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Mark | 1:1-11 | 1:12-34 | 1:35-45 | 2:1-20  | 2:21-3:12 | 3:13-35 | 4:1-20 | 4:21-41 | 5:1-20 | 5:21-43 | 6:1-13 | 6:14-29 | 6:30-44 | 6:45-56 | 7-12| 13-16 | PDF | Test and Certificate |

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Mark 12:13-27 Bible Study – Jesus Answers Tricky Questions

Outline

I. Question on taxes (13-17)
II. Question on the resurrection (18-27)

I. Question on taxes (13-17)

Discussion Questions

• What was their motivation for asking Jesus questions?
• How were they hoping to use His words against Him?
• “We know that you are truthful and defer to know one… but teach the way of God in truth.” Why did they say this?
• What does the Bible say about flattery?
• What do they mean by “Is it lawful?”
• How did Jesus reply?
• What was a denarius?
• What can we learn from Jesus about answering questions?
• What do we learn about paying taxes?

Cross-References

1 Peter 2:13-17 – Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Romans 13:1-7 – This Scripture teaches believers about the attitude we should have toward the government.

Luke 3:13 – And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.”

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Herodians – We know who the Pharisees were. They were the conservative party, highly respected, but also highly legalistic. They greatly desired power, respect. and status. The Herodians were a Jewish political party that was loyal to the Herodian dynasty. They would have supported the various Herods who ruled and encouraged other Jews to do so as well. The Herodian political party was likely more secular than religious. They hoped that they could hold on to power by keeping their allegiance to Rome.

Perhaps they viewed Jesus as a threat because of His popularity and the rumors that He wanted to be king. Decades before, Herod the Great had all the male babies in Bethlehem killed in an attempt to prevent Jesus from taking his kingdom. The Herodians likely would have followed a similar policy by allying themselves against any possible rival to the throne.

The throne gave them their position and influence. Enemies of the throne were their enemies.

Sadly, they misunderstood Jesus’ mission because they were not like Him. His kingdom was not of this world.

John 18:36 – Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.

Reflect – What attracts you to Christ?

2. Flattery –

Mark 12:14 – Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God.

The Herodians and the Pharisees came together to try to trap Jesus in a public statement. But notice that they didn’t say, “We want to trick you.” That would have defeated their purpose! Instead, they approach Him through flattery. It is not surprising that they thought this method would be effective. After all, they themselves were vain, delighting in the praise of people. It follows that they thought appealing to Jesus’ vanity through flattery would also delight Him and that being so happy with their praise, He would let down His guard and answer their question without clearly thinking through the consequences.

Jesus was not interested in flattery, but saw right through it.

Application – Be honest and clear in speech. Do not use flattery to manipulate and be careful that it doesn’t manipulate you.

Proverbs 27:6 – Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

Proverbs 28:23 – Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.

Reflect – How can we resist flattery?

• Please God rather than people.
• Recognize that the flatterer generally wants something in return.
• Pray for discernment and don’t be vain.
• Compliment people to build them up, not to get something from them.

3. Is it lawful to pay a poll tax to Caesar or not? –

Mark 12:14 – “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”

Obviously, they were not seeking to learn. While they probably debated this question extensively among themselves, they certainly weren’t interested in Jesus’ opinion since they considered Him to be just a blasphemous carpenter.

It’s a shrewd attempt to get Jesus to say something that they could use against Him.

Many Jews would have been against paying this tax. Surprise! No one ever enjoyed paying taxes. But the Jews had more reason to loathe taxes than most. Rome was a foreign occupying force. It was evil and pagan, a nation that worshipped a plethora of false gods.

If they could just trick Jesus into publicly stating His opposition to paying taxes (perhaps to please the people), they would have evidence to use to accuse Him before the Romans.

They could label Jesus as a revolutionary who preached against the Romans. They could say He was stirring up trouble and leading the nation to cast off Roman authority. What’s more, there would have been hundreds of witnesses who could have verified it.

The hypocritical leaders sought any chance to accuse Jesus. Most of them would have happily thrown off Roman rule.

Yet they were prepared to condemn Jesus to death for the very things they themselves supported. Outwardly, they would have been sincere, eager to learn from the Master, careful to guard their intentions. But inwardly, they were like circling foxes, waiting for Jesus to slip up.

4. Jesus’ answer –

Mark 12:15-17 – But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Jesus wasn’t fooled. He was never fooled by their tricks. It helps to be omniscient! Jesus knew they were hypocrites and quickly squelched their hopes by asking why they were testing Him. He then asked for a coin, and we know the rest of the story. So what do we learn from Jesus’ reply?

Applications

A. Think before you speak –

He first sought to understand the motivation behind their question. He also understood the consequences of His words. Once He spoke, He could not take back His words. A flippant answer could prove deadly. While our words are not always scrutinized as closely as Jesus’ were, we still need to be careful what we say. Once you say it, you cannot unsay it. Words can have a powerful and long-lasting impact.

Weigh your words carefully. Do not be in a hurry to tell others your opinion, or to pronounce judgment on people. Take your time and make sure you give the right answer, not the fast answer.

B. Value spiritual things above earthly things –

Was Jesus pro-Roman or anti-Roman?

Interestingly, you can read through all of the gospels and find that Jesus never talked about it one way or the other unless He was first asked a question. While many Jews were preoccupied with this debate, Jesus avoided it. Jesus knew that spiritual things were far more important than these earthly questions.

Colossians 3:2 – Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Sometimes Christians get preoccupied with questions like this as well. We debate current events. We get angry about the policies that are made. We argue about who to vote for. There is nothing inherently wrong with being involved in politics. Yet our main focus should not be on them. Politics can distract us from what is most important, Christ.

Neither Republicans nor Democrats are going to solve the problems we face. No earthly system of government will bring us into paradise. People are sinful. If we trust in them, we will be disappointed. Therefore, we should not get too attached to earthly things, but instead focus on living out the Great Commission command to “Go, and make disciples.”

C. Respect the authorities God establishes over you –

Romans 13:1-2 – Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

Family, church, and country all have their respective leaders. While we should put service to God first over all of those (Acts 5:29), we should not shirk our duties in those areas in order to serve God.

Do not neglect your children in order to go and preach. Do not disdain the laws of your country and pridefully declare, “I obey God only.”

We should obey the government we live under unless it asks us to do something directly contrary to God’s law. God calls us to be good citizens. As we live out a good testimony before others, doors for sharing the good news will open.

D. Pay your taxes –

The leaders sought to get Jesus to make a public statement against paying taxes. He wouldn’t do it. While He doesn’t come right out and directly say, “pay your taxes” the clear implication is that you should.

Most people hate taxes. There are a lot of good reasons to be frustrated by how much governments collect and how they use the money they get. But it is not up to us to say, “Taxes are unfair. I am not paying.”

You cannot serve both God and money. Do not lower yourself to do what many do by lying in order to evade taxes. Sometimes there are legal ways to minimize taxes and there is nothing the matter with using those ways. But don’t lie about it.

This has hit close to home for my wife and I several times.

We operated an E-commerce store selling Chinese calligraphy art with Bible verses on it. This was our “tentmaking” incoming. Our base was our home in China. In 2025, massive tariffs were levied against China by the US. Almost overnight, our shop was ruined. We could not feasibly sell to the US when taxes would be 150% of the cost of the item. Many competitors got around this by lying about the cost of their goods on import forms. For example, they might claim that a $50 item was sold for $3 and therefore avoid most of the taxes. But we decided to be honest, obey the government, and pay our taxes.

Throughout this process, God took care of us in many other ways and we have never lacked.

Psalms 34:10 – The young lions suffer want and hunger; But those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

II. Question on the resurrection (18-27)

Discussion Questions

• In verse 18, what is the distinguishing mark of the Sadducees?
• What does this tell us about them?
• Would they be considered liberal or conservative? Why?
• What does the Old Testament have to say about the resurrection?
• Why would the Sadducees not believe/accept it?
• What groups are the Sadducees of our day?
• What Old Testament practice did they bring up?
• Why did they mention this?
• What point were they trying to prove?
• How did Jesus answer them?
• What was the answer to their question about whose wife she would be in heaven?
• Is there anything we can learn about heaven from this?
• How did Jesus prove the resurrection (hence life after death)?

Cross-References

On the resurrection:

Daniel 12:2 – And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

2 Samuel 12:23 – But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

John 11:25 – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 – For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 6:14 – And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

John 14:19 – Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Acts 24:15 – Having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Sadducees –

The Sadducees were a powerful political party at that time. Most o the ruling Sanhedrin belonged to this group.

Each group took turns testing Jesus. They hated each other, but hated Jesus more, proving the idiom, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or in life after death. It is an odd position for a religious group that claimed to believe in God and prioritized temple rituals. They were the liberals of their time and were willing to re-interpret doctrines or passages to fit in with a more modern viewpoint.

There are Old Testament verses that teach about the resurrection. Daniel states it very plainly.

Daniel 12:2 – And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

But the Sadducees only believed in the Torah.

The Sadducees are a clear reminder of people’s inherent tendency to disregard God’s Word in favor of popular opinion or expediency. From the very beginning, Satan tempted Eve with the phrase, “Did God really say?” Satan’s method hasn’t changed.

In the modern church today, you can find many pastors and congregations who say that homosexuality is not a sin, that God accepts everybody, and we should too. Some denominations even allow homosexual pastors.

Others refuse to speak up about abortion or literal creation because they don’t want to alienate the world. But this is not just a modern problem. In the 1800s, many churches in the US followed the sinful culture’s practice of segregation. They excluded black people and were racist. Some went as far as to preach in favor of slavery from the pulpit. Instead of being a light for Christ, they compromised with the world for personal gain. To be clear, the Bible does speak out against this practice (Exodus 21:16).

Culture doesn’t believe in hell? Toss it out. People don’t like the word “sin”? Don’t use it. It is politically incorrect to say there is only one way to God? Ok, accept every religion. Evolution is popular? Ok, change Genesis to accommodate it. The list of compromises with the world goes on and on.

Reflect – What causes the church to compromise with culture? What can you do about it?

How can we stand on God’s Word against these waves of liberalism that undermine it? It’s simple, actually. You only need to memorize one question. If you remember this question, you need never fall into Satan’s trap. You will not be swept by the waves of cultural forces pushing against you.

The question is, “What does the Bible say?”

God’s Word is the foundation, the source of our worldview, not culture. It’s really that simple. If you ask that question, you can then solve every single controversy mentioned above and more. All of us should be equipped with that question. Do not ever be afraid to ask it.

Ask it when you go to church, as you are listening to the pastor. Ask it when you come to study and are listening to me. Ask it when you are reading John MacArthur’s or Piper’s latest book. Ask it when you listen to sermons online or read commentaries.

This question can help you always turn back to the Bible and will lead you to dig into the Bible until you find the answer. Do not be shy to ask this question, thinking you will offend someone. A good teacher of the Bible should always welcome this question.

Application –

Let us not compromise with the world. Instead, let us destroy worldly philosophies that come against the truth.

2 Corinthians 10:5-6 – We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

2. Levirate marriage question –

Mark 12:20-23 – There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

The Sadducees attempt to disprove the resurrection by bringing up the issue of levirate marriage. Levirate marriage was the Old Testament practice of marrying a deceased relative’s wife to provide for her and bring up offspring to continue the family line.

Their question does nothing to disprove the resurrection. Yet it seems they hope to baffle Jesus with this seemingly unanswerable question, and thereby show the people that the resurrection makes no sense. This is likely their version of the modern-day questions, “Can God make a rock so big He can’t lift it?” On the surface, it might appear unanswerable.

3. Jesus wisely answers –

Jesus showed them that their assumptions were completely wrong. Their assumption is that people in heaven will be like those on earth. They were using an earthly lens to look at heaven.

Mark 12:24-25 – Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

They did not know the Scriptures (such as Daniel 12:2).

Jesus said that people will be like angels in heaven. It doesn’t mean we will be exactly the same, but there will be similarities. Jesus says that in heaven there will not be marriage. This doesn’t mean you won’t remember your spouse. It also doesn’t mean that your earthly relationship with your spouse will be forgotten or will lose all of its meaning. We do not yet understand exactly how it will be. But we should remember that believers are the bride of Christ.

Our focus will be on Christ, not on our spouse. Heaven is different from what they and we expect. It is impossible not to allow our experiences on earth to influence our ideas about heaven. But this is one among many passages that show us heaven will be completely beyond our expectations.

Reflect – Why does Scripture not tell us more clearly what heaven will be like?

4. Jesus proves the resurrection of the dead –

Mark 12:26-27 – And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 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. You are quite wrong.”

Boom! Jesus destroys their arguments with this brilliant answer.

How did Jesus prove the resurrection of the dead? He proved it by Scripture. He is answering the question mentioned above, “What does the Bible say?” Note that He quoted part of the Torah, which they claimed to believe. This was more effective than quoting Daniel since they would have rejected it offhand.

The argument was simple. God used the present tense in declaring that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:6), which meant that they were still alive, hence proving life after death.

Application –

What will you do in the coming week to apply a lesson from today’s passage?

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