Mark 12
Living Bible
12 Here are some of the story-illustrations Jesus gave to the people at that time:
“A man planted a vineyard and built a wall around it and dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a watchman’s tower. Then he leased the farm to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 2 At grape-picking time he sent one of his men to collect his share of the crop. 3 But the farmers beat up the man and sent him back empty-handed.
4 “The owner then sent another of his men, who received the same treatment, only worse, for his head was seriously injured. 5 The next man he sent was killed; and later, others were either beaten or killed, until 6 there was only one left—his only son. He finally sent him, thinking they would surely give him their full respect.
7 “But when the farmers saw him coming they said, ‘He will own the farm when his father dies. Come on, let’s kill him—and then the farm will be ours!’ 8 So they caught him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard.
9 “What do you suppose the owner will do when he hears what happened? He will come and kill them all, and lease the vineyard to others. 10 Don’t you remember reading this verse in the Scriptures? ‘The Rock the builders threw away became the cornerstone, the most honored stone in the building! 11 This is the Lord’s doing and it is an amazing thing to see.’”
12 The Jewish leaders wanted to arrest him then and there for using this illustration, for they knew he was pointing at them—they were the wicked farmers in his story. But they were afraid to touch him for fear of a mob. So they left him and went away.
13 But they sent other religious and political leaders to talk with him and try to trap him into saying something he could be arrested for.
14 “Teacher,” these spies said, “we know you tell the truth no matter what! You aren’t influenced by the opinions and desires of men, but sincerely teach the ways of God. Now tell us, is it right to pay taxes to Rome, or not?”
15 Jesus saw their trick and said, “Show me a coin and I’ll tell you.”
16 When they handed it to him he asked, “Whose picture and title is this on the coin?” They replied, “The emperor’s.”
17 “All right,” he said, “if it is his, give it to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God!” And they scratched their heads in bafflement at his reply.
18 Then the Sadducees stepped forward—a group of men who say there is no resurrection. Here was their question:
19 “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that when a man dies without children, the man’s brother should marry his widow and have children in his brother’s name. 20-22 Well, there were seven brothers and the oldest married and died, and left no children. So the second brother married the widow, but soon he died too and left no children. Then the next brother married her and died without children, and so on until all were dead, and still there were no children; and last of all, the woman died too.
23 “What we want to know is this:[a] In the resurrection, whose wife will she be, for she had been the wife of each of them?”
24 Jesus replied, “Your trouble is that you don’t know the Scriptures and don’t know the power of God. 25 For when these seven brothers and the woman rise from the dead, they won’t be married—they will be like the angels.
26
27 “God was telling Moses that these men, though dead for hundreds of years,[b]
28 One of the teachers of religion who was standing there listening to the discussion realized that Jesus had answered well. So he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 Jesus replied, “The one that says, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. 30 And you must love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.’
31 “The second is: ‘You must love others as much as yourself.’ No other commandments are greater than these.”
32 The teacher of religion replied, “Sir, you have spoken a true word in saying that there is only one God and no other. 33 And I know it is far more important to love him with all my heart and understanding and strength, and to love others as myself, than to offer all kinds of sacrifices on the altar of the Temple.”
34 Realizing this man’s understanding, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared ask him any more questions.
35 Later, as Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple area, he asked them this question:
“Why do your religious teachers claim that the Messiah must be a descendant of King David? 36 For David himself said—and the Holy Spirit was speaking through him when he said it—‘God said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 37
(This sort of reasoning delighted the crowd and they listened to him with great interest.)
38 Here are some of the other things he taught them at this time:
“Beware of the teachers of religion! For they love to wear the robes of the rich and scholarly, and to have everyone bow to them as they walk through the markets. 39 They love to sit in the best seats in the synagogues and at the places of honor at banquets— 40 but they shamelessly cheat widows out of their homes and then, to cover up the kind of men they really are, they pretend to be pious by praying long prayers in public. Because of this, their punishment will be the greater.”
41 Then he went over to the collection boxes in the Temple and sat and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Some who were rich put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies.
43-44 He called his disciples to him and remarked, “That poor widow has given more than all those rich men put together! For they gave a little of their extra fat,[c] while she gave up her last penny.”
Footnotes
- Mark 12:23 What we want to know is this, implied.
- Mark 12:27 though dead for hundreds of years, implied.
- Mark 12:43 a little of their extra fat, literally, “out of their surplus.”
Mark 12
Young's Literal Translation
12 And he began to speak to them in similes: `A man planted a vineyard, and put a hedge around, and digged an under-winevat, and built a tower, and gave it out to husbandmen, and went abroad;
2 and he sent unto the husbandmen at the due time a servant, that from the husbandmen he may receive from the fruit of the vineyard,
3 and they, having taken him, did severely beat [him], and did send him away empty.
4 `And again he sent unto them another servant, and at that one having cast stones, they wounded [him] in the head, and sent away -- dishonoured.
5 `And again he sent another, and that one they killed; and many others, some beating, and some killing.
6 `Having yet therefore one son -- his beloved -- he sent also him unto them last, saying -- They will reverence my son;
7 and those husbandmen said among themselves -- This is the heir, come, we may kill him, and ours shall be the inheritance;
8 and having taken him, they did kill, and cast [him] forth without the vineyard.
9 `What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others.
10 And this Writing did ye not read: A stone that the builders rejected, it did become the head of a corner:
11 from the Lord was this, and it is wonderful in our eyes.'
12 And they were seeking to lay hold on him, and they feared the multitude, for they knew that against them he spake the simile, and having left him, they went away;
13 and they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they may ensnare him in discourse,
14 and they having come, say to him, `Teacher, we have known that thou art true, and thou art not caring for any one, for thou dost not look to the face of men, but in truth the way of God dost teach; is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not? may we give, or may we not give?'
15 And he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, `Why me do ye tempt? bring me a denary, that I may see;'
16 and they brought, and he saith to them, `Whose [is] this image, and the inscription?' and they said to him, `Caesar's;'
17 and Jesus answering said to them, `Give back the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God;' and they did wonder at him.
18 And the Sadducees come unto him, who say there is not a rising again, and they questioned him, saying,
19 `Teacher, Moses wrote to us, that if any one's brother may die, and may leave a wife, and may leave no children, that his brother may take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.
20 `There were then seven brothers, and the first took a wife, and dying, he left no seed;
21 and the second took her, and died, neither left he seed, and the third in like manner,
22 and the seven took her, and left no seed, last of all died also the woman;
23 in the rising again, then, whenever they may rise, of which of them shall she be wife -- for the seven had her as wife?'
24 And Jesus answering said to them, `Do ye not because of this go astray, not knowing the Writings, nor the power of God?
25 for when they may rise out of the dead, they neither marry nor are they given in marriage, but are as messengers who are in the heavens.
26 `And concerning the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the Book of Moses (at The Bush), how God spake to him, saying, I [am] the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
27 he is not the God of dead men, but a God of living men; ye then go greatly astray.'
28 And one of the scribes having come near, having heard them disputing, knowing that he answered them well, questioned him, `Which is the first command of all?'
29 and Jesus answered him -- `The first of all the commands [is], Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one;
30 and thou shalt love the Lord thy God out of all thy heart, and out of thy soul, and out of all thine understanding, and out of all thy strength -- this [is] the first command;
31 and the second [is] like [it], this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; -- greater than these there is no other command.'
32 And the scribe said to him, `Well, Teacher, in truth thou hast spoken that there is one God, and there is none other but He;
33 and to love Him out of all the heart, and out of all the understanding, and out of all the soul, and out of all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as one's self, is more than all the whole burnt-offerings and the sacrifices.'
34 And Jesus, having seen him that he answered with understanding, said to him, `Thou art not far from the reign of God;' and no one any more durst question him.
35 And Jesus answering said, teaching in the temple, `How say the scribes that the Christ is son of David?
36 for David himself said in the Holy Spirit, The Lord said to my lord, Sit thou on My right hand, till I place thine enemies -- thy footstool;
37 therefore David himself saith of him Lord, and whence is he his son?' And the great multitude were hearing him gladly,
38 and he was saying to them in his teaching, `Beware of the scribes, who will in long robes to walk, and love salutations in the market-places,
39 and first seats in the synagogues, and first couches in suppers,
40 who are devouring the widows' houses, and for a pretense are making long prayers; these shall receive more abundant judgment.'
41 And Jesus having sat down over-against the treasury, was beholding how the multitude do put brass into the treasury, and many rich were putting in much,
42 and having come, a poor widow did put in two mites, which are a farthing.
43 And having called near his disciples, he saith to them, `Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath put in more than all those putting into the treasury;
44 for all, out of their abundance, put in, but she, out of her want, all that she had put in -- all her living.'
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.