Mark 12

Parable of the Vineyard Owner

1Jesus began to speak to them [the chief priests, scribes and elders who were questioning Him] in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put a #It was commonplace to pile up loose rocks to serve as a low wall around one’s property.wall around it, and dug a pit for the wine press and built a tower; and he rented it out to tenant farmers and left the country. 2When the harvest season came he sent a #The servants represent the prophets sent to Israel by God.servant to the tenants, in order to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3They took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4Again he sent them another servant, and they [threw stones and] wounded him in the head, and treated him disgracefully. 5And he sent another, and that one they killed; then many others—some they beat and some they killed. 6He still had one man left to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7But those tenants said to each other, ‘This man is the heir! Come on, let us kill him [and destroy the evidence], and his inheritance will be ours!’ 8So they took him and killed him, and threw his body outside the vineyard. 9What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and will give the vineyard to others. 10Have you not even read this Scripture:

‘The stone which the builders regarded as unworthy and rejected,

This [very stone] has become the chief Cornerstone

11 This came about from the Lord,

And it is marvelous and wonderful in our eyes’?”

12And they were looking for a way to seize Him, but they were afraid of the crowd; for they knew that He spoke this parable in reference to [and as a charge against] them. And so they left Him and went away.

Jesus Answers the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes

13Then they sent some of the #This was an unlikely alliance since the Pharisees were a strict religious sect while the Herodians were not religious and supported the rule of Caesar.Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus in order to trap Him into making a statement [that they could use against Him]. 14They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and have no personal bias toward anyone; for You are not influenced by outward appearances or social status, but in truth You teach the way of God. Is it lawful [according to Jewish law and tradition] to pay the #Every Jew was required to pay the poll-tax. It was considered a sign of subservience to Rome.poll-tax to [#See note Matt 22:21.Tiberius] Caesar, or not? 15Should we pay [the tax] or should we not pay?” But knowing their hypocrisy, He asked them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a #A day’s wages for a laborer.coin (denarius) to look at.” 16So they brought one. Then He asked them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17Jesus said to them, “Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were greatly amazed at Him.

18Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Him, and began questioning Him, saying, 19“Teacher, Moses wrote for us [a law] that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but leaves no child, his brother is to #The purpose of this was to carry on the family line and keep property within the family.marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 20There were seven brothers; the first [one] took a wife, and died leaving no children. 21The second brother married her, and died leaving no children; and the third likewise; 22and so all seven [married her and died, and] left no children. Last of all the woman died also. 23In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven [brothers] were married to her.” 24Jesus said to them, “Is this not why you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures [that teach the resurrection] nor the power of God [who is able to raise the dead]? 25For when they rise from the dead, they do not marry nor are they given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26But concerning the raising of the dead, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how 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 are greatly mistaken and you are deceiving yourselves!”

28Then one of the scribes [an expert in Mosaic Law] came up and listened to them arguing [with one another], and noticing that Jesus answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is first and most important of all?” 29Jesus answered, “The first and most important one is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; 30and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength.’ 31This is the second: ‘You shall [unselfishly] #The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32The scribe said to Him, “Admirably answered, Teacher; You truthfully stated that He is One, and there is no other but Him; 33and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to [unselfishly] love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34When Jesus saw that he answered thoughtfully and intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one would dare to ask Him any more questions.

35Jesus began to say, as He taught in [a portico or court of] the temple, “#It is no coincidence that Jesus raises this question after His preceding discussion with the lawyer/scribe. Matthew (22:35) notes that the lawyer had questioned Jesus to test Him. His goal was to extract from Jesus the admission that there is only one God (see v 32), and eventually to use that admission against Him when He claimed to be the Son of God and therefore God Himself. In reality, Jesus had admitted nothing that posed a problem for the concept of one God existing as three distinct Persons, and He drew attention to this fact by raising the issue of David’s relationship to the Messiah.How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36David himself said [when inspired] by the Holy Spirit,

‘The Lord (the Father) said to my Lord (the Son, the Messiah),

“Sit at My right hand,

Until I put Your enemies under Your feet.” ’

37 David himself calls Him (the Son, the Messiah) ‘Lord’; so how can it be that He is # Lit his. David’s Son?” The large crowd enjoyed hearing Jesus and listened to Him with delight.

38In [the course of] His teaching He was saying, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes [displaying their prominence], and like to receive respectful greetings in the market places, 39and [they love] the #These seats were located near the scrolls of the Law, facing the congregation in the synagogue.chief seats in the synagogues and the places of distinction and honor at banquets, 40[these scribes] who devour (confiscate) widows’ houses, and offer long prayers for appearance’s sake [to impress others]. These men will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Mite

41And He sat down opposite the [temple] treasury, and began watching how the people were putting money into the #Thirteen trumpet-shaped chests were placed around the wall in the Court of Women in the temple.treasury. And many rich people were putting in #The thirteen receptacles for the money were metal and the heavy silver coins contributed by the wealthy would have made quite a noise when they were deposited, calling audible attention to the size of each contribution. By contrast, the widow’s coins (v 42) would have barely made a sound.large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a #The least valuable Roman coin, which amounted to only one sixty-fourth of a day’s wages for a laborer; traditionally called the “widow’s mite.”mite. 43Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this poor widow put in [proportionally] more than all the contributors to the treasury. 44For they all contributed from their surplus, but she, from her poverty, put in all she had, all she had to live on.”

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Mark 12

Renters of a Vineyard

(Matthew 21.33-46; Luke 20.9-19)

1 # Is 5.1,2. Jesus then told them this story:

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 rented out his vineyard and left the country.

2When it was harvest time, he sent a servant to get his share of the grapes. 3The renters grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him away without a thing.

4The owner sent another servant, but the renters 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 some.

6The owner had a son he loved very much. Finally, he sent his son to the renters because he thought they would respect him. 7But they said to themselves, “Someday 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, killed him, and 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 renters and let someone else have his vineyard. 10#Ps 118.22,23. You surely know that the Scriptures say,

‘The stone 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)

18 # Ac 23.8. The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So some of them came to Jesus and said:

19 # Dt 25.5,6. Teacher, 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. 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. 26#Ex 3.6. You surely 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 worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”#12.26 I am the God worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: Jesus argues that if God is worshiped by these three, they must still be alive, because he is the God of the living. 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)

28 # Lk 10.25-28. One 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?”

29 # Dt 6.4,5. Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. 30You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ 31#Lv 19.18. The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.”

32 # Dt 4.35,36. The man replied, “Teacher, you are certainly right to say there is only one God. 33#Ho 6.6. It 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.”

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 the Messiah will come from the family of King David? 36#Ps 110.1. The Holy Spirit led David to say,

‘The Lord said to my Lord:

Sit at my right side#12.36 right side: The place of power and honor.

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 synagogues 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 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 cent to live on.

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