Mark 12
12
A Story about a Vineyard
(Matthew 21:33–46; Luke 20:9–19)
1Then, using this illustration, Jesus spoke to them. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a vat for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip.
2“At the right time he sent a servant to the workers to collect from them a share of the grapes from the vineyard. 3The workers took the servant, beat him, and sent him back with nothing. 4So the man sent another servant to them. They hit the servant on the head and treated him shamefully. 5The man sent another, and they killed that servant. Then he sent many other servants. Some of these they beat, and others they killed.
6“He had one more person to send. That person was his son, whom he loved. Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, ‘They will respect my son.’
7“But those workers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8So they took him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9“What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the workers and give the vineyard to others. 10Have you never read the Scripture passage:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
11The Lord has done this,
and it is amazing for us to see’?”
12They wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. They knew that he had directed this illustration at them. So they left him alone and went away.
A Question about Taxes
(Matthew 22:15–22; Luke 20:20–26)
13The leaders sent some of the Pharisees and some of Herod’s followers to Jesus. They wanted to trap him into saying the wrong thing. 14When they came to him, they said, “Teacher, we know that you tell the truth. You don’t favor individuals because of who they are. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it right to pay taxes to the emperor or not? Should we pay taxes or not?”
15Jesus recognized their hypocrisy, so he asked them, “Why do you test me? Bring me a coin so that I can look at it.”
16They brought a coin. He said to them, “Whose face and name is this?”
They told him, “The emperor’s.”
17Jesus said to them, “Give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give God what belongs to God.”
They were surprised at his reply.
The Dead Come Back to Life
(Matthew 22:23–33; Luke 20:27–40)
18Some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him, 19“Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.’ 20There were seven brothers. The first got married and died without having children. 21The second married her and died without having children. So did the third. 22None of the seven brothers had any children. Last of all, the woman died. 23When the dead come back to life, whose wife will she be? The seven brothers had married her.”
24Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power? 25When the dead come back to life, they don’t marry. Rather, they are like the angels in heaven. 26Haven’t you read in the book of Moses that the dead come back to life? It’s in the passage about the bush, where God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ 27He’s not the God of the dead but of the living. You’re badly mistaken!”
Love God and Your Neighbor
(Matthew 22:34–40)
28One of the experts in Moses’ Teachings went to Jesus during the argument with the Sadducees. He saw how well Jesus answered them, so he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of them all?”
29Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. 30So love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
32The expert in Moses’ Teachings said to Jesus, “Teacher, that was well said! You’ve told the truth that there is only one God and no other besides him! 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34When Jesus heard how wisely the man answered, he told the man, “You’re not too far from God’s kingdom.”
After that, no one dared to ask him another question.
How Can David’s Son Be David’s Lord?
(Matthew 22:41–46; Luke 20:41–44)
35While Jesus was teaching in the temple courtyard, he asked, “How can the experts in Moses’ Teachings say that the Messiah is David’s son? 36David, guided by the Holy Spirit, said,
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Take the honored position—the one next to me [God the Father] on the heavenly throne—
until I put your enemies under your control.” ’
37David calls him Lord. So how can he be his son?”
Jesus Disapproves of the Example Set by the Experts in Moses’ Teachings
(Matthew 23:1–12; Luke 20:45–47)
The large crowd enjoyed listening to him. 38As he taught, he said, “Watch out for the experts in Moses’ Teachings! They like to walk around in long robes, to be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and to have the front seats in synagogues and the places of honor at dinners. 40They rob widows by taking their houses and then say long prayers to make themselves look good. The experts in Moses’ Teachings will receive the most severe punishment.”
A Widow’s Contribution
(Luke 21:1–4)
41As Jesus sat facing the temple offering box, he watched how ⌞much⌟ money people put into it. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42A poor widow dropped in two small coins, worth less than a cent.
43He called his disciples and said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: This poor widow has given more than all the others. 44All of them have given what they could spare. But she, in her poverty, has given everything she had to live on.”
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Mark 12
12
1He began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the wine press, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country. 2When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard. 3They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty. 4Again, he sent another servant to them; and they threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. 5Again he sent another, and they killed him, and many others, beating some, and killing some. 6Therefore still having one, his beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7But those farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others. 10Haven’t you even read this Scripture:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
was made the head of the corner.
11 This was from the Lord.
It is marvelous in our eyes’?” #
Psalms 118:22-23
12They tried to seize him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them. They left him and went away. 13They sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him, that they might trap him with words. 14When they had come, they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and don’t defer to anyone; for you aren’t partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15Shall we give, or shall we not give?”
But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius, that I may see it.”
16They brought it.
He said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?”
They said to him, “Caesar’s.”
17Jesus answered them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
They marveled greatly at him.
18Some Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him, saying, 19“Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 20There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring. 21The second took her, and died, leaving no children behind him. The third likewise; 22and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died. 23In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as a wife.”
24Jesus answered them, “Isn’t this because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25For when they will rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26But about the dead, that they are raised, haven’t you read in the book of Moses about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?#Exodus 3:6 27He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are therefore badly mistaken.”
28One of the scribes came and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”
29Jesus answered, “The greatest is: ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’#Deuteronomy 6:4-5 This is the first commandment. 31The second is like this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’#Leviticus 19:18 There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32The scribe said to him, “Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he; 33and to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from God’s Kingdom.”
No one dared ask him any question after that. 35Jesus responded, as he taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36For David himself said in the Holy Spirit,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.”’ #
Psalms 110:1
37 Therefore David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?”
The common people heard him gladly. 38In his teaching he said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces, 39and to get the best seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts, 40those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
41Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much. 42A poor widow came and she cast in two small brass coins,#12:42 literally, lepta (or widow’s mites). Lepta are very small brass coins worth half a quadrans each, which is a quarter of the copper assarion. Lepta are worth less than 1% of an agricultural worker’s daily wages. which equal a quadrans coin.#12:42 A quadrans is a coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius. A denarius is about one day’s wages for an agricultural laborer. 43He called his disciples to himself and said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury, 44for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.”
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