Mark 12
12
The Story of the Renters
1Then Jesus began to speak to the people using stories. He said, “A man planted a vineyard, put up a wall around it, dug a pit for a winepress, and built a lookout tower. Then he rented the vineyard out to some farmers and moved to another place. 2When harvest time came, he sent a servant to the renters to collect some of the vineyard’s fruit from them. 3But they grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him away with nothing. 4So the man sent another servant to the renters. They hit that one over the head and treated him badly. 5The man sent a different servant, and the renters killed him. The man kept sending servants, but the renters beat some of them up and killed others.
6“The man had one person left to send. It was his son, who he loved. He finally sent him, thinking, ‘They’ll have to respect my son.’
7“But the renters said to each other, ‘This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday. Come on, let’s kill him, and then everything will be ours.’ 8So they took him and killed him and tossed his body out of the vineyard.
9“What will the owner of the vineyard do then? He’ll come and kill those renters and give the vineyard to others. 10Haven’t you read what this part of Scripture says?
“ ‘The stone that the builders didn’t accept
has become the most important stone of all.
11The Lord has done this,
and it’s wonderful to see.’ ”
12Then the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders looked for a way to arrest Jesus, because they knew he’d told the story against them. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.
Is It Right to Pay the Royal Tax to Caesar?
13Later the religious leaders sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to see if they could trap him with his own words. 14They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you’re honest and that you don’t let other people tell you what to do or say, no matter how important they are. Instead, you teach the way of God truthfully. So, according to the law of Moses, is it right to pay the royal tax to Caesar, or not? 15Should we pay, or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew they had bad motives for asking. So he responded, “Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a silver coin and let me look at it.” 16They brought the coin and he asked them, “Whose picture is on this coin? And whose name and titles?”
“Caesar’s,” they answered.
17Then Jesus told them, “Return to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and return to God what belongs to God.”
They were amazed by this answer.
Marriage When the Dead Rise
18Then the Sadducees, who don’t believe that people rise from the dead, came to Jesus with a question. 19“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote in the law that if a man dies without having any children, but he leaves a wife behind, his brother has to marry the widow so that she can have children to carry on her late husband’s name. 20There were seven brothers. The first one got married, but he died without having any children. 21The next brother married his widow, but he also died and left no children. The same thing happened to the third one, 22and in fact, all seven brothers were married to her, but none of them left any children. Last of all, the woman died herself. 23When the dead rise, whose wife will she be? All seven of them were married to her.”
24Jesus answered, “You’re going wrong here because you don’t know the Scriptures and you don’t know the power of God. 25When the dead rise, people won’t get married, and parents won’t arrange marriages for their children. Everyone will be like the angels in heaven. 26But as for whether people rise from the dead, haven’t you read the story of the burning bush in the Book of Moses? God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 27So he isn’t the God of the dead; he’s the God of the living. You don’t even know where to start!”
The Most Important Commandment
28One of the teachers of the law had been listening to the discussion and he realized that Jesus had given a good answer. So he came up and asked him, “Which is the most important of all the commandments?”
29Jesus answered, “The most important one is, ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord is our God and the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31And there’s a second one: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ None of the other commandments are more important than these.”
32“That’s a good answer, teacher,” the man replied. “You’re right to say that God is one and there’s no other God but him. 33And to love God with all your heart and mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself, is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely, and he said to him, “You’re not far from the kingdom of God.” From then on, no one dared to ask Jesus any more questions.
Whose Son Is the Messiah?
35While Jesus was teaching in the temple courtyard, 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, said,
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your control.” ’
37David calls the Messiah his ‘Lord.’ So how can he be David’s son?”
The large crowd listened to Jesus with delight.
Warning Against the Teachers of the Law
38As he taught, he said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in long robes, to be greeted with respect in the marketplace, 39and to have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40But they cheat widows out of their houses and say long prayers just to show off. God will punish them very severely.”
The Widow’s Offering
41Jesus sat down across from the place where people gave their offerings at the temple. He watched as the crowd put their money into the offering boxes. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came along and put in two very small copper coins that were worth only a few pennies.
43Jesus called over his disciples and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others. 44They gave a lot of money, but it was extra money they could afford to give. She gave even though she was poor. She put in all she had—everything she needed to live on.”
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Mark 12
12
1 #
Mt 21.33-46; Lk 20.9-19; Is 5.1-7. And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 2When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 5And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed. 6He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. 10#Ps 118.22-23; Acts 4.11; 1 Pet 2.7. Have you not read this scripture:
‘The very stone which the builders rejected
has become the head of the corner;
11this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 #
Mk 11.18. And they tried to arrest him, but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away.
13 #
Mt 22.15-22; Lk 20.20-26. #Mk 3.6; Lk 11.54. And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodi-ans, to entrap him in his talk. 14And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a coin,#12.15 Greek a denarius 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.” 17#Rom 13.7. Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they were amazed at him.
18 #
Mt 22.23-33; Lk 20.27-38. And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, 19#Deut 25.5. “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man#12.19 Greek his brother must take the wife, and raise up children for his brother. 20There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no children; 21and the second took her, and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; 22and the seven left no children. Last of all the woman also died. 23In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
24Jesus said to them, “Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? 25For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26#Ex 3.6. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, ‘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.”
28 #
Mt 22.34-40; Lk 20.39-40; 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 first of all?” 29#Deut 6.4. Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, 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#Lev 19.18; Rom 13.9; Gal 5.14; Jas 2.8. The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; 33#1 Sam 15.22; Hos 6.6; Mic 6.6-8; Mt 9.13. and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole 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.” And after that no one dared to ask him any question.
35 #
Mt 22.41-46; Lk 20.41-44. And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36#Ps 110.1; Acts 2.34-35; Heb 1.13. David himself, inspired by#12.36 Or himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
till I put thy enemies under thy feet.’
37David himself calls him Lord; so how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.
38 #
Mt 23.5-7; Lk 20.46-47; Lk 11.43. And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places 39and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
41 #
Lk 21.1-4; Jn 8.20. And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. 43And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living.”
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