What do I know with Isaac Carroll
What do I know with Isaac Carroll
Kingdom Invitations and Religious Traps: Jesus' Parables in Matthew 22
We begin with Jesus' powerful parable of the Wedding Feast, where a king invites guests to his son's celebration. When they refuse—some ignoring the invitation, others even killing the messengers—the king extends his invitation to everyone in the streets. But there's a twist: one guest arrives without proper wedding attire and faces severe consequences. This isn't just an ancient story—it's a profound illustration of salvation, revealing that heaven's invitation is extended to all, but entrance requires the proper covering: the blood of Jesus Christ. As Jesus himself declares, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved."
The religious interrogation intensifies as leaders attempt to trap Jesus with politically charged questions about taxation, complex theological puzzles about resurrection, and challenges about prioritizing commandments. Each time, Jesus responds with divine wisdom that silences his critics: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" and "Love the Lord your God with all your heart... Love your neighbor as yourself." He then turns the tables completely, asking how the Messiah could be both David's son and Lord—a question highlighting the Messiah's divine nature that leaves them speechless.
What makes this passage so powerful is Jesus' ability to expose the religious leaders' shallow understanding while revealing profound spiritual truths that still challenge and guide us today. Listen now to discover how these ancient confrontations illuminate your own spiritual journey and relationship with God.
May God bless you and lead you always.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Isaac Carroll, and this is what Do I Know. Alright, in today's Bible study we're going to be in Matthew 22, starting in verse 1. Jesus also told them another parable. He said the kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited, but they all refused to come. So he sent other servants to tell them the feast has been prepared, the bull and the fatted cattle have been killed and everything is ready. Come to the banquet. But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm and another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. The king was furious and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants the wedding feast is ready and the guests I'd invited aren't worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see. So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike. The banquet hall was filled with guests, but when the king came to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding Friend. He said how is it that you are here without wedding clothes? But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides bind his hands and feet and throw him into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. All right, let's stop here at verse 14. A lot of people get this part wrong and it's because they forget why this parable was given and who it was given to. For it says for many are called, but few are chosen.
Speaker 1:The parable is actually the third parable that Jesus gives, and who's he given it to? He was given it to the religious leaders of the day and they had questioned Jesus on what authority that did he have? Who gave him that authority to do the things that he was doing? And he asked them a question of his own. He said whose baptism was John the Baptist, was it from God or was it from man? And he said to them that they refused to believe even after the prostitutes, the tax collectors and the sinners believed. They refused to believe even after the prostitutes, the tax collectors and the sinners believed. They refused to believe, even after those guys believed. And he gave them three parables.
Speaker 1:And the first parable was a father went to two sons. The first son he asked him to go work at his vineyard and he refused. But after a while he repented and then he went out to his field and worked. The second son he went to and said go into my field and work. And he said I will, but he never did so. We asked him which one of the sons honored the father, the one who went into the field and worked.
Speaker 1:And he gave him the second parable, which was about a landowner who had made this vineyard and he'd surrounded it with walls and built a wine press and a tower, and he leased the land to vine growers to tend the fields and to harvest when it was time. He sent his servants to ask for his share of the fruit and they refused. And then they mistreated his servants and then they even killed his servants. Finally he sent his son, believing that they would respect and honor his son. But it was worse they wanted to steal the son's inheritance. So they took the son and they took him outside the vineyard and they killed him, believing that they could take his inheritance. And he asked them what do you think the landowner will do? And they said the landowner would bring these vine growers to a ruin and he would lease the land to those who would provide its fruit.
Speaker 1:Then Jesus gives this final third parable to the same group and he said the kingdom of heaven can be described in this way as a king who had made a wedding banquet for his son and he invited guests. He had already invited these guests and he sent out his servants to remind the guests that it was time, but they refused, said. Some went to their homes and others to their business, whilst others took his servants and they mistreated them and they killed them. And this made the king angry. Because the reason why the guests had already been invited and they were being reminded by the servants to allow them the opportunity to look over all the preparations of the wedding feast and look at the guests and decide if they wanted to show up or not. These guests had proven they didn't want to show up because they went to their homes and they ignored them and they went to their businesses. They didn't want to show up because they went to their homes and they ignored them and they went to their businesses. Some wanted to show how dishonored they were and mistreated and killed the servants who had asked them. And this infuriated the king because they had dishonored him in such a way. So he sent his armies out to destroy them and he says to his servants the people I invited weren't worthy, so now go the banquet is ready.
Speaker 1:Go out into the street corners and to the byways and find everyone you can find and invite them all to come to the wedding feast. Now, if these people weren't prepared for the wedding, they wouldn't have had a wedding clothes. The king, knowing this, would provide them with a proper covering when they entered to the gate. At the end of this it says that the king went out to visit the guest and when he goes out he sees a man who's there, who does not have the proper wedding clothes. He says friend, how did you get in here and not be wearing the proper clothes? Because if you were invited, you'd have to come to the gate and at the gate the king would have provided those coming through the gate with a proper covering. Now we know who the gate is. The gate is Jesus.
Speaker 1:In John 10, starting in verse 1, it says Truly, truly, I tell you, truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep Verse 7,. So he said to them again, truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep, verse 7,. So he said to them again, truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All those who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved. Now, this man who the king had found, who wasn't wearing wedding clothes, is an illustration of people who try to get into the heaven and not come through the gate. They come in by some other way and they're not given the proper covering, the proper wedding clothes. And the covering is the blood of Jesus, and you can only get that by coming through Jesus. His sacrificial blood is what covers us and provides us with the proper covering to make it into the kingdom. And these guys and anyone else who tries to get into heaven any other way except through the sacrificial blood of Christ will not have a proper covering and will not be allowed to stay. And that's what this parable was to illustrate. All right, let's move on to verse 15.
Speaker 1:Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. They sent out some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. Teacher, they said, we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don't play favorites. Now tell us what do you think about this. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? But Jesus knew their evil motives. You hypocrites, he said why are you trying to trap me here? Show me the coin used to pay the tax. When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked Whose picture and title are stamped on it? Caesar's, they replied. Well, then he said Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God. His reply amazed them and they went away.
Speaker 1:All right, this one's pretty easy. We have these disciples of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the religious leaders, taking some of followers of Herod to go to Jesus and try to entrap him with this question, which they believe to be a lose-lose situation. Trap him with this question, which they believe to be a lose-lose situation. If Jesus says yes, it's right to pay Caesar his taxes, jesus would alienate the Jewish population who hated the occupation of and the taxation of Rome. If he says no, then he would be charged with sedition. So they believe they have Jesus trapped.
Speaker 1:But Jesus, being Jesus, uses their attempt to entrap him against them by showing them the error of their understanding. They use something of value to man. Jesus says to them show me a Roman coin, he says, whose image and likeness is on it. And they said it's Caesar's. And he says to them give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's. Well, he turns it around on their head because if man's made in God's image, then man belongs to God, not just his coin. So he destroys their argument about what is proper and what is of value. God's saying that man is made in the image of God. So God finds man of value, not Caesar's coin. And it's man who puts value on Caesar's coin, not God. Let's continue in verse 23. On Caesar's coin, not God. Let's continue in verse 23.
Speaker 1:That same day, jesus was approached by some Sadducees and religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question. Teacher Moses said if a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother's name. Well, suppose there was seven brothers. The oldest one married and died without children. So his brother married the widow, but the second brother also died and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. Last of all, the woman died. So tell us whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven had married her. Jesus replied your mistake is that you do not know the scriptures and you don't know the power of God, for when the dead rise, they will neither be married nor be given in marriage. In this respect, they will be like the angels in heaven. But now as to whether there will be resurrection of the dead, haven't you ever read about this in the scriptures? Long after Abraham, isaac and Jacob had died, god said I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is the God of the living, not the God of the dead.
Speaker 1:When the crowds heard this, they were astounded at his teaching. But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with a question Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses? Jesus replied you must love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is equally as important Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based off of these two commandments.
Speaker 1:Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, jesus asked them a question what do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he? They replied it is the son of David. Jesus responded Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah my Lord? For David, said. The Lord said to my Lord, sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet, says. David called the Messiah my Lord. How can the Messiah be his son? Now, no one can answer him, and after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Speaker 1:All right, that brings us to the end of Matthew 22. Jesus destroying all arguments against him. Jesus destroying all arguments against him, showing that the religious leaders only had a small grasp of God's word, but had twisted it in their mind to believe certain things, and Jesus was destroying those fundamental beliefs by showing them the true understanding of God. And it's beautiful to watch, it's beautiful to read. All right, I'm going to end this one here, and in the next Bible study we are going to begin Matthew 23. Until then, I love you guys. God bless you. Goodbye.