New Testament · Gospel

Matthew 22:5

Render Unto Caesar

But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business. Matthew 22:5 · Berean Standard Bible
What It Means

Matthew 22:5, in plain English

But they just don't care. One goes to his farm, another to his business. They blow off the king's invitation.

Why it's here

It wasn't anything dramatic that kept them away — just everyday life. And that's the scariest part.

Who's speaking

The narrator shows how ordinary life can become the biggest distraction from what matters most.

Where it sits in the story

They didn't reject the king with anger. They just had other things to do. And that indifference was its own kind of rejection.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

The invited guests dismiss the invitation with indifference (amelēsantes), prioritizing their own concerns — one goes to his field (agron), another to his business (emporian).

Language and setting

The reasons for refusal are not sinful activities but ordinary preoccupations that take precedence over the king's invitation — making the rejection all the more pointed.

Voice

The narrator describes the guests' casual dismissal of the royal invitation.

Significance

The invited guests prefer their own affairs to the king's feast — a parable of how mundane concerns can crowd out the kingdom's supreme invitation.

In context

Matthew 22:3–7

3He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come.

4Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

5But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business.

6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.

7The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.

Read all of Matthew 22 — A wedding banquet, a trick question about taxes, and the greatest commandment — Jesus outmaneuvers every trap set for him.

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