The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (38 page)

21:9 Hosanna:
A Hebrew acclamation meaning "Save us" (cf. 2 Sam 14:4; Ps 118:25).
Blessed is he:
Words from Ps 118:26, the last of the Hallel Psalms (113-18), which were sung as hymns at Israel's great feasts of Passover, Weeks, and Booths. 
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21:13 a house of prayer:
Merchants sold sacrificial animals in the Temple as a service to pilgrims celebrating Passover. However, rates of monetary exchange and inflated prices made the selling a profitable enterprise. By citing Is 56:7, Jesus indicts the merchants for profaning the Temple. The Temple is not a common marketplace but a sanctuary for worship. • In context (Is 56:3-8), Isaiah sees God gathering all nations to his Temple. No longer shall Gentiles be excluded from his covenant people; God will join them to himself. The prophecy looks endangered by the present circumstances—animals are being sold in the Temple's outermost court, the court of the Gentiles. This prevents Gentiles from truly worshiping. Drawing from Isaiah, Jesus charges the establishment with obstructing God's intentions.
a den of robbers:
A citation from Jer 7:11. • In context, Jeremiah delivered a sermon of judgment to Israelites in the Temple. They presumed that the Temple guaranteed the Israelites' security and protection, despite their sinful living (Jer 7:4, 8-10). Because Israel disregarded Jeremiah, God destroyed Solomon's Temple in 586
B.C.
Jesus here recalls both the circumstances and outcome of Jeremiah's prophecy: If Israel fails to repent, the Temple will again be destroyed (CCC 584). 
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21:16 Out of the mouths of babies:
A citation from Ps 8:2 (LXX). • In context, the psalm describes infants glorifying the Lord—a point that Jesus uses to hint at his divinity (cf. 11:25). 
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21:19 a fig tree:
A symbol of Old Covenant Israel (Jer 8:13; Hos 9:10). Jesus curses it because it is barren and has no figs (Mk 11:21). Symbolically, then, he announces God's curse on the unfaithful of Israel—i.e., those who refuse him as the Messiah and lack the fruits of repentance (3:8-10; 21:41, 43). Israel's faithlessness is a negative example: the Church must learn from the nation's mistakes and pray instead with faith and confidence (21:21; 17:20; Jas 1:6). 
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21:28-32
The parable of the Two Sons explains the preceding question about John the Baptist's authority (21:25). The
sons
(21:28) represent two groups of people: the first are sinners who repent at the preaching of
John
(21:32); the second are Israel's leaders, who refuse the Baptist's message, even when
tax collectors
and
harlots
(21:32) respond to him (Lk 7:29-30). By following John's
way of righteousness
(21:32), the former sinners do the
will
of the
father
(21:31). 
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21:33-41
The parable of the Wicked Tenants is an allegory—i.e., each of its details is important and symbolic (cf. Is 5:1-2). The
householder
is God (21:33) and the
vineyard
is Jerusalem (21:33). The
tenants
are Israel's leaders (21:33, 45) while the
servants
are OT prophets persecuted for warning Israel of its sins (21:34; cf. 23:37). The
son
is Jesus, who will be thrown
out of the vineyard
and crucified outside the city (21:39; cf. Jn 19:17, 20). Because of the wickedness of the tenants, God will put them to
death
(21:41) when he judges Jerusalem in
A.D.
70. He will entrust the New Covenant kingdom to the
other tenants
in the Church (16:17-19; 18:1719).
See note on Mt 24:1
. 
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21:42 in the Scriptures:
A reference to Ps 118:22. • Jesus states that he
(stone)
is commissioned by God
(the Lord's doing),
despite his rejection by Jerusalem
(the builders).
Scripture thus foresees that the Messiah will paradoxically meet opposition from the leaders of his own people; conversely, the faithful see in the work of Jesus God's
marvelous
deeds. Psalm 118 is elsewhere cited as biblical support for Jesus' vindication and Resurrection (Acts 4:10-11; 1 Pet 2:7; CCC 756). 
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21:43 given to a nation:
God will transfer his
kingdom
from the leaders of the Old Covenant establishment to the shepherds of the New Covenant Church (19:28; Lk 22:28-30). 
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22:1-14
The parable of the Marriage Feast is an allegory of salvation history culminating in Jesus. The
king
is God (22:2) who prepares a heavenly banquet for his
son
(22:2). The
servants
are OT prophets (22:3) called to summon Israel (22:3). Because some of the
invited
guests ignored the prophets and others
killed
them (22:6; 23:37), God will destroy
their city,
Jerusalem (22:7), and send other
servants
as apostles (22:8) to invite Gentiles,
bad
and
good
(22:10), to the celebration. Those lacking proper attire are cast into the
darkness
of eternal punishment (22:14). The parable highlights God's impartial treatment of all who are called—Jews and Gentiles. He rewards and punishes on the basis of one's acceptance or rejection of his call (cf. Rom 2:6-11) (CCC 546, 796). 
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22:2 marriage feast:
An image of rejoicing and communion with God. • The background is probably Is 25:6-9, where the salvation of God's people is portrayed as a joyful banquet. Its fulfillment takes shape at two levels:
(1)
Present Liturgical.
The Holy Eucharist is Christ's banquet of sacramental food and drink (cf. Jn 6:53-58; 1 Cor 10:16; Rev 19:9).
(2)
Future Eschatological.
Ultimate communion with Christ takes place in heaven with the unending union of God and his saints. 
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22:11 no wedding garment:
A symbol of righteous deeds that accompany faith (Rev 19:7-8). These deeds are outlined in Matthew as almsgiving (6:2-4), prayer (6:5-15), fasting (6:16-18), and works of mercy (25:34-40). 
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22:15-22
The collaboration of the Pharisees and Herodians— representing opposite political views—reveals the extreme measures taken to eliminate Jesus (cf. 12:14; 26:4). Their strategy was to trap him: if Jesus opposed the tax, the Herodians could charge him with treason for instigating a tax revolt against Rome. If Jesus approved of it, the Pharisees would charge him as unfaithful to Judaism and its hopes of national independence. 
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22:16 their disciples:
Jewish nationalists opposed to Rome's occupation and rule over Palestine. See topical essay:
Who Are the Pharisees?
at Mk 2.
Herodians:
Supporters of Roman rule, sympathetic to the Herodian dynasty. See notes on Mt 2:1 and 2:22. 
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22:19 a coin:
A "denarius" stamped with a profile portrait of Tiberius Caesar, the Roman Emperor (
A.D.
14-37). This tax was especially offensive to the Jews, who knew that God forbade the fashioning of graven images in the likeness of any created thing (Ex 20:4). 
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22:21 Caesar's . . . God's:
Jesus evades the intended trap (22:17) with a subtle and riddle-like response. His words have several implications.
(1)
At one level, Jesus plays on the word "likeness" (literally, "image"). Caesar's coins could be given back to him in taxes without religious compromise; after all, he minted the coins with his own image and they were his rightful property.
(2)
More important, everyone has the duty of giving himself—created in the "image" of God (Gen 1:27)—back to God. Jesus implies that this higher duty is incumbent even upon Caesar.
(3)
Jesus' response turns his adversaries' trap back on themselves. He hints that taxation is the result of their own sins—had Israel been giving God his due, they would not have been subjected to the yoke of Roman rule.
(4)
In the end, Jesus affirms the propriety of fulfilling civil duties while emphasizing our primary duty of serving God (cf. Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:1317; CCC 2242). 
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22:23 Sadducees:
Priestly aristocrats centered mostly in Jerusalem. See topical essay:
Who Are the Sadducees?
at Mk 12.
there is no resurrection:
A denial at odds with mainstream Judaism (cf. Acts 23:8). Their apparent acceptance of the doctrine in 22:28 is only a facade; they hope to stump Jesus with an unanswerable question. 
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22:24 If a man dies:
A hypothetical scenario based on the levirate law of Deut 25:5-6. If a married man dies childless, this law requires one of his brothers to marry the widow and so produce offspring for his brother (cf. Gen 38:6-8). The seven husbands mentioned (22:26) may allude to the situation in Tob 7:11. 
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22:30 like angels:
Against the Sadducees, Jesus affirms the resurrection (cf. Jn 5:28-29). The event will signal the end of earthly marriage and its purposes
(1
)to beget children and
(2)
help spouses advance toward holiness. Life in heaven will no longer require populating the Church and sanctifying spouses. Rather, the righteous will live as angels, who beget no offspring and worship God continually (cf. Is 6:2-3; Rev 5:11, 12). 
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22:32 Abraham . . . Isaac . . . Jacob:
The Sadducees lack faith in God's power and thus misinterpret Scripture. At another level, Jesus' controversy with the Sadducees may also involve the canon of the Bible. The Sadducees accepted only the five books of Moses (Gen-Deut) as Sacred Scripture and rejected the full authority of the OT prophets. Jesus appears aware of this, since he could have cited several passages from the prophets that speak clearly of the resurrection (Is 26:19; Ezek 37:1-14; Dan 12:2). Instead, he tailors his response to the Sadducees by strategically citing one of the books of Moses (Ex 3:6). • In context, God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush as the God of the long-deceased patriarchs (Ex 3:1-6). Jesus draws two conclusions from the text:
(1)
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still alive with God;
(2)
their ongoing presence with God is the decisive precondition for their resurrection in the future (CCC 581). 
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