Mark 12

Parable of the Vine-growers

1 ¹And He began to speak to them in parables: "²A man ³PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT, AND DUG A VAT UNDER THE WINE PRESS AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.

2 "At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers.

3 "They took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

4 "Again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.

5 "And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others *.

6 "He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

7 "But those vine-growers said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!'

8 "They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

9 "What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.

10 "Have you not even read this Scripture: '⁴THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone;

11 ⁵THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES '?"

12 ⁶And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the people, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so ⁷they left Him and went away.

Jesus Answers the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes

13 ⁸Then they sent some of the Pharisees and ⁹Herodians to Him in order to ¹⁰trap Him in a statement.

14 They came and said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one; for You are not partial * to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?

15 "Shall we pay or shall we not pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at."

16 They brought one. And He said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" And they said to Him, "Caesar's."

17 And Jesus said to them, "¹¹Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were amazed at Him.

18 ¹²Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection ) came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying,

19 "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that ¹³IF A MAN'S BROTHER DIES and leaves behind a wife AND LEAVES NO CHILD, HIS BROTHER SHOULD MARRY THE WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN TO HIS BROTHER.

20 "There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children.

21 "The second one married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise;

22 and so all seven left no children. Last of all the woman died also.

23 "In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one's wife will she be? For all seven had married her."

24 Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?

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

26 "But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, ¹⁴in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, '¹⁵I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and the God of Jacob '?

27 "¹⁶He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken."

28 ¹⁷One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and ¹⁸recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?"

29 Jesus answered, "The foremost is, '¹⁹HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;

30 ²⁰AND 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, '²¹YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

32 The scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher; You have truly * stated that ²²HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM;

33 ²³AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, ²⁴is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." ²⁵After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

35 ²⁶And Jesus began to say, as He ²⁷taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the ²⁸son of David?

36 "David himself said in the Holy Spirit, '²⁹THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET."'

37 "David himself calls Him 'Lord '; so in what sense is He his son?" And ³⁰the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.

38 ³¹In His teaching He was saying: "Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like ³²respectful greetings in the market places,

39 and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets,

40 ³³who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation."

The Widow's Mite

41 ³⁴And He sat down opposite ³⁵the treasury, and began observing how the people were ³⁶putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.

42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.

43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;

44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all * she owned, all she had ³⁷to live on."

Mark 12 Commentary

Chapter 12

The parable of the vineyard and husbandmen. (1-12) Question about tribute. (13-17) Concerning the resurrection. (18-27) The great command of the law. (28-34) Christ the Son and yet the Lord of David. (35-40) The poor widow commended. (41-44)

Verses 1-12 Christ showed in parables, that he would lay aside the Jewish church. It is sad to think what base usage God's faithful ministers have met with in all ages, from those who have enjoyed the privileges of the church, but have not brought forth fruit answerable. God at length sent his Son, his Well-beloved; and it might be expected that he whom their Master loved, they also should respect and love; but instead of honouring him because he was the Son and Heir, they therefore hated him. But the exaltation of Christ was the Lord's doing; and it is his doing to exalt him in our hearts, and to set up his throne there; and if this be done, it cannot but be marvellous in our eyes. The Scriptures, and faithful preachers, and the coming of Christ in the flesh, call on us to render due praise to God in our lives. Let sinners beware of a proud, carnal spirit; if they revile or despise the preachers of Christ, they would have done so their Master, had they lived when he was upon earth.

Verses 13-17 The enemies of Christ would be thought desirous to know their duty, when really they hoped that which soever side he took of the question, they might find occasion to accuse him. Nothing is more likely to insnare the followers of Christ, than bringing them to meddle with disputes about worldly politics. Jesus avoided the snare, by referring to the submission they had already made as a nation; and all that heard him, marvelled at the great wisdom of his answer. Many will praise the words of a sermon, who will not be commanded by the doctrines of it.

Verses 18-27 A right knowledge of the Scripture, as the fountain whence all revealed religion now flows, and the foundation on which it is built, is the best preservative against error. Christ put aside the objection of the Sadducees, who were the scoffing infidels of that day, by setting the doctrine of the future state in a true light. The relation between husband and wife, though appointed in the earthly paradise, will not be known in the heavenly one. It is no wonder if we confuse ourselves with foolish errors, when we form our ideas of the world of spirits by the affairs of this world of sense. It is absurd to think that the living God should be the portion and happiness of a man if he is for ever dead; and therefore it is certain that Abraham's soul exists and acts, though now for a time separate from the body. Those that deny the resurrection greatly err, and ought to be told so. Let us seek to pass through this dying world, with a joyful hope of eternal happiness, and of a glorious resurrection.

Verses 28-34 Those who sincerely desire to be taught their duty, Christ will guide in judgment, and teach his way. He tells the scribe that the great commandment, which indeed includes all, is, that of loving God with all our hearts. Wherever this is the ruling principle in the soul, there is a disposition to every other duty. Loving God with all our heart, will engage us to every thing by which he will be pleased. The sacrifices only represented the atonements for men's transgressions of the moral law; they were of no power except as they expressed repentance and faith in the promised Saviour, and as they led to moral obedience. And because we have not thus loved God and man, but the very reverse, therefore we are condemned sinners; we need repentance, and we need mercy. Christ approved what the scribe said, and encouraged him. He stood fair for further advance; for this knowledge of the law leads to conviction of sin, to repentance, to discovery of our need of mercy, and understanding the way of justification by Christ.

Verses 35-40 When we attend to what the Scriptures declare, as to the person and offices of Christ, we shall be led to confess him as our Lord and God; to obey him as our exalted Redeemer. If the common people hear these things gladly, while the learned and distinguished oppose, the former are happy, and the latter to be pitied. And as sin, disguised with a show of piety, is double iniquity, so its doom will be doubly heavy.

Verses 41-44 Let us not forget that Jesus still sees the treasury. He knows how much, and from what motives, men give to his cause. He looks at the heart, and what our views are, in giving alms; and whether we do it as unto the Lord, or only to be seen of men. It is so rare to find any who would not blame this widow, that we cannot expect to find many who will do like to her; and yet our Saviour commends her, therefore we are sure that she did well and wisely. The feeble efforts of the poor to honour their Saviour, will be commended in that day, when the splendid actions of unbelievers will be exposed to contempt.

Cross References

• 1. Mark 3:23; Mark 4:2f
• 2. Mark 12:1-12: {Matthew 21:33-46; Luke 20:9-19}
• 3. Isaiah 5:1, 2
• 4. Psalms 118:22
• 5. Psalms 118:23
• 6. Mark 11:18
• 7. Matthew 22:22
• 8. Mark 12:13-17: {Matthew 22:15-22; Luke 20:20-26}
• 9. Matthew 22:16
• 10. Luke 11:54
• 11. Matthew 22:21
• 12. Mark 12:18-27: {Matthew 22:23-33; Luke 20:27-38;} Acts 23:8
• 13. Deuteronomy 25:5
• 14. Luke 20:37; Romans 11:2
• 15. Exodus 3:6
• 16. Matthew 22:32; Luke 20:38
• 17. Mark 12:28-34: {Matthew 22:34-40;} Luke 10:25-28; Luke 20:39
• 18. Matthew 22:34; Luke 20:39
• 19. Deuteronomy 6:4
• 20. Deuteronomy 6:5
• 21. Leviticus 19:18
• 22. Deuteronomy 4:35
• 23. Deuteronomy 6:5
• 24. 1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 9:13; Matthew 12:7
• 25. Matthew 22:46
• 26. Mark 12:35-37: {Matthew 22:41-46; Luke 20:41-44}
• 27. Matthew 26:55; Mark 10:1
• 28. Matthew 9:27
• 29. Psalms 110:1
• 30. John 12:9
• 31. Mark 12:38-40: {Matthew 23:1-7; Luke 20:45-47}
• 32. Matthew 23:7; Luke 11:43
• 33. Luke 20:47
• 34. Mark 12:41-44: {Luke 21:1-4}
• 35. John 8:20
• 36. 2 Kings 12:9
• 37. Luke 8:43; Luke 15:12, 30; Luke 21:4

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "fence"
• [b]. Or "tenant farmers," also vv 2, 7, 9
• [c]. Lit "lord"
• [d]. Lit "crowd"
• [e]. Lit "it is not a concern to You about anyone;" i.e. You do not seek anyone's favor
• [f]. Or "permissible"
• [g]. The denarius was a day's wages
• [h]. Or "were greatly marveling"
• [i]. Lit "take"
• [j]. Lit "took"
• [k]. Lit "the seven"
• [l]. Early mss do not contain "when they rise again"
• [m]. Lit "the seven"
• [n]. Or "know"
• [o]. Lit "concerning the dead, that they rise"
• [p]. Or "of corpses"
• [q]. Or "first"
• [r]. I.e. the Messiah
• [s]. Or "by"
• [t]. Lit "was gladly hearing Him"
• [u]. I.e. copper coins
• [v]. Gr "lepta"
• [w]. Gr "quadrans;" i.e. 1/64 of a denarius
• [x]. Lit "those who were putting in"
• [y]. Or "abundance"
• [z]. Lit "her whole livelihood"