Mark 12
12
Tenants of a vineyard
(Matthew 21.33-46; Luke 20.9-19)
1Jesus then told them this story:#Is 5.1,2.
A farmer once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he let his vineyard and left the country.
2When it was harvest time, he sent a servant to get his share of the grapes. 3The tenants grabbed the servant. They beat him up and sent him away without a thing.
4The owner sent another servant, but the tenants beat him on the head and insulted him terribly. 5Then the man sent another servant, and they killed him. He kept sending servant after servant. They beat some of them and killed others.
6The owner had a son he loved very much. Finally, he sent his son to the tenants because he thought they would respect him. 7But they said to themselves, “Some day he will own this vineyard. Let's kill him! That way we can have it all for ourselves.” 8So they grabbed the owner's son and killed him. Then they threw his body out of the vineyard.
9Jesus asked, “What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? He will come and kill those tenants and let someone else have his vineyard. 10Surely you know that the Scriptures say,#Ps 118.22,23.
‘The stone that the builders
tossed aside
is now the most important
stone of all.
11This is something
the Lord has done,
and it is amazing to us.’ ”
12The leaders knew that Jesus was really talking about them, and they wanted to arrest him. But because they were afraid of the crowd, they let him alone and left.
Paying taxes
(Matthew 22.15-22; Luke 20.20-26)
13The Pharisees got together with Herod's followers.#12.13 Herod's followers: People who were political followers of the family of Herod the Great and his son Herod Antipas. Then they sent some men to trick Jesus into saying something wrong. 14They went to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are honest. You treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are. And you teach the truth about what God wants people to do. Tell us, should we pay taxes to the Emperor or not?”
15Jesus knew what they were up to, and he said, “Why are you trying to test me? Show me a coin!”
16They brought him a silver coin, and he asked, “Whose picture and name are on it?”
“The Emperor's,” they answered.
17Then Jesus told them, “Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God.” The men were amazed at Jesus.
Life in the future world
(Matthew 22.23-33; Luke 20.27-40)
18The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So some of them came to Jesus and said:#Ac 23.8.
19Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and has no children, his brother should marry the widow. Their first son would then be thought of as the son of the dead brother.#Dt 25.5. 20There were once seven brothers. The first one married, but died without having any children. 21The second brother married his brother's widow, and he also died without having children. The same thing happened to the third brother, 22and finally to all seven brothers. At last the woman died. 23When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? After all, she had been married to all seven brothers.
24Jesus answered:
You are completely wrong! You don't know what the Scriptures teach. And you don't know anything about the power of God. 25When God raises people to life, they won't marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26You know about people being raised to life. You know that in the story about Moses and the burning bush, God said, “I am the God worshipped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”#12.26 “I am the God worshipped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”: Jesus argues that if God is worshipped by these three, they must still be alive, because he is the God of the living.#Ex 3.6. 27He isn't the God of the dead, but of the living. You Sadducees are all wrong.
The most important commandment
(Matthew 22.34-40; Luke 10.25-28)
28One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, “What is the most important commandment?”#Lk 10.25-28.
29Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God.#Dt 6.4,5. 30You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ 31The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.”#Lv 19.18.
32The man replied, “Teacher, you are certainly right to say there is only one God.#Dt 4.35. 33It is also true that we must love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and that we must love others as much as we love ourselves. These commandments are more important than all the sacrifices and offerings that we could possibly make.”#Ho 6.6.
34When Jesus saw that the man had given a sensible answer, he told him, “You are not far from God's kingdom.” After this, no one dared ask Jesus any more questions.
About David's son
(Matthew 22.41-46; Luke 20.41-44)
35As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “How can the teachers of the Law of Moses say that the Messiah will come from the family of King David? 36The Holy Spirit led David to say,#Ps 110.1.
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit at my right side#12.36 right side: The place of power and honour.
until I make your enemies
into a footstool for you.’
37If David called the Messiah his Lord, how can the Messiah be his son?”#12.37 David…his son: See the note at 10.47.
The large crowd enjoyed listening to Jesus teach.
Jesus condemns the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses
(Matthew 23.1-36; Luke 20.45-47)
38As Jesus was teaching, he said:
Guard against the teachers of the Law of Moses! They love to walk around in long robes and be greeted in the market. 39They like the front seats in the meeting places and the best seats at banquets. 40But they cheat widows out of their homes and pray long prayers just to show off. They will be punished most of all.
A widow's offering
(Luke 21.1-4)
41Jesus was sitting in the temple near the offering box and watching people put in their gifts. He noticed that many rich people were giving a lot of money. 42Finally, a poor widow came up and put in two coins that were worth only a few pennies. 43Jesus told his disciples to gather around him. Then he said:
I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 44Everyone else gave what they didn't need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had. Now she doesn't have a penny to live on.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Mark 12
12
Parable of the tenant farmers
1Jesus spoke to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a tower. Then he rented it to tenant farmers and took a trip. 2When it was time, he sent a servant to collect from the tenants his share of the fruit of the vineyard. 3But they grabbed the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4Again the landowner sent another servant to them, but they struck him on the head and treated him disgracefully. 5He sent another one; that one they killed. The landlord sent many other servants, but the tenants beat some and killed others. 6Now the landowner had one son whom he loved dearly. He sent him last, thinking, They will respect my son. 7But those tenant farmers said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8They grabbed him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9“So what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10Haven’t you read this scripture,The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 11The Lord has done this, and it’s amazing in our eyes?”#12.11 Ps 118:22-23
12They wanted to arrest Jesus because they knew that he had told the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.
A question about taxes
13They sent some of the Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap him in his words. 14They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you’re genuine and you don’t worry about what people think. You don’t show favoritism but teach God’s way as it really is. Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay taxes or not?”
15Since Jesus recognized their deceit, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a coin. Show it to me.” 16And they brought one. He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” His reply left them overcome with wonder.
A question about the resurrection
18Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Jesus and asked, 19“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a widow but no children, the brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.#12.19 Deut 25:5; Gen 38:8 20Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman; when he died, he left no children. 21The second married her and died without leaving any children. The third did the same. 22None of the seven left any children. Finally, the woman died. 23At the resurrection, when they all rise up, whose wife will she be? All seven were married to her.”
24Jesus said to them, “Isn’t this the reason you are wrong, because you don’t know either the scriptures or God’s power? 25When people rise from the dead, they won’t marry nor will they be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like God’s angels. 26As for the resurrection from the dead, haven’t you read in the scroll from Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to Moses,I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?#12.26 Exod 3:6, 15-16 27He isn’t the God of the dead but of the living. You are seriously mistaken.”
God’s most important command
28One of the legal experts heard their dispute and saw how well Jesus answered them. He came over and asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
29Jesus replied, “The most important one isIsrael, listen! Our God is the one Lord, 30and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength.#12.30 Deut 6:4-5 31The second is this,You will love your neighbor as yourself.#12.31 Lev 19:18 No other commandment is greater than these.”
32The legal expert said to him, “Well said, Teacher. You have truthfully said that God is one and there is no other besides him. 33And to love God with all of the heart, a full understanding, and all of one’s strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself is much more important than all kinds of entirely burned offerings and sacrifices.”
34When Jesus saw that he had answered with wisdom, he said to him, “You aren’t far from God’s kingdom.” After that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Jesus corrects the legal experts
35While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “Why do the legal experts say that the Christ is David’s son? 36David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said,The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right side until I turn your enemies into your footstool.’#12.36 Ps 110:1 37David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ so how can he be David’s son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight.
38As he was teaching, he said, “Watch out for the legal experts. They like to walk around in long robes. They want to be greeted with honor in the markets. 39They long for places of honor in the synagogues and at banquets. 40They are the ones who cheat widows out of their homes, and to show off they say long prayers. They will be judged most harshly.”
A poor widow’s contribution
41Jesus sat across from the collection box for the temple treasury and observed how the crowd gave their money. Many rich people were throwing in lots of money. 42One poor widow came forward and put in two small copper coins worth a penny.#12.42 Or two lepta (the smallest Greek copper coin, each worth 1/128 of a single day’s pay), that is, a kodrantes (the smallest Roman coin, equal in value to two lepta) 43Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I assure you that this poor widow has put in more than everyone who’s been putting money in the treasury. 44All of them are giving out of their spare change. But she from her hopeless poverty has given everything she had, even what she needed to live on.”
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