Mark 12

Then Jesus began to teach them using stories that carry a meaning. A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug out a pit for pressing grapes into wine, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it to farmers and left for a country far away.

1And 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.

NoteThe opening details, planting, hedge, winepress, tower, are lifted almost word for word from a song in Isaiah 5 in which the vineyard stands for Israel. First hearers would have recognized the borrowing at once, which is why verse 12 says the authorities knew the story was aimed at them. "Winefat" is the old word for a wine vat: a trough or pit cut in rock where grapes were trodden, with a lower basin to catch the juice. "Husbandmen" means tenant farmers, not hired hands. Estates owned by absentee landlords and worked by tenants who paid rent as a share of the crop were ordinary in this region.

2When harvest time came, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the grapes from the vineyard.

2And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.

Note"At the season" means at vintage time, when rent came due. A new vineyard takes several years to bear, so the arrival of the first collector marks the first real harvest.

3But they grabbed the servant, beat him, and sent him away with nothing.

3And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.

4So the owner sent another servant to them. They threw stones at that one, hurt his head, and sent him away after treating him shamefully.

4And 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.

Note"Shamefully handled" means treated with insult, not just roughly. In this culture public humiliation was itself an injury, a deliberate insult aimed at the man who sent the servant.

5He sent yet another servant, and that one they killed. He sent many more. Some they beat, and some they killed.

5And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.

6He still had one person left to send: his son, whom he loved. He sent him to them last of all, saying, "They will respect my son."

6Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.

Note"Wellbeloved" translates a single Greek word that can mean beloved or only, and carries both here. "Reverence" in 1611 English meant show respect to, not worship.

7But those farmers said to each other, "This is the son who will inherit the vineyard. Come on, let's kill him, and what he would inherit will be ours."

7But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our’s.

NoteUnder some property customs of the time, tenants could argue that land left without an heir was theirs to claim by possession. The killers may be reasoning that the son's arrival means the owner has died and the estate is up for grabs.

8So they grabbed him, killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard.

8And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

9So what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those farmers, and he will give the vineyard to others.

9What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

Note"The lord of the vineyard" means its owner. "Lord" in the King James often means simply master or proprietor.

10Haven't you read this part of the Scriptures? "The stone the builders threw away has become the cornerstone, the most important stone in the building.

10And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:

NoteJesus quotes Psalm 118:22, sung by pilgrims arriving at the temple. "The head of the corner" translates a phrase that could mean the foundation stone set at a building's corner to align two walls, or the capstone at the top of an arch or gate. Either way it is the stone that holds the structure together, and the point is the reversal: the piece the masons discarded turns out to be the one the building depends on.

11The Lord did this, and it is wonderful to see."

11This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

NoteStill part of the quotation from Psalm 118, verse 23. "Marvellous in our eyes" means astonishing to look at.

12They wanted to arrest him, because they knew he had told the story against them. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him alone and went away.

12And 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.

Note"They" are the chief priests, scribes and elders who challenged Jesus at the end of chapter 11. The fear is practical: arresting a popular teacher in a city packed with Passover pilgrims risked a riot.

13Later they sent some of the Pharisees and some of Herod's supporters to Jesus, to trap him with something he said.

13And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

NoteThe Pharisees were strict interpreters of the law of Moses, influential with ordinary people and generally cool toward Roman rule. The Herodians were supporters of the family of Herod, whose power depended entirely on Roman favor. The two groups had little in common, and their appearing together signals a coordinated setup rather than a genuine question.

14They came and said to him, "Teacher, we know you are honest and that you are not swayed by anyone. You treat everyone alike and teach God's way truthfully. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

14And 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?

Note"Master" here means teacher, the ordinary address for a rabbi, not owner. "Carest for no man" does not mean he is indifferent to people; the Greek says he is not concerned about anyone's opinion, that is, he cannot be leaned on. "Thou regardest not the person of men" is an old idiom, literally you do not look at the face, meaning you show no partiality and are not impressed by rank. The "tribute" is the head tax Rome levied on every adult in Judea, payable in Roman coin. It was hated as the badge of occupation and had already sparked armed revolt. A yes answer would discredit Jesus with the crowd; a no answer could be reported to the governor as sedition.

15Should we pay, or should we not pay?" But Jesus knew they were pretending, and he said to them, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a silver coin so I can look at it."

15Shall 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.

Note"Tempt" in 1611 English meant put to the test, with no suggestion of luring into sin. The "penny" is a denarius, a small silver coin that was roughly a day's wage for a laborer, and it was the coin in which the tax had to be paid.

16They brought one. He asked them, "Whose picture is this, and whose name is written on it?" They told him, "Caesar's."

16And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.

Note"Superscription" means the inscription stamped around the coin's rim. The denarius of this period carried the head of the emperor Tiberius and a legend naming him son of the deified Augustus. Graven images and claims of divinity both offended strict Jewish sensibility, so the fact that the questioners can produce such a coin on demand, in the temple precincts, is part of Jesus' answer.

17Then Jesus said to them, "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give God what belongs to God." And they were amazed at him.

17And 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.

Note"Render" means pay back or give what is owed, not simply hand over. The verb implies returning something to the one it already belongs to.

18Then the Sadducees came to him. This is the group that says no one rises from the dead. They asked him a question:

18Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,

NoteThe Sadducees were the wealthy priestly party centered on the temple. They held that only the five books of Moses carried full authority, and since those books say nothing explicit about the dead rising, they rejected the idea. That is why Jesus answers them in verse 26 from Exodus rather than from the prophets.

19"Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, his brother must marry the widow and have children who will count as the dead brother's family.

19Master, 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.

NoteThis is the law of Deuteronomy 25:5 to 6, often called levirate marriage, from the Latin for brother in law. If a man died childless, his brother was to marry the widow, and the first son of that union counted legally as the dead man's son. The point was to keep the dead man's name alive and hold his share of family land within the family, and to leave the widow with a household and a son to support her.

20Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died without children.

20Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.

Note"Took a wife" is the ordinary idiom for married. "Left no seed" means left no offspring.

21The second brother married her, and he died without children too. The same thing happened to the third.

21And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.

22All seven married her, and none of them had children. Last of all, the woman died too.

22And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.

23So when the dead rise, whose wife will she be? All seven of them were married to her."

23In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

NoteThe question assumes that resurrection life would simply continue present legal arrangements, so that seven valid marriages would produce an impossible tangle. The Sadducees intend it as a reduction to absurdity rather than a real inquiry.

24Jesus said to them, "Aren't you wrong about this because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?

24And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

25When people rise from the dead, they do not marry and are not given in marriage. They are like the angels in heaven.

25For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

Note"Marry" and "are given in marriage" are the two sides of one custom: men took wives, and women were given by their fathers or guardians. Naming both verbs is a way of covering everyone, not describing two different fates.

26As for the dead rising, haven't you read in the book of Moses, in the part about the burning bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?

26And 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?

NoteBefore chapter and verse numbers existed, a passage was cited by its subject, so "in the bush" means in the section about the burning bush, Exodus 3. The quoted words are Exodus 3:6, spoken long after Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had died, and the argument turns on the present tense: God says I am, not I was.

27He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are very wrong."

27He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

28One of the scribes, the men trained in the law, came and heard them arguing. He saw that Jesus had answered them well, so he asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"

28And 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?

NoteThe scribes were the professional experts in the written law, who copied, taught and applied it. Rabbis of the period counted hundreds of separate commands in the law of Moses and debated which were weighty and which light. "The first commandment" means first in importance, not first in order on the page.

29Jesus answered him, "The most important one is this: 'Listen, Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord.

29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

NoteThese words are Deuteronomy 6:4, known from its first Hebrew word as the Shema, meaning "hear", and recited by observant Jews morning and evening. The Hebrew of the last clause is famously compact and can be read either as "the LORD our God, the LORD is one" or as "the LORD is our God, the LORD alone", a statement of God's oneness or a statement of exclusive loyalty. The Greek here keeps the ambiguity rather than settling it.

30And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the most important commandment.

30And 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.

NoteFrom Deuteronomy 6:5, which in Hebrew names three things, heart, soul and strength. The Greek version adds mind, and Mark's wording lists four. These are not separate compartments of a person but overlapping words for the whole self, piled up for emphasis. In Hebrew usage the heart is the seat of thought and will as much as feeling.

31The second one is like it: 'You must love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these two."

31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

NoteQuoted from Leviticus 19:18. In its original setting "neighbour" meant a fellow member of the covenant community, and how far the term reached was actively debated in Jesus' day. Pairing this verse with the Shema as a matched summary of the law is the striking move here, since they come from different books.

32The scribe said to him, "Well said, Teacher. You have told the truth. There is one God, and there is no other God besides him.

32And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

33And loving him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself, matters more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

33And 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.

NoteA "whole burnt offering" was a sacrifice burned entirely on the altar, with no portion eaten by priest or worshiper, the most costly kind. Other "sacrifices" were partly burned and partly eaten. The scribe is repeating a line the prophets had made familiar, that obedience and love outweigh ritual, and he says it while standing in the temple where those offerings were made daily.

34When Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

34And 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.

Note"Discreetly" in 1611 English meant with discernment or good judgment, not cautiously or quietly. "Durst" is the old past tense of dare.

35While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he asked, "How can the scribes say that the Christ, the promised king God would send, is the son of David?

35And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?

Note"Christ" is the Greek for the Hebrew title Messiah, meaning anointed one, and refers to the promised king from David's line. "Son of David" means descendant of David, not literal child. The puzzle Jesus raises depends on the fact that a descendant ranked below his ancestor, so calling him "Lord" reverses the expected order.

36For David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said: 'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.'

36For 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.

NoteQuoted from Psalm 110:1. In the Hebrew the two words printed as "LORD" and "Lord" are different: the first is the divine name, which English Bibles mark with small capitals, and the second is a title meaning my master, used of a king. So the line reads God said to my king. Sitting at a monarch's right hand was the place of highest delegated authority, and making enemies a footstool comes from the ancient royal image of a victor resting his feet on the necks of the defeated.

37David himself calls him Lord. So how can he be David's son?" And the large crowd was glad to listen to him.

37David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

Note"Whence is he then his son" means in what sense, then, is he David's son. "The common people heard him gladly" translates a phrase meaning the large crowd listened to him with pleasure; it describes size and enthusiasm rather than social class.

38In his teaching he said, "Watch out for the scribes. They love to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.

38And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,

Note"In his doctrine" simply means in his teaching. The "long clothing" is a long robe, probably the full length linen garment that marked a man out as a scholar and made manual work impossible. "Salutations in the marketplaces" means being publicly greeted by title in the busiest place in town, the recognition of rank in front of an audience.

39They love the best seats in the meeting places and the places of honor at dinners.

39And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:

NoteThe "chief seats" in a synagogue were the bench at the front, facing the congregation with the scripture chest behind, where the occupants were on view throughout. "The uppermost rooms at feasts" does not mean rooms; it means the top places at table. Diners reclined on couches arranged in a fixed order of honor, so where you were put announced your standing to everyone present.

40They eat up widows' houses, and to make a show they say long prayers. These men will be punished all the more.

40Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

Note"Devour widows' houses" is a vivid phrase whose exact target is disputed. It may mean taking over estates that widows had entrusted to them as legal guardians, or accepting a widow's household support in return for patronage and prayers, or foreclosing on property pledged as debt. A widow without a male relative had no independent legal standing and depended on such men. "For a pretence" means as a show, to keep up appearances. "Damnation" in 1611 English meant condemnation or an adverse verdict generally, and carried no necessary reference to hell.

41Jesus sat down across from the temple money box and watched the people putting money into it. Many rich people put in large amounts.

41And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

NoteThe "treasury" stood in the Court of the Women, the part of the temple open to both men and women. Ancient descriptions say it consisted of thirteen chests with trumpet shaped metal mouths, each labeled for a particular purpose. Coins dropped in made a noise, so a large gift in bronze could be heard as well as seen.

42Then a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which together were worth only a tiny amount.

42And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

NoteThe "mite" is a lepton, the smallest coin in circulation, worth about one hundred twenty eighth of a day's wage for a laborer. The "farthing" is the Roman quadrans. Mark is converting the local Greek coin into Roman money for readers who would not know the lepton, one of several signs that he wrote with a Roman audience in mind. Two lepta was the least a person could give and still give two coins; she could have kept one back.

43He called his disciples over and said to them, "I tell you the truth: this poor widow has put in more than everyone else who put money into the box.

43And 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:

Note"Verily I say unto you" renders a solemn formula Jesus uses to mark what follows as weighty. The word behind "verily" is amen, ordinarily said at the end of someone else's prayer; placing it at the front of his own statement is unusual.

44They all gave out of what they had extra. But she, out of how little she had, gave everything she owned, all she had to live on."

44For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Note"Of their abundance" means out of their surplus, what they had left over. "Of her want" means out of her lack, her need. "All her living" translates a word meaning livelihood, the money she had to live on, not merely spare change.