After Jesus had cleansed the temple and the opposition of the Jewish leaders increased, He still told them another parable to warn them that if they rejected Him, God would reject them.

At this time the enemies of Jesus used several attempts to catch Jesus in His words. One group asked Him about paying taxes hoping that His answer would make Him an enemy of the Jews or Caesar. The Sadducees asked about the resurrection since they did not believe in this. Finally a teacher of the law asked a question about the great commandment, a subject about which the Jews often argued.