Yet by one other parable he foreshoweth the most deserved reprobation of the earthly and persecuting Jews, and the gracious vocation of the Gentiles in their place. (15) Then he defeateth the snare of the Pharisees and Herodians about paying tribute to Caesar. (23) He answereth also the invention of the Sadducees against the Resurrection: (34) and a question that the Pharisees ask to pose him: turning and posing them again, because they imagined that Christ should be no more than a man: (46) and so he putteth all the busy Sects to silence.
AND Jesus answering, spoke again in parables to them, saying: 2The kingdom of Heaven is likened to a man being a King, which made a • marriage to his son. 3And he sent his • servants to call them that were invited to the marriage: and they would not come. 4Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were invited, Behold I have prepared my dinner; my beefs and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come ye to the marriage. 5But they neglected, and went their ways, • one to his farm, and another to his merchandise: 6and the rest laid hands upon his servants, and spitefully intreating them, murdered them. 7But when the King had heard of it, he was wrath, and sending his hosts, destroyed those murderers, and burnt their city. 8Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready: but they that were invited, were not worthy. 9Go ye therefore into the highways; and whosoever you shall find, call to the marriage. 10And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, [a] bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests. 11And the King went in to see the guests: and he saw there • a man not attired in a wedding garment. 12And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? But he was dumb. 13Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the utter darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14For many be called, but few elect.
15 * Then the Pharisees departing, consulted among themselves for to entrap him in his talk. 16And they send to him their Disciples with the Herodians, saying: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man. For thou dost not respect the person of men: 17Tell us therefore what is thy opinion, is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 18But Jesus knowing their naughtiness, said: What do you tempt me Hypocrites? 19Show me the tribute coin. And they offered him a penny. 20And Jesus saith to them: Whose is this image and superscription? 21They say to him, Caesar’s. Then he saith to them: Render therefore the things that are Caesar’s, • to Caesar: and the things that are God’s, to God. 22And hearing it they marvelled, and leaving him went their ways.
23That * day there came to him the Sadducees, that say there is no Resurrection, and asked him, 24saying: Master, Moyses said, If a man die not having a child, that his brother marry his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. 25And there were with us seven brethren: and the first having married a wife, died; and not having issue, left his wife to his brother. 26In like manner the second and the third even to the seventh. 27And last of all the woman died also. 28In the Resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? for they all had her. 29And Jesus answering, said to them: You do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. 30For in the Resurrection neither shall they marry nor be married: but are • • as the Angels of God in Heaven. 31And concerning the Resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken of God saying to you, 32I 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. 33And the multitudes hearing it, marvelled at his doctrine.
34 * But the Pharisees hearing that he had put the Sadducees to silence, came together: 35and one of them a Doctor of law asked of him, tempting him: 36Maister, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said to him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God from thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. 38This is the greatest and the first commandment. 39And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 • On these two commandments dependeth the whole Law and the Prophets.
41And the Pharisees being assembled, Jesus asked them 42saying: What is your opinion of Christ? whose son is he? They say to him, David’s. 43He saith to them: How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I put thine enemies the foot-stool of thy feet? 45If David therefore call him Lord, how is he his son? 46And no man could answer him a word: neither durst any man from that day ask him any more.
Footnotes
- ↑ Not only good men be within the Church, but also evil men; against the Heretics of these days.
ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. XXII.
↑ 2. Marriage.) Then did God the Father make this marriage, when by the mystery of the Incarnation he joined to his Son our Lord, the holy Church for his spouse. Greg. hom. 38.
↑ 3. Servants.) The first servants here sent to invite, were the Prophets, the second, were the Apostles, and all that afterward converted Countries, or that have and do reconcile men to the Church.
↑ 5. One to his farm.) Such as refuse to be reconciled to Christ’s Church, allege often vain impediments and worldly excuses, which at the day of judgement will not serve them.
↑ 11. A man not attired.) It profiteth not much to be within the Church and to be a Catholic, except a man be of good life, for such a one shall be damned, because with faith he hath not good works: as is evident by the example of this man, who was within, and at the feast as the rest, but lacked the garment of charity and good works. And by this man are represented all the bad that are called. And therefore they also are in the Church as this man was at the feast: but because he was called, and yet none of the elect, it is evident that the Church doth not consist of the elect only, contrary to our Adversaries.
↑ 21. To Caesar.) Temporal duties and payments exacted by worldly Princes must be paid, so that God be not defrauded of his more sovereign duty. And therefore Princes have to take heed how they exact, and others, how they give to Caesar, that is, to their Prince, the things that are due to God, that is, to his Ecclesiastical ministers. Whereupon St. Athanasius reciteth these goodly words out of an epistle of the ancient and famous Confessor Hosius Cordubensis to Constantius the Arian Emperor: Cease I beseech thee and remember that thou art mortal, fear the day of judgement, intermeddle not with Ecclesiastical matters, neither do thou command us in this kind, but rather learn them of us. To thee God hath committed the Empire, to us he hath committed the things that belong to the Church. And as he that with malicious eyes carpeth thine Empire, gainsayeth the ordinance of God: so do thou also beware, lest in drawing unto thee Ecclesiastical matters, thou be made guilty of a great crime. It is written: Give ye the things that are Caesar’s, to Caesar; and the things that are God’s, to God. Therefore neither is it lawful for us in earth to hold the Empire, neither hast thou (O Emperor) power over incense and sacred things. Athan. Ep. ad Solit. vitam agentes. And St. Ambrose to Valentinian the Emperor (who by the ill counsel of his mother Justina an Arian, required of St. Ambrose to have one Church in Millan deputed to the Arian Heretics) saith: We pay that which is Caesar’s, to Caesar; and that which is God’s, to God. Tribute is Caesar’s, it is not denied: the Church is God’s, it may not verily be yielded to Caesar: because the Temple of God can not be Caesar’s right. Which no man can deny but it is spoken with the honour of the Emperor, for what is more honourable than that the Emperor be said to be the son of the Church? For a good Emperor is within the Church, not above the Church. Ambr. lib. 5 Epist. Orat. de Basil. trad.
↑ 30. As Angels.) As Christ proves here, that in Heaven they neither marry nor are married, because there they shall be as Angels: by the very same reason, is proved, that Saints may hear our prayers and help us, be they near or far off; because the Angels do so, and in every moment are present where they list, and need not to be near us, when they hear, or help us.
↑ 30. As Angels.) Not to marry nor be married, is to be like to Angels: therefore is the state of Religious men, and women, and Priests, for not marrying, worthily called of the Fathers an Angelical life. Cyp. lib. 2 de discipl. & hab. Virg. sub finem.
↑ 32. Of the dead.) St. Jerom by this place disproveth the Heretic Vigilantius, and in him these of our time, which to diminish the honour of Saints, call them of purpose, dead men.
↑ 40. On these two.) Hereby it is evident that all dependeth not upon faith only, but much more upon charity (though faith be the first) which is the love of God and of our neighbour, which is the sum of all the law and the Prophets: because he that hath this double charity expressed here by these two principal commandments, fulfilleth and accomplisheth all that is commanded in the Law and the Prophets.
Margin Notes
- 1–14. The Ghospel upon the 19th Sunday after Pentecost.
- 15–21. The Ghospel upon the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost.
- 34–46. The Gospel upon the 17th Sunday after Pentecost.
- annot. 5. Worldly excuses against reconciliation.
- annot. 11. The Church consisteth of good and bad.
- annot. 21. Neither must temporal Princes exact, nor their Subjects give unto them, Ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
- annot. 30. The Saints hear our prayers.
- annot. 30. Religious single life, Angelical.
- annot. 40. Not only faith.
Margin References
- 15. Mar. 12, 13. Luc. 20, 20.
- 23. Mar. 12, 19. Luc. 20, 27. Act. 23, 8. Deu. 25, 5.
- 32. Exo. 3, 6.
- 34. Mar. 12, 28.
- 37. Deut. 6, 5.
- 39. Lev. 19, 18.
- 41. Mar. 12, 35. Luc. 20, 41.
- 44. Ps. 109, 1.
