Mark 12:13–14:11

A Question about Taxes—Matthew 22:15–22; Luke 20:20–26

¹³The leaders sent some of the Pharisees and some of Herod’s followers to Jesus. They wanted to trap him into saying the wrong thing. ¹⁴When they came to him, they said, “Teacher, we know that you tell the truth. You don’t favor individuals because of who they are. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it right to pay taxes to the emperor or not? Should we pay taxes or not?” 

¹⁵Jesus recognized their hypocrisy, so he asked them, “Why do you test me? Bring me a coin so that I can look at it.” 

¹⁶They brought a coin. He said to them, “Whose face and name is this?” 

They told him, “The emperor’s.” 

¹⁷Jesus said to them, “Give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give God what belongs to God.” 

They were surprised at his reply. 

The Dead Come Back to Life—Matthew 22:23–33; Luke 20:27–40

¹⁸Some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him, ¹⁹“Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.’ ²⁰There were seven brothers. The first got married and died without having children. ²¹The second married her and died without having children. So did the third. ²²None of the seven brothers had any children. Last of all, the woman died. ²³When the dead come back to life, whose wife will she be? The seven brothers had married her.” 

²⁴Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power? ²⁵When the dead come back to life, they don’t marry. Rather, they are like the angels in heaven. ²⁶Haven’t you read in the book of Moses that the dead come back to life? It’s in the passage about the bush, where God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ ²⁷He’s not the God of the dead but of the living. You’re badly mistaken!” 

Love God and Your Neighbor—Matthew 22:34–40

²⁸One of the experts in Moses’ Teachings went to Jesus during the argument with the Sadducees. He saw how well Jesus answered them, so he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of them all?” 

²⁹Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. ³⁰So love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” 

³²The expert in Moses’ Teachings said to Jesus, “Teacher, that was well said! You’ve told the truth that there is only one God and no other besides him! ³³To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 

³⁴When Jesus heard how wisely the man answered, he told the man, “You’re not too far from God’s kingdom.” 

After that, no one dared to ask him another question. 

How Can David’s Son Be David’s Lord?—Matthew 22:41–46; Luke 20:41–44

³⁵While Jesus was teaching in the temple courtyard, he asked, “How can the experts in Moses’ Teachings say that the Messiah is David’s son? ³⁶David, guided by the Holy Spirit, said, 

‘The Lord said to my Lord: 

“Take the honored position—the one next to me [God the Father] on the heavenly throne— 

until I put your enemies under your control.” ’ 

³⁷David calls him Lord. So how can he be his son?” 

Jesus Disapproves of the Example Set by the Experts in Moses’ Teachings—Matthew 23:1–12; Luke 20:45–47

The large crowd enjoyed listening to him. ³⁸As he taught, he said, “Watch out for the experts in Moses’ Teachings! They like to walk around in long robes, to be greeted in the marketplaces, ³⁹and to have the front seats in synagogues and the places of honor at dinners. ⁴⁰They rob widows by taking their houses and then say long prayers to make themselves look good. The experts in Moses’ Teachings will receive the most severe punishment.” 

A Widow’s Contribution—Luke 21:1–4

⁴¹As Jesus sat facing the temple offering box, he watched how ⸤much⸥ money people put into it. Many rich people put in large amounts. ⁴²A poor widow dropped in two small coins, worth less than a cent. 

⁴³He called his disciples and said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: This poor widow has given more than all the others. ⁴⁴All of them have given what they could spare. But she, in her poverty, has given everything she had to live on.” 

13TH CHAPTER

Jesus Teaches Disciples on the Mount of Olives—Matthew 24:1–35; Luke 21:5–33

¹As Jesus was going out of the temple courtyard, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these huge stones and these beautiful buildings!” 

²Jesus said to him, “Do you see these large buildings? Not one of these stones will be left on top of another. Each one will be torn down.” 

³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the temple buildings, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign when all this will come to an end?” 

⁵Jesus answered them, “Be careful not to let anyone deceive you. ⁶Many will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many people. 

⁷“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. ⁸Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. These are only the beginning pains ⸤of the end⸥. 

⁹“Be on your guard! People will hand you over to the Jewish courts and whip you in their synagogues. You will stand in front of governors and kings to testify to them because of me. ¹⁰But first, the Good News must be spread to all nations. ¹¹When they take you away to hand you over to the authorities, don’t worry ahead of time about what you will say. Instead, say whatever is given to you to say when the time comes. Indeed, you are not the one who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit will. 

¹²“Brother will hand over brother to death; a father will hand over his child. Children will rebel against their parents and kill them. ¹³Everyone will hate you because you are committed to me. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. 

¹⁴“When you see the disgusting thing that will cause destruction standing where it should not (let the reader take note), those of you in Judea should flee to the mountains. ¹⁵Those who are on the roof should not come down to get anything out of their houses. ¹⁶Those who are in the field should not turn back to get their coats. 

¹⁷“How horrible it will be for the women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days. ¹⁸Pray that it will not be in winter. ¹⁹It will be a time of misery that has not happened from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and will certainly never happen again. ²⁰If the Lord does not reduce that time, no one will be saved. But those days will be reduced because of those whom God has chosen. 

²¹“At that time don’t believe anyone who tells you, ‘Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ ²²False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, those whom God has chosen. ²³Be on your guard! I have told you everything before it happens. 

²⁴“Now, after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not give light, ²⁵the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken. 

²⁶“Then people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷He will send out his angels, and from every direction under the sky, they will gather those whom God has chosen. 

²⁸“Learn from the story of the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and it sprouts leaves, you know summer is near. ²⁹In the same way, when you see these things happen, you know that he is near, at the door. 

³⁰“I can guarantee this truth: This generation will not disappear until all these things take place. ³¹The earth and the heavens will disappear, but my words will never disappear. 

No One Knows When the Earth and the Heavens Will Disappear

³²“No one knows when that day or hour will come. Even the angels in heaven and the Son don’t know. Only the Father knows. ³³Be careful! Watch! You don’t know the exact time. ³⁴It is like a man who went on a trip. As he left home, he put his servants in charge. He assigned work to each one and ordered the guard to be alert. ³⁵Therefore, be alert, because you don’t know when the owner of the house will return. It could be in the evening or at midnight or at dawn or in the morning. ³⁶Make sure he doesn’t come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷I’m telling everyone what I’m telling you: ‘Be alert!’ ” 

14TH CHAPTER

The Plot to Kill Jesus—Matthew 26:1–5; Luke 22:1–2; John 11:45–57

¹It was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings were looking for some underhanded way to arrest Jesus and to kill him. ²However, they said, “We shouldn’t arrest him during the festival, or else there will be a riot among the people.” 

A Woman Prepares Jesus’ Body for the Tomb—Matthew 26:6–13; John 12:1–8

³Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had suffered from a skin disease. While Jesus was sitting there, a woman went to him. She had a bottle of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. She opened the bottle and poured the perfume on his head. 

⁴Some who were there were irritated and said to one another, “Why was the perfume wasted like this? ⁵This perfume could have been sold for a high price, and the money could have been given to the poor.” So they said some very unkind things to her. 

⁶Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. ⁷You will always have the poor with you and can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have me…