Mark 12:14 (WEB)

Passage

When they had come, they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and don’t defer to anyone; for you aren’t partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

Nearby Context

Mark 12:12 They tried to seize him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them. They left him, and went away.

Mark 12:13 They sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him, that they might trap him with words.

Mark 12:14 When they had come, they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and don’t defer to anyone; for you aren’t partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

Mark 12:15 Shall we give, or shall we not give?” But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius, that I may see it.”

Mark 12:16 They brought it. He said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "come", "asked", "teacher", "honest", "defer", "anyone", "aren", and "partial". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "come" and "asked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "They sent some of the Pharisees and..." into verse 15's "Shall we give or shall we not...", so "come" and "asked" 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 "come" and "asked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.