Mark 12
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 12
The Parable of the Tenants.[a] 1 Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went off on a journey.
2 “When the time arrived, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again, he sent them another servant, but they beat him over the head and treated him shamefully. 5 Then he sent another, and that one they killed. He also sent many others, some of whom they beat, and others of whom they killed.
6 “Finally, he had only one other to send—his beloved son. And so he sent him to them, thinking: ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 And so they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and put those tenants to death and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 by the Lord this has been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes’?”
12 They wanted to arrest him because they realized that this parable was directed at them, but they were afraid of the crowd. Therefore, they left him and went away.
Controversies[b]
13 God or Caesar.[c] Then they sent some Pharisees and Herodians to trap him in what he said. 14 They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and are not concerned with anyone’s opinion no matter what his station in life. Rather, you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful or not for us to pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay them or not?”
15 He was aware of their hypocrisy and said to them, “Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a denarius[d] and let me examine it.” 16 When they brought one, he asked them, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” They replied and said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is due to Caesar, and to God what is due to God.” His reply left them completely amazed at him.
18 Marriage and the Resurrection.[e] Then some Sadducees, who assert that there is no resurrection, approached him and posed this question, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote down for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man shall take his brother’s wife and raise up children for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first brother took a wife and died, leaving no children. 21 The second brother married the widow and died, leaving no children. The same was true of the third brother. 22 None of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman herself died. 23 Now at the resurrection, when they rise up, whose wife will she be, inasmuch as all seven had her?”
24 Jesus said to them, “Is not this the reason you are in error—namely, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. They are like angels in heaven.
26 “And in regard to the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account about the bush, how God said to him: ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ 27 He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are very badly mistaken.”
28 The Greatest Commandment.[f] Then one of the scribes who had listened to these discussions, and who had observed how well Jesus answered them, asked Jesus, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”[g]
29 Jesus answered, “The first is: ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one! 30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 Then the scribe said to him, “Well said, Teacher. You have truly said, ‘He is one, and there is no other besides him.’ 33 And ‘to love him with all your heart, and with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself,’ is worth more than any burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw with what great understanding he had spoken, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any question.
35 Jesus Is Lord.[h] While Jesus was teaching in the temple area, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?[i] 36 David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared:
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord’; so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd listened to him with delight.
38 Denunciation of the Scribes.[j] In his teaching, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, to be greeted respectfully in the marketplace, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour the houses of widows, while for the sake of appearance they recite lengthy prayers. They will receive the severest possible condemnation.”
41 The Poor Widow’s Offering.[k] As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury,[l] he watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many wealthy people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow also came and put in two copper coins, that is, about a penny.[m] 43 Then he called his disciples to him and said, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow has given more than all the other contributors to the treasury. 44 For the others have all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has given everything she possessed, all that she had to live on.”
Footnotes
- Mark 12:1 This parable was probably inspired by the peasant rebellions of the period. The parable would have an immediate impact on Jewish hearers, who were well acquainted with the “Song of the Vineyard” in Isa 5:1ff. See also note on Mt 21:33-46.
- Mark 12:13 The discussions continue. His opponents seek to have Jesus contradict himself so as to accede to their demands. But the questioners are caught in their own trap. And the masks of their false religion fall away. Who among us has not in some way acted like these scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees when a decision of faith had to be made!
- Mark 12:13 See note on Mt 22:15-22.
- Mark 12:15 Denarius: the daily wage of a laborer.
- Mark 12:18 To the conservative Sadducees, the resurrection of the dead—asserted toward the end of the Old Testament (see Isa 26:19; 2 Mac 7:9-14, 23-26; 12:43-46; Wis 2:23-24; 3:1-9; Dan 12:2-3)—was an idea to be eliminated by ridicule. They postulate an unlikely application of the law of the levirate, according to which a man must provide a posterity for the widow of his brother, if the latter has died childless. See also note on Mt 22:23-33.
- Mark 12:28 This friendly dialogue between Jesus and a scribe is unique in the Synoptic Gospels. See also note on Mt 22:34-40.
- Mark 12:28 First of all the commandments: among the 613 precepts listed by the teachers of the Law; of these, 365 (as many as the days of the year) were negative, that is, contained prohibitions, and 248 (as many as the parts of the human body were thought to be) were positive.
- Mark 12:35 Every king was an “Anointed” (Messiah or Christ), and Ps 110, which is cited here, is an acclamation addressed to a king. The Israelite tradition was utterly convinced that the Anointed One par excellence would belong to the dynasty of David (2 Sam 7:1-17). Then, too, many psalms, including 110, were attributed to David. Against this background Jesus asks a question based on this psalm, with the intention of carrying the thought a step further: he suggests that the Messiah’s origin is mysterious and that his kingship differs from that which his contemporaries await. The early Church will use the same psalm to show that the Resurrection of Jesus is his authentic enthronement as Messiah (see Heb 1:3; 5:6; 6:20; 7:11, 21; 10:12-13).
- Mark 12:35 The audience of Jesus is not specified here; in Matthew he is speaking to the Pharisees, and in Luke to the scribes.
- Mark 12:38 See notes on Mt 23:1-39.
- Mark 12:41 Jesus praises the offering of the poor widow because she gave more than all the others, although her gift was by far the smallest. She willingly gave out of her poverty (all that she had to live on), while the others gave out of their abundance. Therefore, she provides a striking contrast to the pride and pretentiousness of the scribes, who were denounced in the previous section.
- Mark 12:41 Treasury: a room with thirteen boxes, near the inner court of the temple, into which women could enter.
- Mark 12:42 [She] put in two copper coins, that is, about a penny: literally, “She put in two lepta, which is a fourth of an as.” The fact that the poor widow gives two lepta shows that she could have given less. A lepton was the smallest Greek coin. For his readers’ sake, Mark explains the amount in Roman terms (“fourth of an as,” a penny).
Markus 12
Swedish New Living Bible (Nya Levande Bibeln)
Mannen som hyrde ut sin vingård
12 Sedan började Jesus tala till folket med hjälp av bilder och sa bland annat: En man planterade en vingård. Han byggde en mur runt omkring den och grävde en grop där han kunde pressa druvorna. Han byggde också ett vakttorn. Sedan hyrde han ut vingården till några vinodlare och reste utomlands.
2 När det blev dags att skörda skickade han en av sina män för att hämta den del av skörden som var hans.
3 Men vinodlarna tog fast mannen och slog honom och skickade honom tomhänt tillbaka.
4 Ägaren sände då en annan av sina män, men de gjorde likadant med honom. De misshandlade honom och slog honom i huvudet.
5 Den näste som han sände dödade de. Ja, alla som ägaren sände för att få ut sin del av skörden, misshandlade de eller slog ihjäl.
6 Till slut fanns det bara en kvar att sända, ägarens ende och mycket älskade son. Han bestämde sig då för att sända iväg denne. Honom vågar de inte göra något ont, tänkte han.
7 Men när vinodlarna såg sonen komma sa de: 'Det är han som ska ta över vingården när hans far dör. Vi dödar honom, och sedan blir vingården vår!'
8 Därför grep de honom och slog ihjäl honom och slängde ut kroppen utanför muren.
9 Vad tror ni att ägaren kommer att göra när han får veta vad som har hänt? Jo, han kommer själv för att döda dem allesammans och sedan hyra ut vingården till andra.
10 Har ni inte läst den här versen i Psaltaren: 'Den sten som inte dög åt byggnadsarbetarna har nu blivit en hörnsten, den mest betydelsefulla stenen i hela huset!
11 Detta är Herrens verk, och man tror inte det är sant när man ser det'?
12 De judiska ledarna ville genast arrestera honom för de förstod mycket väl att det var dem han syftade på. De var de onda vinodlarna i berättelsen. Men de var samtidigt så rädda för folket att de inte vågade ge sig på honom. Därför lämnade de honom och gick därifrån.
Frågan om att betala skatt
13 I stället skickade de dit några fariseer och anhängare till kung Herodes för att diskutera med honom och hoppades att han skulle säga något som de kunde arrestera honom för.
14 Mästare!, sa de inställsamt. Vi vet att du inte är rädd för att hålla dig till sanningen. Du frågar inte efter vad folk tycker och tänker, utan säger oss rakt på sak hur vi ska leva efter Guds vilja. Kan du inte säga oss, om det är Guds vilja att vi ska betala skatt till den romerska staten. Ska vi göra det eller inte?
15 Jesus genomskådade deras knep och sa: Visa mig ett mynt så ska jag säga er det.
16 De gav honom ett romerskt mynt och han frågade dem: Vems bild och namn är det här? De svarade: Kejsarens.
17 Då så, sa han, ge då kejsaren det som tillhör kejsaren och Gud det som tillhör Gud. Och de förundrade sig över vad han sa.
Frågan om uppståndelsen
18 Sedan kom några saddukeer till Jesus. Dessa människor tror inte på uppståndelsen från de döda, och de sa:
19 Herre, Mose gav oss en lag som säger att när en man dör barnlös, ska mannens bror gifta sig med änkan och skaffa söner i sin brors namn.
20-22 Det var en gång sju bröder. Den äldste gifte sig men dog, utan att lämna några barn efter sig. Den andre brodern gifte sig därför med änkan, men snart dog också han och lämnade inte heller några barn efter sig. Då gifte sig näste bror med henne och han dog också. Så pågick det tills denna kvinna hade varit gift med alla sju, utan att ha fått några barn. Till sist dog också hon.
23 Nu vill vi veta en sak: Vems fru kommer hon att bli efter uppståndelsen? Alla sju bröderna hade ju varit gifta med henne?
24 Jesus svarade: Ert problem beror på att ni inte känner Skriften och inte heller Guds kraft.
25 När de döda uppstår kommer de inte att vara gifta eller gifta sig, utan leva som änglarna i himlen.
26 Men nu till frågan om det kommer att bli någon uppståndelse: Har ni aldrig läst om Mose och hur Gud i den brinnande busken sa till honom: 'Jag är Abrahams Gud och jag är Isaks Gud och jag är Jakobs Gud.'
27 Det betyder alltså att Gud talar om dessa som levande, fastän de varit döda i hundratals år. Han skulle inte ha sagt: 'Jag är deras Gud' om sådana som inte existerar! Ni har fullständigt kommit på villovägar när det gäller uppståndelsen från de döda.
Frågan om det viktigaste budet
28 En av lagexperterna som stod där och lyssnade till diskussionen var imponerad av det svar Jesus hade gett, och därför frågade han: Vilket är det viktigaste av alla buden?
29 Jesus svarade: Det som säger: 'Hör, Israel, Herren vår Gud är den ende, sanne Guden.
30 Du ska använda all din kraft till att älska honom, och du ska tjäna honom av hela ditt hjärta och med ditt liv och alla dina tankar.'
31 Lika viktigt är det andra budet: 'Älska dina medmänniskor lika mycket som dig själv!' Inga andra bud är mer livsviktiga än dessa två.
32 Lagexperten svarade: Herre, du har sagt ett sant ord när du säger att det bara finns en Gud och ingen annan.
33 Och jag förstår att detta att älska Gud av hela sitt hjärta och av all sin kraft och av hela sitt förstånd, och att älska sina medmänniskor som sig själv, det är större och viktigare än alla slags offer på altaret i templet.
34 När Jesus hörde mannens kloka svar sa han: Du är inte långt borta från Guds rike. Och efter detta vågade ingen annan komma med några fler frågor.
Folkets religiösa ledare kan inte svara Jesus
35 När Jesus senare undervisade folket inne på tempelområdet, frågade han dem:Varför påstår era religiösa ledare att Messias måste vara en ättling till kung David?
36 David har ju själv sagt, ledd av den helige Ande: 'Gud sa till min herre: Sätt dig på min högra sida tills jag har lagt alla dina fiender under dina fötter.'
37 Eftersom David kallar honom sin herre, hur kan han då vara hans son?
Jesus varnar för de religiösa ledarnas dubbelmoral
Hans sätt att argumentera tilltalade folk, och de lyssnade därför ivrigt till honom,38 och han fortsatte sin undervisning:Akta er för lagexperterna! De älskar att gå klädda som förnäma och lärda män och väntar sig att alla ska buga sig för dem när de går över torgen.
39 Vid gudstjänsterna i synagogorna sitter de på de främsta platserna, och vid festmiddagarna slår de sig gärna ner på hedersplatserna.
40 Men fulla av habegär lurar de av hjälplösa änkor deras hus. För att sedan skyla över vilka samvetslösa människor de är, låtsas de vara gudfruktiga genom att be långa böner offentligt. Därför kommer också Gud att straffa dem desto hårdare.
En fattig änka ger allt hon har
41 Sedan gick han fram till kollektkistorna i templet och satte sig ner och tittade på när folk kom och lade sina pengar i dem. Några som var rika lade dit stora summor.
42 Men så kom en fattig änka och lade dit två femöringar.
43 Då kallade han på lärjungarna och sa: Den här fattiga änkan gav mer än alla rika män tillsammans,
44 för de gav bara en liten del av sitt överflöd, medan hon gav sin sista femöring.
Mark 12
King James Version
12 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.
5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.'
8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.
13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.
14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.
17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.
18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,
19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.
22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.
23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?
25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto 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 the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?
36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,
39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
40 Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.
41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
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