Whose Image Do You Bear? | The Gospels | Mark 12:13–27

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study

Ten Minute Bible Talks

Mental Health, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Christianity

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2026

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why was Jesus so controversial? Why did the religious leaders constantly attempt to "trap" him? Are we guilty of doing the same? In today’s episode, Tanya shares how Mark 12:13–27 exposes the deeper question behind the debate about taxes—whether we truly recognize that we bear God’s image and owe our whole lives to him. Read the Bible with us in 2026! This year, we’re exploring the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passage: Mark 12:13–27

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life.
0:09.3	In the time it takes to get to work.
0:10.9	I'm Tanya Wilmeth.
0:12.9	It's hard to imagine people wanting to trap Jesus, isn't it?
0:17.0	I mean, here's this man who's going around healing people, feeding people, teaching people about God.
0:23.3	Why would he be so controversial?
0:25.3	Why would anyone, let alone a whole group of people, make it their life's purpose to try to trap him in his words or expose him, to eventually have him killed?
0:34.6	Jesus must have been doing something controversial.
0:37.4	He must have been saying
0:38.4	things that threatened the way they lived, or the things they believed. He must have threatened
0:43.5	their position in society, or the things they built their lives on. Some of the most controversial
0:49.4	moments in Jesus' ministry are things that seem pretty straightforward to us now. Of course we should help a woman
0:55.7	who has been in hard situations. Yes, we have a legal obligation to pay our taxes. But really,
1:02.4	we still get caught up in the same kinds of misunderstandings. We still choose sides and try to self-determine
1:08.1	how Jesus would vote, who he would want to be in leadership, who he would help with a hand-up, and who he would condemn. It sounds like we're doing more than trying to trap Jesus like the Pharisees did. It sounds like we're trying to read Jesus' mind. In Mark chapter 12, the Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus. They want him to say something that will turn people against him. But they don't begin
1:27.9	with the trap. Well, they do, but they also begin with flattery. They call him a man of integrity,
1:33.7	someone who tells the truth, someone who doesn't play favorites. And the irony is, everything they
1:38.8	say about him is actually true. They just don't believe it really. They're using truth as a tool
1:44.0	for manipulation.
1:45.7	Then they asked the question that was loaded with political and religious tension.
1:49.9	Teacher, we know how honest you are. Now tell us, is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
1:56.7	Should we pay them or shouldn't we? This wasn't a sincere question.
	...

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