Matthew 22:15–45

Conflict with Pharisees and Herodians

Mark 12:13–17; Luke 20:20–26

^15jThen the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. ¹⁶And they sent to Him their disciples with the ^kHerodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not ³regard the person of men. ¹⁷Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

¹⁸But Jesus ⁴perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹Show Me the tax money.”

So they brought Him a denarius.

²⁰And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

²¹They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

And He said to them, ^l“Render ⁵therefore to Caesar the things that are ^mCaesar’s, and to God the things that are ⁿGod’s.” ²²When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

Conflict with Sadducees

Mark 12:18–27; Luke 20:27–40

^23oThe same day the Sadducees, ^pwho say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, ²⁴saying: “Teacher, ^qMoses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁵Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. ²⁶Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. ²⁷Last of all the woman died also. ²⁸Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.”

²⁹Jesus answered and said to them, “You are ⁶mistaken, ^rnot knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. ³⁰For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but ^sare like angels ⁷of God in heaven. ³¹But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ^32t‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” ³³And when the multitudes heard this, ^uthey were astonished at His teaching.

The Greatest Commandment

Mark 12:28–34

^34vBut when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵Then one of them, ^wa lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ³⁶“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

³⁷Jesus said to him, ^x“ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ^y‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ^40zOn these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Son of David

Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44

^41aWhile the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ⁴²saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They said to Him, “The ^bSon of David.”

⁴³He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:

⁴⁴‘The ^cLord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’?

⁴⁵If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”