Paying Taxes to Caesar

Mrk 12:13–17

1. 13 Some time later, some Jewish leaders got some people together. They got some of the law men called Pharisees and the other men that were good friends with the big boss called Herod. The leaders sent these people to try to trick Jesus. They tried to get him to say something wrong, so they could make trouble for him.
2. 14 They said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know you always want to do the right thing and say true words. You talk to everyone the same way, whether they are big bosses or not. You always teach God’s words the right way. So tell us, is it right or wrong for us Jews to pay tax money to the Roman government bosses of our country?”
3. 15 Jesus knew that if he said, “Don’t pay that tax money,” then he will be in trouble with the Romans bosses, and if he said, “Pay that tax money,” then he will be in trouble with the Jewish people. They wanted to be free from the Roman bosses. So Jesus said, “Don’t try to trick me. Have you got some money? I want to look at it.”
4. 16 The men gave Jesus one bit of money, a coin. He looked at it and said, “Who is this on this money? Whose picture and whose name is this?” Those men said, “That is Caesar, the big boss of the Roman government.”
5. 17 Jesus said, “Well, you have to give the Roman government whatever belongs to them, and you have to give God whatever belongs to Him.” When they heard him say this they were all really surprised.