Luke 20:20–38

Is It Right to Pay Taxes to Caesar?

²⁰The religious leaders sent spies to keep a close watch on Jesus. The spies pretended to be honest. They hoped they could trap Jesus with something he would say. Then they could hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.

²¹So the spies questioned Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right. We know you don’t favor one person over another. You teach the way of God truthfully. ²²Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³Jesus saw they were trying to trick him. So he said to them, ²⁴“Show me a silver coin. Whose picture and words are on it?”

²⁵“Caesar’s,” they replied.

He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And give to God what belongs to God.”

²⁶They were not able to trap him with what he had said there in front of all the people. Amazed by his answer, they became silent.

Marriage When the Dead Rise

²⁷The Sadducees do not believe that people rise from the dead. Some of them came to Jesus with a question. ²⁸“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us about a man’s brother who dies. Suppose the brother leaves a wife but has no children. Then the man must get married to the widow. He must have children to carry on his dead brother’s name.

²⁹“There were seven brothers. The first one got married to a woman. He died without leaving any children. ³⁰The second one got married to her. ³¹And then the third one got married to her. One after another, the seven brothers got married to her. They all died. None left any children. ³²Finally, the woman died too. ³³Now then, when the dead rise, whose wife will she be? All seven brothers were married to her.”

³⁴Jesus replied, “People in this world get married. And their parents give them to get married. ³⁵But it will not be like that when the dead rise. Those who are considered worthy to take part in what happens at that time won’t get married. And their parents won’t give them to be married. ³⁶They can’t die anymore. They are like the angels. They are God’s children. They will be given a new form of life when the dead rise.

³⁷“Remember the story of Moses and the bush. Even Moses showed that the dead rise. The Lord said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. And I am the God of Jacob.’ ³⁸He is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living. In his eyes, everyone is alive.”