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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St Mark 12
12
1AND he began to speak to them in parables: A certain man planted a vineyard and made a hedge about it, and dug a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it to husbandmen; and went into a far country.
2And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant to receive of the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
3Who having laid hands on him, beat him, and sent him away empty.
4And again he sent to them another servant; and him they wounded in the head, and used him reproachfully.
5And again he sent another, and him they killed: and many others, of whom some they beat, and others they killed.
6Therefore having yet one son, most dear to him; he also sent him unto them last of all, saying: They will reverence my son.
7But the husbandmen said one to another: This is the heir; come let us kill him; and the inheritance shall be ours.
8And laying hold on him, they killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
9What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those husbandmen; and will give the vineyard to others.
10And have you not read this scripture, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner:
11By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.
12And they sought to lay hands on him, but they feared the people. For they knew that he spoke this parable to them. And leaving him, they went their way.
13And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians; that they should catch him in his words.
14Who coming, say to him: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker, and carest not for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar; or shall we not give it?
15Who knowing their wiliness, saith to them: Why tempt you me? bring me a penny that I may see it.
16And they brought it him. And he saith to them: Whose is this image and inscription? They say to him, Caesar's.
17And Jesus answering, said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.
18And there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying:
19Master, Moses wrote unto us, that if any man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.
20Now there were seven brethren; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no issue.
21And the second took her, and died: and neither did he leave any issue. And the third in like manner.
22And the seven all took her in like manner; and did not leave issue. Last of all the woman also died.
23In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise again, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
24And Jesus answering, saith to them: Do ye not therefore err, because you know not the scriptures, nor the power of God?
25For when they shall rise again from the dead, they shall neither marry, nor be married, but are as the angels in heaven.
26And as concerning the dead that they rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
27He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You therefore do greatly err.
28And there came one of the scribes that had heard them reasoning together, and seeing that he had answered them well, asked him which was the first commandment of all.
29And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God.
30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.
31And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
32And the scribe said to him: Well, Master, thou hast said in truth, that there is one God, and there is no other besides him.
33And that he should be loved with the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength; and to love one's neighbour as one's self, is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices.
34And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
35And Jesus answering, said, teaching in the temple: How do the scribes say, that Christ is the son of David?
36For David himself saith by the Holy Ghost: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool.
37David therefore himself calleth him Lord, and whence is he then his son? And a great multitude heard him gladly.
38And he said to them in his doctrine: Beware of the scribes, who love to walk in long robes, and to be saluted in the marketplace,
39And to sit in the first chairs, in the synagogues, and to have the highest places at suppers:
40Who devour the houses of widows under the pretence of long prayer: these shall receive greater judgment.
41And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many that were rich cast in much.
42And there came a certain poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing.
43And calling his disciples together, he saith to them: Amen I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury.
44For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want cast in all she had, even her whole living.
An historical text. In 1955 the Douay-Rheims Challoner Bible received the Imprimatur ✠ of the English Catholic Church from the Archbishop of Westminster.