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

^15 (B)Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. ¹⁶ And they sent to Him their disciples with the ^(C)Herodians, 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 ^[a]regard the person of men. ¹⁷ Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

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

So they brought Him a denarius.

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

²¹ They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

And He said to them, ^(D)“Render^[c] therefore to Caesar the things that are ^(E)Caesar’s, and to God the things that are ^(F)God’s.” ²² When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

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

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

²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “You are ^[d]mistaken, ^(K)not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. ³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but ^(L)are like angels ^[e]of God in heaven. ³¹ But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ^32 (M)‘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.” ³³ And when the multitudes heard this, ^(N)they were astonished at His teaching.

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

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

³⁷ Jesus said to him, ^(R)“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ^(S)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ^40 (T)On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

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

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

They said to Him, “The ^(W)Son of David.”

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

⁴⁵ If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” ^46 (Y)And no one was able to answer Him a word, ^(Z)nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

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.

Beware of the Scribes^(AA)

³⁸ Then ^(AB)He said to them in His teaching, ^(AC)“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, ^(AD)love greetings in the marketplaces, ³⁹ the ^(AE)best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, ^40 (AF)who devour widows’ houses, and ^[k]for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

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

^20 (B)So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.

²¹ Then they asked Him, saying, ^(C)“Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: ²² Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³ But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ^[a]“Why do you test Me? ²⁴ Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”

²⁵ And He said to them, ^(D)“Render^[b] therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²⁶ But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

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

^27 (F)Then some of the Sadducees, ^(G)who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, ²⁸ saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second ^[c]took her as wife, and he died childless. ³¹ Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven ^[d]also; and they left no children, and died. ³² Last of all the woman died also. ³³ Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”

³⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those who are ^(H)counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶ nor can they die anymore, for ^(I)they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, ^(J)being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ^(K)‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ ³⁸ For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for ^(L)all live to Him.”

³⁹ Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ But after that they dared not question Him anymore.

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

⁴¹ And He said to them, ^(N)“How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? ⁴² Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms:

⁴⁴ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; ^(P)how is He then his Son?”

Beware of the Scribes^(Q)

^45 (R)Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, ^46 (S)“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, ^(T)love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, ^47 (U)who devour widows’ houses, and for a ^(V)pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”