The Triumphal Entry

11 (A)And as they *approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and (B)Bethany, near (C)the Mount of Olives, He *sent two of His disciples, and *said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he [a]will send it back here.” They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they *untied it. And some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them just as Jesus had said, and they gave them permission. (D)They *brought the colt to Jesus and *put their cloaks on it; and He sat on it. And many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. And those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:

[b]Hosanna!
(E)Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;
[c]Hosanna (F)in the highest!”

11 (G)And Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple area; and after looking around at everything, (H)He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.

12 (I)On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

Jesus Drives Money Changers from the Temple

15 (J)Then they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling [d]doves; 16 and He would not allow anyone to carry [e]merchandise through the temple grounds. 17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written: ‘(K)My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? (L)But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and they (M)began seeking how to put Him to death; for they were afraid of Him, because all (N)the crowd was astonished at His teaching.

19 And (O)whenever evening came, [f]they would leave the city.

20 (P)As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 And being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “(Q)Rabbi, look, the fig tree that You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered and *said to them, (R)Have faith in God. 23 (S)Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him. 24 Therefore, I say to you, (T)all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you. 25 And whenever you (U)stand praying, (V)forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you for your [g]offenses. 26 [[h](W)But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your [i]offenses.”]

Jesus’ Authority Questioned

27 And they *came again to Jerusalem. (X)And as He was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders *came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 But Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.” 31 And they began considering the implications among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 32 But should we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the [j]people, for they all considered John to have been a real prophet. 33 Answering Jesus, they *said, “We do not know.” And Jesus *said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”

Parable of the Vine-growers

12 (Y)And He began to speak to them in parables: (Z)A man (AA)planted a vineyard and put a [k]fence around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and leased it to [l]vine-growers and went on a journey. And at the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive his share of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers. And they took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others. He had one more man to send, a beloved son; he sent him to them last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ And they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the [m]owner of the vineyard do? He will come and put the vine-growers to death, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture:

(AB)A stone which the builders rejected,
This has become the [n]chief cornerstone;
11 (AC)This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12 (AD)And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the [o]people, for they understood that He told the parable against them. And so (AE)they left Him and went away.

Jesus Answers the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes

13 (AF)Then they *sent some of the Pharisees and (AG)Herodians to Him in order to (AH)trap Him in a statement. 14 They came and *said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and [p]do not care what anyone thinks; for You [q]are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God in truth. Is it [r]permissible to pay a [s]poll-tax to Caesar, or not? 15 Are we to pay, or not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a [t]denarius to look at.” 16 And they brought one. And He *said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, (AI)Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at Him.

18 (AJ)Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) *came to [u]Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that (AK)if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, his brother is to [v]marry the wife and raise up [w]children for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children. 21 The second one [x]married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise; 22 and so the seven together left no children. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, which one’s wife will she be? For each of the seven had her as his wife.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not [y]understand the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 But [z]regarding the fact that the dead rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, (AL)in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘(AM)I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 (AN)He is not the God [aa]of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”

28 (AO)One of the scribes came up and heard them arguing, and (AP)recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the [ab]foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The [ac]foremost is, ‘(AQ)Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; 30 (AR)and 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 The second is this: ‘(AS)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher; You have truly stated that (AT)He is One, and there is no other besides Him; 33 (AU)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, (AV)is much more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (AW)And then, no one dared any longer to question Him.

35 (AX)And Jesus responded and began saying, as He (AY)taught in the temple area, “How is it that the scribes say that the [ad]Christ is the (AZ)son of David? 36 David himself said [ae]in the Holy Spirit,

(BA)The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’

37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And (BB)the large crowd [af]enjoyed listening to Him.

38 (BC)And in His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like (BD)personal greetings in the marketplaces, 39 and seats of honor in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets, 40 (BE)who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

The Widow’s Coins

41 (BF)And Jesus sat down opposite (BG)the treasury, and began watching how the [ag]people were (BH)putting [ah]money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two [ai]lepta coins, which amount to a [aj]quadrans. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all [ak]the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their [al]surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, [am]all she had (BI)to live on.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 11:3 Lit sends
  2. Mark 11:9 Aramaic for Save, we pray
  3. Mark 11:10 Aramaic for Save, we pray
  4. Mark 11:15 Lit the doves
  5. Mark 11:16 Lit a vessel; i.e., a receptacle or implement of any kind
  6. Mark 11:19 I.e., Jesus and His disciples
  7. Mark 11:25 Or wrongdoings
  8. Mark 11:26 Early mss do not contain this v
  9. Mark 11:26 Or wrongdoings
  10. Mark 11:32 Lit crowd
  11. Mark 12:1 Or hedge
  12. Mark 12:1 Or tenant farmers, also vv 2, 7, 9
  13. Mark 12:9 Lit lord
  14. Mark 12:10 Lit head of the corner
  15. Mark 12:12 Lit crowd
  16. Mark 12:14 Lit it is not a concern to You about anyone
  17. Mark 12:14 Lit do not look at the face of people
  18. Mark 12:14 I.e., by Jewish law and tradition
  19. Mark 12:14 I.e., a tax on each person in the census
  20. Mark 12:15 The denarius was a day’s wages for a laborer
  21. Mark 12:18 Lit Him
  22. Mark 12:19 Lit take
  23. Mark 12:19 Lit seed, also vv 20-22
  24. Mark 12:21 Lit took
  25. Mark 12:24 Or know
  26. Mark 12:26 Lit concerning the dead, that they rise
  27. Mark 12:27 Or of corpses
  28. Mark 12:28 Or first
  29. Mark 12:29 Or first
  30. Mark 12:35 I.e., Messiah
  31. Mark 12:36 Or by
  32. Mark 12:37 Lit was gladly hearing Him
  33. Mark 12:41 Lit crowd was
  34. Mark 12:41 I.e., copper coins
  35. Mark 12:42 The smallest Greek copper coin, about 1/128 of a laborer’s daily wage
  36. Mark 12:42 A small Roman copper coin, worth about 1/64 of a laborer’s daily wage
  37. Mark 12:43 Lit those who were putting in
  38. Mark 12:44 Or abundance
  39. Mark 12:44 Lit her whole livelihood

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King(A)(B)

11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany(C) at the Mount of Olives,(D) Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden.(E) Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway.(F) As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna![a]

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b](G)

10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”(H)

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.(I)

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts(J)(K)(L)

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.(M) 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’[c]?(N) But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d](O)

18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him,(P) because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.(Q)

19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[e] went out of the city.(R)

20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi,(S) look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.(T) 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.(U) 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”(V) [26] [g]

The Authority of Jesus Questioned(W)

27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)(X)

33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

The Parable of the Tenants(Y)

12 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard.(Z) He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

“He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all,(AA) saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

“But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;(AB)
11 the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’[h]?”(AC)

12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd;(AD) so they left him and went away.(AE)

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar(AF)

13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians(AG) to Jesus to catch him(AH) in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax[i] to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”(AI)

And they were amazed at him.

Marriage at the Resurrection(AJ)

18 Then the Sadducees,(AK) who say there is no resurrection,(AL) came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.(AM) 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection[j] whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures(AN) or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.(AO) 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[k]?(AP) 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

The Greatest Commandment(AQ)

28 One of the teachers of the law(AR) came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[l] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[m](AS) 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[n](AT) There is no commandment greater than these.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.(AU) 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(AV)

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”(AW) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.(AX)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?(AY)(AZ)

35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,(BA) he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?(BB) 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,(BC) declared:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your feet.”’[o](BD)

37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd(BE) listened to him with delight.

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.(BF) 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering(BG)

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put(BH) and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”(BI)

Footnotes

  1. Mark 11:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 10
  2. Mark 11:9 Psalm 118:25,26
  3. Mark 11:17 Isaiah 56:7
  4. Mark 11:17 Jer. 7:11
  5. Mark 11:19 Some early manuscripts came, Jesus
  6. Mark 11:23 Some early manuscripts “If you have faith in God,” Jesus answered, 23 “truly
  7. Mark 11:26 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Matt. 6:15.
  8. Mark 12:11 Psalm 118:22,23
  9. Mark 12:14 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens
  10. Mark 12:23 Some manuscripts resurrection, when people rise from the dead,
  11. Mark 12:26 Exodus 3:6
  12. Mark 12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord
  13. Mark 12:30 Deut. 6:4,5
  14. Mark 12:31 Lev. 19:18
  15. Mark 12:36 Psalm 110:1