Mark 12:17 (DBY)

Passage

And Jesus answering said to them, Pay what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God. And they wondered at him.

Nearby Context

Mark 12:15 Should we give, or should we not give? But he knowing their hypocrisy said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Bring me a denarius that I may see [it].

Mark 12:16 And they brought [it]. And he says to them, Whose [is] this image and superscription? And they said to him, Caesar's.

Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said to them, Pay what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God. And they wondered at him.

Mark 12:18 And Sadducees come to him, that say there is no resurrection; and they demanded of him saying,

Mark 12:19 Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if any one's brother die, and leave a wife behind, and leave no children, that his brother shall take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "answering", "said", "caesar's", "god's", and "wondered". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "answering", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And they brought it And he says..." into verse 18's "And Sadducees come to him that say...", so "jesus" and "answering" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jesus" and "answering" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.