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.
Mark 12
Contemporary English Version
Renters of a Vineyard
(Matthew 21.33-46; Luke 20.9-19)
12 (A) 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.
2 When it was harvest time, he sent a servant to get his share of the grapes. 3 The renters grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him away without a thing.
4 The owner sent another servant, but the renters beat him on the head and insulted him terribly. 5 Then the man sent another servant, and they killed him. He kept sending servant after servant. They beat some of them and killed some.
6 The owner had a son he loved very much. Finally, he sent his son to the renters because he thought they would respect him. 7 But they said to themselves, “Someday he will own this vineyard. Let's kill him! That way we can have it all for ourselves.” 8 So they grabbed the owner's son, killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard.
9 Jesus 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 (B) You surely know that the Scriptures say,
‘The stone the builders
tossed aside
is now the most important
stone of all.
11 This is something
the Lord has done,
and it is amazing to us.’ ”
12 The 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)
13 The Pharisees got together with Herod's followers.[a] Then they sent some men to trick Jesus into saying something wrong. 14 They 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?”
15 Jesus knew what they were up to, and he said, “Why are you trying to test me? Show me a coin!”
16 They brought him a silver coin, and he asked, “Whose picture and name are on it?”
“The Emperor's,” they answered.
17 Then 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 (C) The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So some of them came to Jesus and said:
19 (D) 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. 20 There were once seven brothers. The first one married, but died without having any children. 21 The second brother married his brother's widow, and he also died without having children. The same thing happened to the third brother, 22 and finally to all seven brothers. At last the woman died. 23 When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? After all, she had been married to all seven brothers.
24 Jesus answered:
You are completely wrong! You don't know what the Scriptures teach. And you don't know anything about the power of God. 25 When God raises people to life, they won't marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26 (E) 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.”[b] 27 He 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 (F) 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 (G) Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. 30 You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ 31 (H) The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.”
32 (I) The man replied, “Teacher, you are certainly right to say there is only one God. 33 (J) 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.”
34 When 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)
35 As 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 (K) The Holy Spirit led David to say,
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit at my right side[c]
until I make your enemies
into a footstool for you.’
37 If David called the Messiah his Lord, how can the Messiah be his son?”[d]
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)
38 As 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. 39 They like the front seats in the synagogues and the best seats at banquets. 40 But 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)
41 Jesus 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. 42 Finally, a poor widow came up and put in two coins worth only a few pennies. 43 Jesus 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. 44 Everyone 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.
Footnotes
- 12.13 Herod's followers: People who were political followers of the family of Herod the Great and his son Herod Antipas.
- 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.
- 12.36 right side: The place of power and honor.
- 12.37 David … his son: See the note at 10.47.
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