til festen.9Gå derfor i stedet ud til byernes indfaldsveje og indbyd alle dem, I træffer på.’10Tjenerne gik af sted og hentede alle dem, de kunne finde—gode og onde imellem hinanden. På den måde blev festsalen fyldt med gæster.11Da kongen trådte ind for at hilse på gæsterne, lagde han mærke til en, der ikke havde bryllupstøj på.12‚Hør, min ven,’ sagde kongen, ‚hvordan er du kommet herind uden bryllupstøj?’ Der var intet svar.13Så sagde kongen til sine tjenere: ‚Bind hænder og fødder på ham og smid ham ud af bryllupssalen.’ Derude i mørket er der gråd og stor fortvivlelse,14for de indbudte er mange, men de udvalgte er få.”
De jødiske ledere søger at fange Jesus i ord
15Det blev farisæerne for meget. De stak hovederne sammen for at finde ud af, hvordan de kunne få Jesus til at sige noget, de kunne arrestere ham for. (Mark 12,13; Luk 20,20)16Så besluttede de at sende nogle af deres disciple til ham sammen med herodianerne[1] for at stille ham et snedigt spørgsmål. De skulle sige: „Mester! Vi ved, at du ikke er bange for at sige sandheden, og at du underviser folk om Guds vilje. Du lader dig ikke påvirke af menneskers meninger, og du snakker ikke folk efter munden.17Sig os nu, hvad du mener: Skal vi betale skat til den romerske kejser eller ej?”18Men Jesus gennemskuede deres onde hensigter. „Hyklere! Hvorfor sætter I fælder for mig?19Vis mig den mønt, I betaler skat med.” De rakte ham en.20„Hvem er der billede af på mønten?” spurgte han. „Og hvad er det for et navn, der er indridset i den?”21„Det er kejserens navn og billede.” „Så giv kejseren det, der er hans, og giv Gud det, der er hans.”[2]22Da farisæerne hørte det svar, var de ved at tabe både næse og mund, og de gik stille deres vej.
Saddukæernes spørgsmål om genopstandelsen fra de døde
23Samme dag kom der nogle saddukæere, som jo påstår, at ingen kan genopstå fra de døde. De stillede Jesus følgende spørgsmål: (Mark 12,18; Luk 20,27)24„Mester, Moses har sagt, at hvis en mand dør barnløs, skal hans bror gifte sig med enken, så hun kan få en søn, der kan føre den dødes slægt videre.25Nu var der en familie med syv brødre. Den ældste giftede sig, men døde kort efter. Da han ingen børn havde fået, blev hans enke gift med bror nummer to,26men han døde også uden at få børn. Og sådan gik det dem alle syv.27Til sidst døde også konen.28Hvem af de syv brødre skal så være hendes mand, når de genopstår fra de døde? De har jo alle været gift med hende.”29„I er helt på vildspor, fordi I hverken forstår Skriftens ord eller Guds kraft.30Efter genopstandelsen fra de døde er der ikke længere nogen, der gifter sig. På det område bliver de ligesom englene i Himlen.31Og med hensyn til genopstandelsen fra de døde, har I så ikke læst det sted, hvor Gud taler til Moses om de afdøde forfædre? Han sagde:32‚Jeg er Abrahams Gud, Isaks Gud og Jakobs Gud.’ Men Gud er ikke de dødes Gud. Han er Gud for dem, der lever.”33Alle tilhørerne var fulde af beundring over det svar, Jesus gav.
Det vigtigste bud i Toraen
34Da farisæerne fik at vide, hvordan Jesus havde lukket munden på saddukæerne, udtænkte de et nyt spørgsmål. (Mark 12,28)35De fik en af de skriftlærde til at spørge:36„Mester, hvilket bud er det vigtigste i Toraen?”37Jesus svarede: „Du skal elske Herren, din Gud, af hele dit hjerte, med liv og sjæl og med alle dine tanker.[3] (5.Mos 6,4)38Det er det største og fornemmeste bud.39Der er også et andet bud, som er lige så vigtigt: ‚Du skal elske din næste som dig selv.’[4] (3.Mos 19,18)40Det er det, Toraen og profeterne drejer sig om.”
Messias som Davids søn
41Mens farisæerne var samlede, spurgte Jesus dem: (Mark 12,35; Luk 20,41)42„Hvad mener I om Messias? Hvem er han søn af?”[5] „Han er Davids søn,” svarede de.43„Hvordan kunne så David, der var inspireret af Helligånden, kalde ham ‚herre’? David sagde jo:44‚Herren sagde til min herre: Sæt dig ved min højre side, imens jeg overvinder dine fjender.’ (Salm 110,1)45Når David her kalder ham sin herre, hvordan kan han så samtidig være hans søn?”46Det kunne de ikke svare på. Og fra da af, var der ingen, der turde stille spidsfindige spørgsmål.
1And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, (Matt 13,34)2“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, (Luk 14,16; Åb 19,7)3and sent his servants[1] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. (Ester 6,14; Ord 9,3; Ord 9,5)4Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ (Ord 9,2; Matt 21,36; Luk 11,38; Joh 21,12; Joh 21,15)5But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, (Heb 2,3)6while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. (Matt 21,35; Luk 18,32; Ap G 14,5; 1.Thess 2,2)7The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. (Matt 21,41; Luk 19,27)8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. (Matt 10,11; Luk 20,35; Ap G 13,46; Åb 3,4)9Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’10And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. (Matt 13,47)11“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. (Åb 19,8; Åb 22,14)12And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. (Matt 20,13; Matt 26,50)13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matt 8,12)14For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Åb 17,14)
Paying Taxes to Caesar
15Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. (Mark 12,13; Luk 11,54; Luk 20,20)16And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.[2] (Mark 2,18; Mark 3,6; Mark 8,15; Joh 3,2; Ap G 10,34; Ap G 13,10; Ap G 18,26)17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (Matt 17,25; Luk 2,1; Luk 3,1)18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? (Joh 8,6)19Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.[3]20And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”21They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Rom 13,7)22When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. (Mark 12,12)
Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
23The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, (Matt 3,7; Matt 16,1; Matt 22,34; Ap G 4,1; Ap G 4,2; Ap G 5,17; Ap G 23,6; Ap G 23,8)24saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ (5.Mos 25,5)25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.26So too the second and third, down to the seventh.27After them all, the woman died.28In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”29But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. (Joh 20,9; 1.Kor 6,14)30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (Matt 24,38; Luk 17,27)31And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: (Matt 21,16)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.” (2.Mos 3,6; Ap G 7,32)33And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. (Matt 7,28)
The Great Commandment
34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. (Matt 22,23; Mark 12,28)35And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. (Matt 22,18; Luk 7,30; Luk 10,25)36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”37And 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. (5.Mos 6,5; Luk 10,27)38This is the great and first commandment.39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (3.Mos 19,18; Matt 19,19; 1.Joh 4,21)40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt 7,12; Rom 13,8; Rom 13,10; Gal 5,14)
Whose Son Is the Christ?
41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, (Matt 22,34; Mark 12,35; Luk 20,41)42saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” (Matt 1,1; Matt 1,17)43He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, (2.Sam 23,2; Åb 1,10; Åb 4,2)44“‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? (Salm 110,1; Ap G 2,34; 1.Kor 15,25; Heb 1,13; Heb 10,13)45If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” (Rom 1,3)46And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. (Mark 12,34; Luk 14,6; Luk 20,40)