Mark 12
Expanded Bible
The Story of the Evil Farmers(A)
12 [Then] Jesus began ·to use stories to teach the people [L to speak to them in parables; see 3:23]. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a ·hole [vat; pit] for a winepress and built a tower [C to protect against thieves; see Is. 5:1–7 for the background to this parable]. Then he leased the land to some [C tenant] farmers and left for a trip [C the owner represents God, the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders]. 2 When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent a ·servant [slave] to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. 3 But the farmers grabbed ·the servant [L him] and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then the man sent another ·servant [slave]. They ·hit [beat] him on the head and ·showed no respect for [humiliated; dishonored] him. 5 So the man sent another, whom they killed. The man sent many others; the farmers beat some of them and killed others [C the servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel].
6 “The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved [C representing Jesus; see 1:11; 9:7]. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the farmers said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “So what will the ·owner [lord] of the vineyard do? He will come and ·kill [destroy] those farmers and will give the vineyard to ·other farmers [L others; C referring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved]. 10 ·Surely you have read [L Have you never read…?] this Scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
became the ·cornerstone [capstone; keystone; L head of the corner; C the meaning is uncertain, but clearly refers to the most important stone in the building; Jesus is the rejected stone].
11 The Lord did this,
and it is ·wonderful [amazing; marvelous] ·to us [for us to see; L in our eyes; Ps. 118:22–23].’”
12 The Jewish leaders knew that the ·story [parable] was about them. So they ·wanted to find a way [were seeking/trying] to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the people. So the leaders left him and went away.
Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?(B)
13 Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and Herodians [C a political group that supported king Herod and his family; 3:6] to Jesus to ·trap [catch] him in saying something wrong. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are ·an honest man [true; honest; sincere]. You are not ·afraid of [concerned about] what other people think about you, because you ·pay no attention to who they are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances]. And you teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. Tell us: Is it ·right [permissible; lawful] to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay them, or not?” [C Saying “yes” would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying “no” could result in being charged with insurrection.]
But knowing ·what these men were really trying to do [L their hypocrisy], Jesus said to them, “Why are you ·trying to trap [testing] me? Bring me a ·coin [L denarius; C a Roman coin worth a day’s wages] to look at.” 16 They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, “Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription] are on the coin?”
They answered, “Caesar’s.” [C Ironically, the religious leaders carry coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]
17 Then Jesus said to them, “·Give [T Render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.” They were amazed at what Jesus said.
Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus(C)
18 Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.) 19 They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and ·have children [L raise up offspring/seed] for his brother [Deut. 25:5]. 20 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother ·married [L took a wife] and died, leaving no children. 21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. 22 All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too. 23 Since all seven brothers had married her, ·when people rise from the dead [L at the resurrection], whose wife will she be?”
24 Jesus answered, “·You are mistaken [L Are you not mistaken/in error…?] because you don’t know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God. 25 [L For] When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26 ·Surely you have read [L Have you not read…?] what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush [Ex. 3:1–12], it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [Ex. 3:6; C God is still the God of the patriarchs, so they must have a continued existence after death].’ 27 God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are ·wrong [greatly deceived; badly mistaken]!”
The Most Important Command(D)
28 One of the ·teachers of the law [scribes] came and heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees. Seeing that Jesus gave good answers to their questions, he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘·Listen, people of Israel [T Hear, O Israel]! The Lord our God is ·the only Lord [one Lord]. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength’ [Deut. 6:4–5; C these are the opening words of the Shema, the prayer said by pious Jews twice a day]. 31 The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself’ [Lev. 19:18]. There are no commands ·more important [greater] than these.”
32 The man answered, “·That was a good answer [Well said!], Teacher. You were right when you said God is ·the only Lord [one] and there is no other God besides him. 33 One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the ·animals [burnt offerings] and sacrifices we offer to God [1 Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6–8].”
34 When Jesus saw that the man answered him ·wisely [thoughtfully; with insight], Jesus said to him, “You are close to the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one ·was brave enough [dared] to ask Jesus any more questions.
The Question About David’s Son(E)
35 As Jesus was teaching in the Temple [courts; complex], he asked, “Why do the ·teachers of the law [scribes] say that the ·Christ [Messiah] is the ·son [descendant] of David [C see 2 Sam. 7:12]? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit by me at my right ·side [L hand; C the place of greatest honor beside the king],
until I put your enemies ·under your control [L beneath your feet; C meaning defeated or made subject to your authority; Ps. 110:1].”’
37 David himself calls ·the Christ [the Messiah; L him] ‘Lord,’ so how can ·the Christ [the Messiah; L he] be his son?” The large crowd listened to Jesus with pleasure.
38 Jesus continued teaching and said, “Beware of the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. They like to walk around ·wearing fancy clothes [in long robes], and they love for people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces. 39 They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues and at ·feasts [banquets]. 40 But they ·cheat widows and steal their houses [L devour widows’ homes] and then try to make themselves look good by saying long prayers [in public]. They will receive a greater ·punishment [judgment; condemnation].”
True Giving(F)
41 Jesus sat near the Temple ·money box [offering chest; or treasury] and watched the people put in their money. Many rich people gave large sums of money. 42 Then a poor widow came and put in ·two small copper coins [L two lepta], ·which were only worth a few cents [L which is a quadrans; C a Roman coin worth 1/64 of a denarius, or about 10 minutes of work for a day laborer].
43 Calling his ·followers [disciples] to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow gave more than all those rich people. 44 They gave ·only what they did not need [out of their surplus/abundance]. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had—everything she had to live on.”
Mark 12
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Parable of the Vineyard Owner
12 Then(A) He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard,(B) put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 2 At harvest time he sent(C) a slave(D) to the farmers to collect some of the fruit(E) of the vineyard from the farmers. 3 But they took him, beat(F) him, and sent him away empty-handed.(G) 4 Again he sent another slave to them, and they[a] hit him on the head and treated him shamefully.[b] 5 Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; they beat some and they killed some.
6 “He still had one to send, a beloved(H) son. Finally(I) he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But those tenant farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “Therefore, what will the owner[c](J) of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this Scripture:(K)
The(L) stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.[d](M)
11 This came from the Lord(N)
and is wonderful in our eyes?”[e]
12 Because they knew He had said this parable against them, they were looking for a way to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd. So they left Him and went away.
God and Caesar
13 Then(O) they sent some of the Pharisees(P) and the Herodians(Q) to Him to trap Him by what He said.[f](R) 14 When they came, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know You are truthful and defer to no one, for You don’t show partiality[g](S) but teach truthfully the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes(T) to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay, or should we not pay?”
But knowing their hypocrisy,(U) He said to them, “Why are you testing(V) Me? Bring Me a denarius(W) to look at.” 16 So they brought one. “Whose image(X) and inscription(Y) is this?” He asked them.
“Caesar’s,” they said.
17 Then Jesus told them, “Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”(Z) And they were amazed(AA) at Him.
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
18 Some(AB) Sadducees,(AC) who say there is no resurrection,(AD) came to Him and questioned Him: 19 “Teacher,(AE) Moses(AF) wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaves his wife behind, and leaves no child,(AG) his brother should take the wife(AH) and produce offspring for his brother.(AI)[h] 20 There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying, left no offspring. 21 The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 So the seven[i] left no offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise,[j] whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?”[k]
24 Jesus told them, “Are you not deceived because you don’t know the Scriptures(AJ) or the power(AK) of God?(AL) 25 For when they rise(AM) from the dead,(AN) they neither marry nor are given in marriage(AO) but are like angels(AP) in heaven. 26 Now concerning the dead being raised—haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him: I(AQ) am the God of Abraham(AR) and the God of Isaac(AS) and the God of Jacob?(AT)[l] 27 He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are badly deceived.”
The Primary Commands
28 One(AU) of the scribes(AV) approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all?”[m]
29 “This is the most important,”[n] Jesus answered:
Listen, Israel! The Lord(AW) our God, the Lord(AX) is One.[o] 30 Love(AY) the Lord your God(AZ) with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,(BA) and with all your strength.[p](BB)[q]
31 “The second is: Love your neighbor(BC) as yourself.(BD)[r] There is no other command(BE) greater than these.”
32 Then the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher! You have correctly said that He is One, and there is no one(BF) else except Him.(BG) 33 And to love(BH) Him with all your heart, with all your understanding,[s] and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(BI)
34 When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”(BJ) And no one dared(BK) to question Him any longer.
The Question about the Messiah
35 So(BL) Jesus asked this question as He taught in the temple complex,(BM) “How can the scribes(BN) say that the Messiah(BO) is the Son of David?(BP) 36 David(BQ) himself says by the Holy Spirit:(BR)
The Lord(BS) declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand(BT)
until I put Your enemies under Your feet.’(BU)[t]
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how then can the Messiah be his Son?” And the large crowd was listening to Him with delight.
Warning against the Scribes
38 He(BV) also said in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes,(BW) and who want greetings in the marketplaces,(BX) 39 the front seats(BY) in the synagogues,(BZ) and the places of honor(CA) at banquets.(CB) 40 They devour(CC) widows’(CD) houses and say long prayers(CE) just for show. These will receive harsher punishment.”
The Widow’s Gift
41 Sitting(CF) across from the temple treasury,(CG) He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich(CH) people were putting in large sums. 42 And a poor(CI) widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.[u] 43 Summoning His disciples,(CJ) He said to them, “I assure you:(CK) This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury.(CL) 44 For they all gave out of their surplus,(CM) but she out of her poverty(CN) has put in everything she possessed(CO)—all she had to live on.”(CP)
Footnotes
- Mark 12:4 Other mss add threw stones and
- Mark 12:4 Other mss add and sent him off
- Mark 12:9 Or lord
- Mark 12:10 Lit the head of the corner
- Mark 12:11 Ps 118:22-23
- Mark 12:13 Lit trap Him in (a) word
- Mark 12:14 Lit don’t look on the face of men; that is, on the outward appearance
- Mark 12:19 Gn 38:8; Dt 25:5
- Mark 12:22 Other mss add had taken her and
- Mark 12:23 Other mss omit when they rise
- Mark 12:23 Lit the seven had her as a wife
- Mark 12:26 Ex 3:6,15-16
- Mark 12:28 Lit Which command is first of all?
- Mark 12:29 Other mss add of all the commands
- Mark 12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord.
- Mark 12:30 Other mss add This is the first commandment.
- Mark 12:30 Dt 6:4-5; Jos 22:5
- Mark 12:31 Lv 19:18
- Mark 12:33 Other mss add with all your soul
- Mark 12:36 Ps 110:1
- Mark 12:42 Lit dropped in two lepta, which is a quadrans; the lepton was the smallest and least valuable Gk coin in use. The quadrans, 1⁄64 of a daily wage, was the smallest Roman coin.
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