The Gospel According to St. Mark

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 12 -

(Matthew 21:33–46; Luke 20:9–18)

Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard.

But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

Then he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully.

He sent still another, and this one they killed. He sent many others; some they beat and others they killed.

Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

So they seized the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.

Have you never read this Scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’(a)?”

At this, the leaders sought

(b)

to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

(Matthew 22:15–22; Luke 20:19–26)

Later, they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to catch Jesus in His words.

“Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and seek favor from no one. Indeed, You are impartial and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or not?”

But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius

(c)

to inspect.”

So they brought it, and He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they answered.

Then Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And they marveled at Him.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

(Matthew 22:23–33; Luke 20:27–40)

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him:

“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him.(d)

Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died, leaving no children.

Then the second one married the widow, but he also died and left no children. And the third did likewise.

In this way, none of the seven left any children. And last of all, the woman died.

In the resurrection, then,(e) whose wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.”

Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?

When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.

But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’(f)?

He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

The Greatest Commandment

(Deuteronomy 6:1–19; Matthew 22:34–40)

Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’(g)

The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’(h) No other commandment is greater than these.”

“Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied. “You have stated correctly that God is One and there is no other but Him,

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, which is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely, He said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question Him any further.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

(Matthew 22:41–46; Luke 20:41–44)

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,(i) He asked, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?

Speaking by the Holy Spirit, David himself declared: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’(j)

David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how can He be David’s son?” And the large crowd listened to Him with delight.

Beware of the Scribes

(Luke 20:45–47)

In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces,

and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.

They defraud widows of their houses,(k) and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Offering

(Luke 21:1–4)

As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts.

Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.(l)

Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the others into the treasury.

For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

Footnotes

(a)12:11 Psalms 118:22–23

(b)12:12 Literally they sought

(d)12:19 Deuteronomy 25:5

(e)12:23 Literally In the resurrection, when they rise,

(f)12:26 Exodus 3:6

(g)12:30 Deuteronomy 6:4–5

(h)12:31 Leviticus 19:18

(i)12:35 Literally the temple

(j)12:36 Psalms 110:1

(k)12:40 Literally They devour widows’ houses

(l)12:42 Greek put in two lepta, which is a kodrantēs; a lepton was a Jewish coin of bronze or copper worth about 1/128 of a denarius.

(Matthew 21:33–46; Luke 20:9–18)

He began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the wine press, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country.

When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard.

They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty.

Again, he sent another servant to them; and they threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.

Again he sent another, and they killed him, and many others, beating some, and killing some.

Therefore still having one, his beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

But those farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.

Haven’t you even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner.

This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’?” (a)

They tried to seize him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them. They left him and went away.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

(Matthew 22:15–22; Luke 20:19–26)

They sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him, that they might trap him with words.

When they had come, they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and don’t defer to anyone; for you aren’t partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

Shall we give, or shall we not give?” But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius, that I may see it.”

They brought it. He said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”

Jesus answered them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” They marveled greatly at him.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

(Matthew 22:23–33; Luke 20:27–40)

Some Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him, saying,

“Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’

There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.

The second took her, and died, leaving no children behind him. The third likewise;

and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died.

In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as a wife.”

Jesus answered them, “Isn’t this because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God?

For when they will rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

But about the dead, that they are raised, haven’t you read in the book of Moses about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? (b)

He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are therefore badly mistaken.”

The Greatest Commandment

(Deuteronomy 6:1–19; Matthew 22:34–40)

One of the scribes came and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”

Jesus answered, “The greatest is: ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ (c) This is the first commandment.

The second is like this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (d) There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The scribe said to him, “Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he;

and to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from God’s Kingdom.” No one dared ask him any question after that.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

(Matthew 22:41–46; Luke 20:41–44)

Jesus responded, as he taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

For David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.”’ (e)

Therefore David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?” The common people heard him gladly.

Beware of the Scribes

(Luke 20:45–47)

In his teaching he said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces,

and to get the best seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts,

those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Offering

(Luke 21:1–4)

Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much.

A poor widow came and she cast in two small brass coins,(f) which equal a quadrans coin.(g)

He called his disciples to himself and said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury,

for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.”

Footnotes

(a)12:11 ℘ Psalms 118:22-23

(b)12:26 ℘ Exodus 3:6

(d)12:31 ℘ Leviticus 19:18

(e)12:36 ℘ Psalms 110:1

(f)12:42 literally, lepta (or widow’s mites). Lepta are very small brass coins worth half a quadrans each, which is a quarter of the copper assarion. Lepta are worth less than 1% of an agricultural worker’s daily wages.

(g)12:42 A quadrans is a coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius. A denarius is about one day’s wages for an agricultural laborer.