13. The leaders sent some of the Pharisees and some of Herod’s followers to Jesus. They wanted to trap him into saying the wrong thing.
14. When they came to him, they said, “Teacher, we know that you tell the truth. You don’t favor individuals because of who they are. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it right to pay taxes to the emperor or not? Should we pay taxes or not?”
15. Jesus recognized their hypocrisy, so he asked them, “Why do you test me? Bring me a coin so that I can look at it.”
16. They brought a coin. He said to them, “Whose face and name is this?”They told him, “The emperor’s.”
17. Jesus said to them, “Give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give God what belongs to God.”They were surprised at his reply.
18. Some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him,
19. “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.’
20. There were seven brothers. The first got married and died without having children.
21. The second married her and died without having children. So did the third.
22. None of the seven brothers had any children. Last of all, the woman died.
23. When the dead come back to life, whose wife will she be? The seven brothers had married her.”
24. Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power?
25. When the dead come back to life, they don’t marry. Rather, they are like the angels in heaven.
26. Haven’t you read in the book of Moses that the dead come back to life? It’s in the passage about the bush, where God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’
27. He’s not the God of the dead but of the living. You’re badly mistaken!”
28. One of the experts in Moses’ Teachings went to Jesus during the argument with the Sadducees. He saw how well Jesus answered them, so he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of them all?”
29. Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord.