Mark 12:13–34
13 And they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him so that they could catch him unawares in a statement. 14 And when they* came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and ⌊you do not care what anyone thinks⌋,d ⌊because you do not regard the opinion of people⌋e but teach the way of God in truth. Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” 15 But because he* knew their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius so that I can look at it!”* 16 So they brought one.* And he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” And they said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!” And they were utterly amazed at him.
A Question About Marriage and the Resurrection
18 And Sadducees—who say there is no resurrection—came up to him and began to askf him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone’s brother dies and he leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, that his brother should take the wife and ⌊father⌋g descendants for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife. And when he* died, he did not leave descendants. 21 And the second took her, and he died without leaving descendants. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven did not leave descendants. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise, ⌊whose⌋h wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife. 24 Jesus said to them, “Are you not deceived because of this, because you* do not know the scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 Now concerning the dead, that they are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses ⌊in the passage about the bush⌋i how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’?j 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken!”
28 And one of the scribes came up and* heard them debating. When he* saw that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength.’k 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’l There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “That is true, Teacher. You have said ⌊correctly⌋m that he is one and there is no other except him. 33 And to love him from yourn whole heart and from youro whole understanding and from yourp whole strength, and to love yourq neighbor as yourself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And Jesus, when he* saw that he had answered thoughtfully, said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to put a question to him any longer.