The Pharisees: Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar?^(A)

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

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

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

¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said to them, ^[c]“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to ^(E)God the things that are God’s.”

And they marveled at Him.

The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?^(F)

^18 (G)Then some Sadducees, ^(H)who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: ¹⁹ “Teacher, ^(I)Moses 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. ²⁰ Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. ²¹ And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. ²² So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. ²³ Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”

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

The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?^(M)

^28 (N)Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, ^[f]perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the ^[g]first commandment of all?”

²⁹ Jesus answered him, “The ^[h]first of all the commandments is: ^(O)‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall ^(P)love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ^[i]This is the first commandment. ³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ^(Q)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than ^(R)these.”

³² So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, ^(S)and there is no other but He. ³³ And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, ^[j]with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, ^(T)is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

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

^(U)But after that no one dared question Him.

Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?^(V)

^35 (W)Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? ³⁶ For David himself said ^(X)by the Holy Spirit:

³⁷ Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his ^(Z)Son?”

And the common people heard Him gladly.