Victory Fellowship Bible Study
273 23rd St. S.W., Barberton, OH 44203
Wednesdays at 7pm
Rev. Roderick D. Grabski (330) 858-0223
WEBPAGE: victoryfellowshipministries.com
CLASS TWENTY-THREE: Confronting the Sadducees and Pharisees
I. ANNOUNCEMENTS and PRAYER CONCERNS
II. READ / LISTEN to MATTHEW 22:1–46
a. What are your initial impressions or questions? Notable translation differences?
III. Old Testament References
a. A notable feature of Matthew 22 and (21) is the frequent use of Old Testament Scripture, either in conversation or as fulfilled prophesy:
i. In vs. 24 the Sadducees use Deuteronomy 25:5-6 to challenge Jesus about the resurrection.
ii. In vs. 32 Jesus answers them with Exodus 3:6, 15-16.
iii. In vv. 37 & 39 Jesus answers the Pharisee lawyer with Deut. 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.
iv. In vs. 44 Jesus used Psalm 110:1 to affirm His rightful identity at the Messiah.
IV. The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (vv. 1-14)
a. In the parables recorded in chapter 21 Jesus uses the term, Kingdom of God. Here He uses Kingdom of Heaven. Why do you think it’s different?
b. Who is the king in this parable? The son? The slaves?
c. What does the wedding banquet symbolize?
d. Who are the ones who rejected, persecuted, and even murdered the slaves?
e. What does the destruction of the city in verse 7 and the punishment described in verse 13 represent? What historical event may be alluded to in verse 7?
f. Who do the guests that came to the banquet represent?
g. Who does the improperly dressed guest represent? See Matthew 7:15-23.
h. What are the implications of verse 14?
V. God and Caesar (vv. 15-22)
a. The Herodians were probably a public political party, who distinguished themselves from the two great historical parties of Judaism (the Pharisees and Sadducees).
i. They were sincerely friendly to Herod the Great, the King of the Jews, and to his dynasty. The Herodians are mentioned three times in the gospels (Mark 3:6; 12:13; and Matt. 22:16) - always at the same time as the Pharisees. Like the Pharisees, the Herodians wanted political independence for the Jewish people. Unlike the Pharisees, who sought to restore the kingdom of David, the Herodians wished to restore a member of the Herodian dynasty to the throne in Judea.
b. You can almost hear the deceit in verses 16-17.
c. (vs. 18) Remember that the Greek word for hypocrite, hupokrites, means an actor wearing a mask and portraying someone they are not.
d. (vs. 19) Matthew says Jesus requests a nomisma which is the precise term for “state coin,” Mark (12:15) and Luke (20:24) just use the generic term, denarius. Why do you think Matthew would use a more precise term for the coin?
e. In vs. 17 the Pharisees and Herodians use the term didomi (to offer up, give). In vs. 21 Jesus responds with the word apodidomi (repay a debt, render). What is the significance of this difference?
f. If the coin is Caesar’s because of the image it bears, what is God’s? (Gen. 1:26-27)
VI. The Sadducees and the Resurrection (vv. 23-33)
a. What are the Sadducees attempting to get Jesus to acknowledge?
b. In what ways do they not know scripture or the power of God?
c. (vs. 30) In the resurrection we will not BE angels, we will be LIKE angels as far as marriage and pro-creation are concerned.
d. (vv. 31-32) The Sadducees only accepted the Pentateuch (Gen. - Deut.) as scripture so they rejected OT references to the resurrection (like Isaiah 26:19 & Daniel 12:2). Jesus therefore used Exodus to challenge their belief of no resurrection.
VII. The Primary Commandments (vv. 34-40)
a. Jesus answers the lawyer with Deut. 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. See Mark 12:32-34 for the scribe / lawyer’s response to Jesus.
VIII. Jesus Questions the Pharisees About the Messiah (vv. 41-46)
a. Jesus turns the tables and ask them a question. He quotes Psalm 110:1. This Psalm is the most quoted OT chapter in the New Testament (Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42; Acts 2:34; 1 Cor. 15:25; Hebrews 1:13; 10:13)
b. In Psalm 110:1 the first mention of LORD is Yahweh, the Hebrew word for God the Father. The second LORD is Adonai, were David refers to the coming Messiah as his Lord and master. “Sit at my right hand” refers to where Messiah would be in God’s coming kingdom. “Put your enemies under your feet” refers to the final conquering of sin and evil.
IX. Application
a. We must put on the wedding clothes of salvation to be included in the heavenly banquet. (Ephesians 4:24)
b. We have an obligation to the government that provides and protects us but our greater obligation is to God. (Romans 13:7-10)
c. There will be a resurrection and a final judgement. (Revelation 20:11-15)
Final Comments and/or Questions. Close in Prayer
Next Week: Jesus Denounces Religious Hypocrites - Read Matthew 23:1-39 to prepare.
