14. They went to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are honest. You treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are. And you teach the truth about what God wants people to do. Tell us, should we pay taxes to the Emperor or not?”
15. Jesus knew what they were up to, and he said, “Why are you trying to test me? Show me a coin!”
16. They brought him a silver coin, and he asked, “Whose picture and name are on it?”“The Emperor's,” they answered.
17. Then Jesus told them, “Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God.” The men were amazed at Jesus.
18. The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So some of them came to Jesus and said:
19. Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and has no children, his brother should marry the widow. Their first son would then be thought of as the son of the dead brother.
20. There were once seven brothers. The first one married, but died without having any children.
21. The second brother married his brother's widow, and he also died without having children. The same thing happened to the third brother,
22. and finally to all seven brothers. At last the woman died.
23. When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? After all, she had been married to all seven brothers.
24. Jesus answered:You are completely wrong! You don't know what the Scriptures teach. And you don't know anything about the power of God.
25. When God raises people to life, they won't marry. They will be like the angels in heaven.
26. You know about people being raised to life. You know that in the story about Moses and the burning bush, God said, “I am the God worshipped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
27. He isn't the God of the dead, but of the living. You Sadducees are all wrong.
28. One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, “What is the most important commandment?”
29. Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God.