Mark 12:13–34

GOD AND CAESAR

¹³Then^ar they sent some of the Pharisees^as and the Herodians^at to Jesus to trap him in his words.^{au 14}When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality^av but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes^aw to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

¹⁵But knowing their hypocrisy,^ax he said to them, “Why are you testing^ay me? Bring me a denarius^Eaz to look at.” ¹⁶They brought a coin. “Whose image^ba and inscription^bb is this?” he asked them.

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

¹⁷Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”^bc And they were utterly amazed^bd at him.

THE SADDUCEES AND THE RESURRECTION

¹⁸Sadducees,^be who say there is no resurrection,^bf came to him and questioned him: ¹⁹“Teacher,^a Moses^b wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife behind but no child,^c that man should take the wife^d and raise up offspring for his brother.^{Ae 20}There were seven brothers. The first married a woman, and dying, left no offspring. ²¹The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. ²²None of the seven^B left offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. ²³In the resurrection, when they rise,^C whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?”

²⁴Jesus spoke to them, “Isn’t this the reason why you’re mistaken: you don’t know the Scriptures^f or the power^g of God?^{h 25}For when they riseⁱ from the dead,^j they neither marry nor are given in marriage^k but are like angels^l in heaven. ²⁶And as for the dead being raised—haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to him: I^m am the God of Abrahamⁿ and the God of Isaac^o and the God of Jacob?^{Dp 27}He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken.”

THE PRIMARY COMMANDS

²⁸One^q of the scribes^r approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which command is the most important of all?”

²⁹Jesus answered, “The most important^E is Listen, Israel! The Lord^s our God, the Lord^t is one.^{F 30}Love^u the Lord your God^v with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, ^w and with all your strength.^{GHx 31}The second is, Love your neighbor ^y as yourself.^Iz There is no other command^aa greater than these.”

³²Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, teacher. You have correctly said that he is one, and there is no one^ab else except him.^{ac 33}And to love^ad him with all your heart, with all your understanding,^j and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^ae

³⁴When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”^af And no one dared^ag to question him any longer.