Mark 12:13–14:11

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹³And they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him so that they could catch him unawares in a statement. ¹⁴And when they^* came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and you do not care what anyone thinks,^d because you do not regard the opinion of people^e but teach the way of God in truth. Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” ¹⁵But because he^* knew their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius so that I can look at it!”^{* 16}So they brought one.^* And he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” And they said to him, “Caesar’s.” ¹⁷And Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!” And they were utterly amazed at him.

A Question About Marriage and the Resurrection

¹⁸And Sadducees—who say there is no resurrection—came up to him and began to ask^f him, saying, ¹⁹“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone’s brother dies and he leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, that his brother should take the wife and father^g descendants for his brother. ²⁰There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife. And when he^* died, he did not leave descendants. ²¹And the second took her, and he died without leaving descendants. And the third likewise. ²²And the seven did not leave descendants. Last of all the woman also died. ²³In the resurrection, when they rise, whose^h wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife. ²⁴Jesus said to them, “Are you not deceived because of this, because you^* do not know the scriptures or the power of God? ²⁵For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ²⁶Now concerning the dead, that they are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses in the passage about the bushⁱ how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’?^{j 27}He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken!”

The Greatest Commandment

²⁸And one of the scribes came up and^* heard them debating. When he^* saw that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” ²⁹Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength.’^{k 31}The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’^l There is no other commandment greater than these.” ³²And the scribe said to him, “That is true, Teacher. You have said correctly^m that he is one and there is no other except him. ³³And to love him from yourⁿ whole heart and from your^o whole understanding and from your^p whole strength, and to love your^q neighbor as yourself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” ³⁴And Jesus, when he^* saw that he had answered thoughtfully, said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to put a question to him any longer.

David’s Son and Lord

³⁵And continuing, Jesus said while^* teaching in the temple courts,^* “How can the scribes say that the Christ is David’s son? ³⁶David himself said by the Holy Spirit,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies

under your feet.” ’^r

³⁷David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ and how is he his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him gladly.

Warning to Beware of the Scribes

³⁸And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and greetings in the marketplaces ³⁹and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets, ⁴⁰who devour the houses of widows and pray lengthy prayers for the sake of appearance. These will receive more severe condemnation!”

A Poor Widow’s Offering

⁴¹And he sat down opposite the contribution box and^* was observing how the crowd was putting coins into the contribution box. And many rich people were putting in many coins.^{s 42}And one poor widow came and^* put in two small copper coins^t (that is, a penny).^{u 43}And summoning his disciples, he said to them, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow put in more than all those who put offerings^* into the contribution box. ⁴⁴For they all contributed^v out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in everything she had, her whole means of subsistence.”

The Destruction of the Temple Predicted

13And as^* he was going out of the temple courts,^* one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What great stones and what wonderful buildings!” ²And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here on another stone that will not be thrown down!”

Signs of the End of the Age

³And as^* he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵So Jesus began to say to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you! ⁶Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many. ⁷And when you hear about wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must happen, but the end is not yet. ⁸For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These things are the beginning of birth pains.

Persecution of Disciples Predicted

⁹“But you, watch out for yourselves! They will hand you over to councils and you will be beaten in the synagogues and will have to stand before governors and kings because of me, for a witness to them. ¹⁰And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations.^{a 11}And when they arrest you and^* hand you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you should say, but whatever is given to you at that hour, say this. For you are not the ones who are speaking, but the Holy Spirit. ¹²And brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his^* child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. ¹³And you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end—this one will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁴“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be” (let the one who reads understand), “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! ¹⁵The one^b who is on his^c housetop must not come down or go inside to take anything out of his house, ¹⁶and the one who is in the field must not turn back to pick up his cloak. ¹⁷And woe to those who are pregnant^d and to those who are nursing their babies^* in those days! ¹⁸But pray that it will not happen in winter. ¹⁹For in those days there will be tribulation of such a kind as has not happened from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will happen. ²⁰And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human being would be saved.^e But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has shortened the days.

²¹“And at that time if anyone should say to you, “Behold, here is the Christ,’ ‘Behold, there he is,’ do not believe him!^{* 22}For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce signs and wonders in order to mislead, if possible, the elect. ²³But you, watch out! I have told you everything ahead of time!

The Arrival of the Son of Man

²⁴“But in those days, after that tribulation,

‘the sun will be darkened

and the moon will not give its light,

²⁵and the stars will be falling from heaven,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.’^f

²⁶And then they will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷And then he will send out the angels, and will gather the^g elect together from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

²⁸“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch has already become tender and puts forth its^h leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹So also you, when you see these things happening, knowⁱ that he is near, at the door. ³⁰Truly I say to you that this generation will never pass away until all these things take place! ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Unknown Day and Hour

³²“But concerning that day or hour no one knows—not even the angels in heaven nor the Son—except the Father. ³³Watch out! Be alert, because you do not know when the time is! ³⁴It is like a man away on a journey, who left his house and gave his slaves authority—to each one his work—and to the doorkeeper he gave orders that he should be on the alert. ³⁵Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning—³⁶lest he arrive suddenly and^* find you sleeping. ³⁷And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be on the alert!”

The Chief Priests and Scribes Plot to Kill Jesus

14Now after two days it was the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how, after^* arresting him by stealth, they could kill him.^{* 2}For they said, “Not at the feast, lest there be an uproar by the people.”

Jesus’ Anointing at Bethany

³And while^* he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as^* he was reclining for a meal, a woman came holding an alabaster flask of very costly perfumed oil of genuine nard. After^* breaking the alabaster flask, she poured it^* out on his head. ⁴But some were expressing indignation to one another:^a “Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil? ⁵For this perfumed oil could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor!” And they began to scold^b her. ⁶But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you cause trouble for her? She has done a good deed to me. ⁷For the poor you always have with you, and…