¹³The leaders sent some of the Pharisees and some of Herod’s followers to Jesus. They wanted to trap him into saying the wrong thing. ¹⁴When they came to him, they said, “Teacher, we know that you tell the truth. You don’t favor individuals because of who they are. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it right to pay taxes to the emperor or not? Should we pay taxes or not?”

¹⁵Jesus recognized their hypocrisy, so he asked them, “Why do you test me? Bring me a coin so that I can look at it.”

¹⁶They brought a coin. He said to them, “Whose face and name is this?”

They told him, “The emperor’s.”

¹⁷Jesus said to them, “Give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give God what belongs to God.”

They were surprised at his reply.

The Dead Come Back to Life—Matthew 22:23–33; Luke 20:27–40

¹⁸Some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him, ¹⁹“Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.’ ²⁰There were seven brothers. The first got married and died without having children. ²¹The second married her and died without having children. So did the third. ²²None of the seven brothers had any children. Last of all, the woman died. ²³When the dead come back to life, whose wife will she be? The seven brothers had married her.”

²⁴Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power? ²⁵When the dead come back to life, they don’t marry. Rather, they are like the angels in heaven. ²⁶Haven’t you read in the book of Moses that the dead come back to life? It’s in the passage about the bush, where God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ ²⁷He’s not the God of the dead but of the living. You’re badly mistaken!”

Love God and Your Neighbor—Matthew 22:34–40

²⁸One of the experts in Moses’ Teachings went to Jesus during the argument with the Sadducees. He saw how well Jesus answered them, so he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of them all?”

²⁹Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. ³⁰So love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

³²The expert in Moses’ Teachings said to Jesus, “Teacher, that was well said! You’ve told the truth that there is only one God and no other besides him! ³³To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴When Jesus heard how wisely the man answered, he told the man, “You’re not too far from God’s kingdom.”

After that, no one dared to ask him another question.

How Can David’s Son Be David’s Lord?—Matthew 22:41–46; Luke 20:41–44

³⁵While Jesus was teaching in the temple courtyard, he asked, “How can the experts in Moses’ Teachings say that the Messiah is David’s son? ³⁶David, guided by the Holy Spirit, said,

‘The Lord said to my Lord:

“Take the honored position—the one next to me [God the Father] on the heavenly throne—

until I put your enemies under your control.” ’

³⁷David calls him Lord. So how can he be his son?”

Jesus Disapproves of the Example Set by the Experts in Moses’ Teachings—Matthew 23:1–12; Luke 20:45–47

The large crowd enjoyed listening to him.

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