Mark 12:13–34

Question of Taxes

Matt. 22:15–22; Luke 20:20–26

^13fThen they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. ¹⁴When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and ⁴care about no one; for You do not ⁵regard the person of men, but teach the ^gway of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? ¹⁵Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”

But He, knowing their ^hhypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” ¹⁶So they brought it.

And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

¹⁷And Jesus answered and said to them, ⁶“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to ⁱGod the things that are God’s.”

And they marveled at Him.

Question of the Resurrection

Matt. 22:23–33; Luke 20:27–40

^18jThen some Sadducees, ^kwho say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: ¹⁹“Teacher, ^lMoses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁰Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. ²¹And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. ²²So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. ²³Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”

²⁴Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore ⁷mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? ²⁵For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but ^mare like angels in heaven. ²⁶But concerning the dead, that they ⁿrise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ^o‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ²⁷He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly ⁸mistaken.”

Question of the Greatest Commandment

Matt. 22:34–40

^28pThen one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, ⁹perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the ¹first commandment of all?”

²⁹Jesus answered him, “The ²first of all the commandments is: ^q‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰And you shall ^rlove the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³This is the first commandment. ³¹And the second, like it, is this: ^s‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than ^tthese.”

³²So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, ^uand there is no other but He. ³³And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, ⁴with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, ^vis more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

^wBut after that no one dared question Him.