Mark 11-12

Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Triumphal Entry

11 When^(A) they approached Jerusalem,^(B) at Bethphage and Bethany^(C) near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples ² and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”

⁴ So they went and found a young donkey outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it, ⁵ and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the donkey?” ⁶ They answered them just as Jesus had said, so they let them go. ⁷ Then they brought the donkey to Jesus and threw their robes on it, and He sat on it.

⁸ Many people spread their robes on the road,^(D) and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields.^{[a] 9} Then those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting:

¹¹ And He went into Jerusalem^(J) and into the temple complex.^(K) After looking around at everything, since it was already late, He went out to Bethany^(L) with the Twelve.

The Barren Fig Tree Is Cursed

¹² The^(M) next day when they came out from Bethany, He was hungry. ¹³ After seeing in the distance a fig^(N) tree with leaves, He went to find out if there was anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit^(O) from you again!”^(P) And His disciples^(Q) heard it.

Cleansing the Temple Complex

¹⁵ They came to Jerusalem,^(R) and He went into the temple complex^(S) and began to throw out those buying and selling in the temple. He overturned the money changers’^(T) tables and the chairs of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple complex.

¹⁷ Then He began to teach them: “Is it not written,^(U) My house^(V) will be called a house of prayer^(W) for all nations?^[c] But you have made it a den of thieves!”^{(X)[d] 18} Then the chief priests and the scribes^(Y) heard it and started looking for a way to destroy Him. For they were afraid^(Z) of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished by His teaching.

¹⁹ And whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

The Barren Fig Tree Is Withered

²⁰ Early^(AA) in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. ²¹ Then Peter^(AB) remembered and said to Him, “Rabbi,^(AC) look! The fig tree that You cursed^(AD) is withered.”

²² Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God.^{(AE) 23} I assure you:^(AF) If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt^(AG) in his heart, but believes^(AH) that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.^{(AI) 24} Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray^(AJ) and ask for^(AK)—believe that you have received^[e](AL) them, and you will have them. ²⁵ And whenever you stand^(AM) praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive^(AN) him, so that your Father^(AO) in heaven^(AP) will also forgive^(AQ) you your wrongdoing. [²⁶ But if you don’t forgive, neither will your Father in heaven^(AR) forgive your wrongdoing.]”^[f][g]

Messiah’s Authority Challenged

²⁷ They^(AS) came again to Jerusalem.^(AT) As He was walking in the temple complex,^(AU) the chief priests, the scribes,^(AV) and the elders^(AW) came ²⁸ and asked Him, “By what authority^(AX) are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority to do these things?”

²⁹ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question;^(AY) then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰ Was John’s baptism^(AZ) from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”

³¹ They began to argue among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe^(BA) him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘From men’”—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was a genuine prophet.^{(BB) 33} So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Vineyard Owner

12 Then^(BC) He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard,^(BD) 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^(BE) a slave^(BF) to the farmers to collect some of the fruit^(BG) of the vineyard from the farmers. ³ But they took him, beat^(BH) him, and sent him away empty-handed.^{(BI) 4} Again he sent another slave to them, and they^[h] hit him on the head and treated him shamefully.^{[i] 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^(BJ) son. Finally^(BK) 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^[j](BL) of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Haven’t you read this Scripture:^(BM)

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^(BQ) they sent some of the Pharisees^(BR) and the Herodians^(BS) to Him to trap Him by what He said.^{[m](BT) 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^[n](BU) but teach truthfully the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes^(BV) to Caesar or not? ¹⁵ Should we pay, or should we not pay?”

But knowing their hypocrisy,^(BW) He said to them, “Why are you testing^(BX) Me? Bring Me a denarius^(BY) to look at.” ¹⁶ So they brought one. “Whose image^(BZ) and inscription^(CA) 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.”^(CB) And they were amazed^(CC) at Him.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

¹⁸ Some^(CD) Sadducees,^(CE) who say there is no resurrection,^(CF) came to Him and questioned Him: ¹⁹ “Teacher,^(CG) Moses^(CH) wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaves his wife behind, and leaves no child,^(CI) his brother should take the wife^(CJ) and produce offspring for his brother.^{(CK)[o] 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^[p] left no offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. ²³ In the resurrection, when they rise,^[q] whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?”^[r]

²⁴ Jesus told them, “Are you not deceived because you don’t know the Scriptures^(CL) or the power^(CM) of God?^{(CN) 25} For when they rise^(CO) from the dead,^(CP) they neither marry nor are given in marriage^(CQ) but are like angels^(CR) 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^(CS) am the God of Abraham^(CT) and the God of Isaac^(CU) and the God of Jacob?^{(CV)[s] 27} He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are badly deceived.”

The Primary Commands

²⁸ One^(CW) of the scribes^(CX) approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all?”^[t]

²⁹ “This is the most important,”^[u] Jesus answered:

³¹ “The second is: Love your neighbor^(DE) as yourself.^(DF)[y] There is no other command^(DG) 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^(DH) else except Him.^{(DI) 33} And to love^(DJ) Him with all your heart, with all your understanding,^[z] and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^(DK)

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”^(DL) And no one dared^(DM) to question Him any longer.

The Question about the Messiah

³⁵ So^(DN) Jesus asked this question as He taught in the temple complex,^(DO) “How can the scribes^(DP) say that the Messiah^(DQ) is the Son of David?^{(DR) 36} David^(DS) himself says by the Holy Spirit:^(DT)

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^(DX) also said in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes,^(DY) and who want greetings in the marketplaces,^{(DZ) 39} the front seats^(EA) in the synagogues,^(EB) and the places of honor^(EC) at banquets.^{(ED) 40} They devour^(EE) widows’^(EF) houses and say long prayers^(EG) just for show. These will receive harsher punishment.”

The Widow’s Gift

⁴¹ Sitting^(EH) across from the temple treasury,^(EI) He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich^(EJ) people were putting in large sums. ⁴² And a poor^(EK) widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.^{[ab] 43} Summoning His disciples,^(EL) He said to them, “I assure you:^(EM) This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury.^{(EN) 44} For they all gave out of their surplus,^(EO) but she out of her poverty^(EP) has put in everything she possessed^(EQ)—all she had to live on.”^(ER)