Then the Pharisees took advice how they might trap him,
and watching carefully they sent to him their disciples
with the Herodians as spies who were pretending to be just
so that they might catch him by a word
in order to give him over
to the rule and authority of the governor.
Coming they questioned him, "Teacher, we know that
you are honest and do not care about anyone's opinion;
for you do not look at the appearance of people,
but teach truthfully the way of God;
therefore tell us, what do you think?
Is it permitted for us to pay tax to Caesar or not?
Should we pay or shouldn't we?"
But aware of their cunning malice he said to them,
"Why are you testing me, hypocrites?
Bring me the coin of the tax so that I may see it."
They brought him a coin.
He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"
They said, "Caesar's."
Jesus said to them, "Then pay back
Caesar's things to Caesar and God's things to God."
They could not catch him by his saying
in the presence of the people,
and marveling at his answer they were silent;
leaving him they went away.
On that day some of the Sadducees,
who say there is no resurrection,
approaching questioned him, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us
that if someone's brother dies
and leaves behind a wife and no child,
the brother should take his wife
and raise up seed for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers;
the first, having taken a wife, died childless,
and not having seed he left his wife to his brother;
the second took her, and he died leaving behind no seed;
the third similarly up to the seventh,
and the seven left no seed.
Last of all the woman died too.
In the resurrection then, when they rise again,
whose wife will she be?
For the seven had her as a wife?"
Jesus answered them,
"Do you not go astray because of this,
not knowing the scriptures or the power of God?
The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,
but those considered worthy
of attaining that age and the resurrection
neither marry nor are they given in marriage;
for they can no longer die,
but they are like angels in heaven;
they are sons of God being sons of the resurrection.
"Concerning the dead that they are raised,
even Moses made known at the part about the bush
when God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham
and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.'
He is not God of the dead but of the living;
for to him everyone lives.
You are going far astray."
Some of the scholars answered, "Teacher, well said."
The Pharisees, hearing that he silenced the Sadducees,
gathered together.
One of the scholars who heard them debating,
aware that he answered them well,
asked him, "What is the foremost of the commandments?"
Jesus answered, "The foremost is: 'Hear, Israel,
the Lord your God is one Lord,
and you shall love the Lord your God
with your whole heart
and with your whole soul
and with your whole intelligence
and with your whole strength.'
The second is like it:
'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
On these two commandments
hang the whole law and the prophets."
The scholar said to him, "Beautifully said, teacher,
in truth you say that there is one
and there is no other except him;
and the love for him from the whole heart
and from the whole intelligence
and from the whole strength
and the love for the neighbor as oneself
is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Jesus, seeing that he answered intelligently,
said to him, "You are not far from the sovereignty of God."
The Pharisees being gathered together
Jesus questioned them,
"What do you think about the Christ?
Whose son is he?"
They said to him, "David's."
He said to them, "How is it then that David himself
said in the Holy Spirit, 'The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit on my right until I put your enemies under your feet.'
If David calls him Lord, then how is he his son?"
No one was able to answer him a word,
nor did anyone dare from that day to question him any more;
but the large crowd listened to him gladly.