The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?(A)

28 (B)Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, [a]perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the [b]first commandment of all?”

29 Jesus answered him, “The [c]first of all the commandments is: (C)‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall (D)love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ [d]This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: (E)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than (F)these.”

32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, (G)and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, [e]with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, (H)is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

(I)But after that no one dared question Him.

Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?(J)

35 (K)Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? 36 For David himself said (L)by the Holy Spirit:

(M)‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’

37 Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his (N)Son?”

And the common people heard Him gladly.

Beware of the Scribes(O)

38 Then (P)He said to them in His teaching, (Q)“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, (R)love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the (S)best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 (T)who devour widows’ houses, and [f]for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Two Mites(U)

41 (V)Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money (W)into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two [g]mites, which make a [h]quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that (X)this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, (Y)her whole livelihood.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 12:28 NU seeing
  2. Mark 12:28 foremost
  3. Mark 12:29 foremost
  4. Mark 12:30 NU omits the rest of v. 30.
  5. Mark 12:33 NU omits with all the soul
  6. Mark 12:40 for appearance’ sake
  7. Mark 12:42 Gr. lepta, very small copper coins
  8. Mark 12:42 A Roman coin

The Greatest Commandment(A)

28 One of the teachers of the law(B) 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.[a] 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.’[b](C) 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c](D) 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.(E) 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.”(F)

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

Whose Son Is the Messiah?(I)(J)

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

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

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

The large crowd(O) 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.(P) 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering(Q)

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put(R) 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.”(S)

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord
  2. Mark 12:30 Deut. 6:4,5
  3. Mark 12:31 Lev. 19:18
  4. Mark 12:36 Psalm 110:1