Mark 12
12
The Parable of the Tenants
1Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:
“ ‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’ # 12:11
Psalm 118:22,23 ?”
12Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.
Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar
13Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax#12:14 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens to Caesar or not? 15Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.
Marriage at the Resurrection
18Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23At the resurrection#12:23 Some manuscripts resurrection, when people rise from the dead, whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
24Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’#12:26 Exodus 3:6? 27He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
The Greatest Commandment
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.#12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’#12:30 Deut. 6:4,5 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’#12:31 Lev. 19:18 There is no commandment greater than these.”
32“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
Whose Son Is the Messiah?
35While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.” ’ # 12:36
Psalm 110:1
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”
The large crowd listened to him with delight.
Warning Against the Teachers of the Law
38As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
The Widow’s Offering
41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
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Mark 12: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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Mark 12
12
The Parable of the Tenants
1 # For ver. 1-12, see Matt. 21:33-46; Luke 20:9-19 And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted #Ps. 80:8; Isa. 5:1; Matt. 21:28 a vineyard #Isa. 5:2 and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and #Song 8:11, 12 leased it to tenants and #ch. 13:34; Matt. 25:14, 15went into another country. 2When the season came, he sent a servant#12:2 Or bondservant; also verse 4 to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3#Matt. 5:12; 22:6; 23:34, 37; [2 Chr. 24:19; 36:15, 16; Neh. 9:26; Jer. 37:15; 38:6; Acts 7:52; 2 Cor. 11:24-26; 1 Thess. 2:15; Heb. 11:36, 37]And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4#[See ver. 3 above] Again #Matt. 22:4 he sent to them another servant, and #[Acts 14:19] they struck him on the head and #Acts 5:41 (Gk.)treated him shamefully. 5#[See ver. 3 above]And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6He had still one other, #See Matt. 3:17 a beloved son. #[Heb. 1:1]Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7But those tenants said to one another, #Heb. 1:2; [John 1:11; Rom. 8:17] ‘This is the heir. Come, #[1 Kgs. 21:19]let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8And they took him and killed him and #Heb. 13:12threw him out of the vineyard. 9What will the owner of the vineyard do? #[Luke 19:27] He will #[Matt. 24:50; 25:19] come and destroy the tenants and #Matt. 21:43; Acts 13:46; 18:6; 28:28; [Matt. 8:11, 12]give the vineyard to others. 10#See Matt. 21:16 Have you not read #Luke 4:21; Acts 8:35 this Scripture:
#
Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:7; Cited from Ps. 118:22, 23 “‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone; # 12:10 Greek the head of the corner
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12And #ch. 11:18; Luke 19:47, 48; John 7:25, 30, 44; [Matt. 26:4] they were seeking to arrest him #ch. 11:32 but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they #Matt. 22:22left him and went away.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
13 # For ver. 13-27, see Matt. 22:15-32; Luke 20:20-38 And they sent to him some of #ch. 3:6; [ch. 8:15] the Pharisees and some of #ch. 3:6; [ch. 8:15] the Herodians, to #Luke 11:54trap him in his talk. 14And they came and said to him, “Teacher, #[John 3:2] we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For #See Acts 10:34 you are not swayed by appearances,#12:14 Greek you do not look at people’s faces but truly teach #Acts 18:25, 26; [Acts 13:10] the way of God. Is it lawful to pay #Matt. 17:25 taxes to #Luke 2:1; 3:1Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15But, knowing #Matt. 23:28; Luke 12:1 their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why #See John 8:6 put me to the test? Bring me #See Matt. 18:28a denarius#12:15 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer and let me look at it.” 16And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17Jesus said to them, #Rom. 13:7“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
18And #Matt. 3:7; 16:1; 22:34; Acts 4:1; 5:17; 23:6 Sadducees came to him, #Acts 23:8; [Acts 4:2]who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that #[Deut. 25:5]if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man#12:19 Greek his brother must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
24Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because #John 20:9 you know neither the Scriptures nor #1 Cor. 6:14the power of God? 25For when they rise from the dead, they neither #Matt. 24:38; Luke 17:27marry nor #Matt. 24:38; Luke 17:27are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26And as for the dead being raised, #See Matt. 21:16 have you not read in #[Luke 3:4; 20:42; Acts 1:20; 7:42] the book of Moses, in #Ex. 3:1-4, 17 the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, #Acts 7:32; Cited from Ex. 3:6‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
The Great Commandment
28 # For ver. 28-34, see Matt. 22:34-40, 46; [Luke 10:25-28] And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29Jesus answered, “The most important is, #Luke 10:27; Cited from Deut. 6:4, 5 ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, #Rom. 3:30; 1 Cor. 8:4, 6; Gal. 3:20; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 1:17; 2:5; James 2:19; 4:12; Jude 25; [Matt. 19:17; 23:9]the Lord is one. 30And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31#[1 John 4:21] The second is this: #Cited from Lev. 19:18; See Matt. 19:19 ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment #[Matt. 23:23]greater than these.” 32And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that #[See ver. 29 above] he is one, and #Cited from Deut. 4:35 (Gk.)there is no other besides him. 33And to love him with all the heart and with all #Deut. 4:6; Luke 2:47; Col. 1:9; 2:2 the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, #1 Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6-8; Matt. 9:13; 12:7 is much more than all #Ps. 40:6; Heb. 10:6, 8whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” #Luke 20:40And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Whose Son Is the Christ?
35 # For ver. 35-37, see Matt. 22:41-45; Luke 20:41-44 And as #See Matt. 26:55 Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that #See Matt. 1:1, 17the Christ is the son of David? 36David himself, #[Luke 10:21; 1 Cor. 12:3] in the Holy Spirit, declared,
#
Acts 2:34, 35; Heb. 1:13; Cited from Ps. 110:1; [1 Cor. 15:25; Heb. 10:13] “‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies # [Acts 7:49] under your feet.”’
37 David himself calls him Lord. So # [Rom. 1:3, 4] how is he his son?” And the great throng #ch. 6:20heard him gladly.
Beware of the Scribes
38 # For ver. 38, 39, see Matt. 23:1, 2, 5-7; Luke 20:45, 46; [Luke 11:43] And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39and have the best seats in the synagogues and #Luke 14:7, 8the places of honor at feasts, 40#[Luke 11:39; 16:14] who devour widows’ houses and #[Matt. 6:5, 7]for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Offering
41 # For ver. 41-44, see Luke 21:1-4 And he sat down opposite #Matt. 27:6; John 8:20 the treasury and watched the people #2 Kgs. 12:9putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42And a poor widow came and put in two #Luke 12:59small copper coins, which make a penny.#12:42 Greek two lepta, which make a kodrantes; a kodrantes (Latin quadrans) was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer) 43And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, #[2 Cor. 8:2, 12]this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her #Phil. 4:11 poverty has put in everything she had, all #Luke 8:43she had to live on.”
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