Mark 12–14

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

¹²Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went away.^{* 2}When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. ³But they seized him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. ⁵Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. ⁶He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. ⁹What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰Have you not read this scripture:

‘The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;^x*

¹¹this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is amazing in our eyes’?”

¹²When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.^*

The Question about Paying Taxes

¹³Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said.^{* 14}And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? ¹⁵Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.” ¹⁶And they brought one. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” ¹⁷Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.^*

The Question about the Resurrection

¹⁸Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying, ¹⁹“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man^y shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.^{* 20}There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children, ²¹and the second married the widow^z and died, leaving no children, and the third likewise; ²²none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. ²³In the resurrection, when they rise,^a whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”

²⁴Jesus said to them, “Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? ²⁵For when people rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.^{* 26}And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?^{* 27}He is God not of the dead but of the living; you are quite wrong.”

The First Commandment

²⁸One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”^{* 29}Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;^{* 30}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.’ ³¹The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”^{* 32}Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’;^{* 33}and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^{* 34}When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.^*

The Question about David’s Son

³⁵While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah^b is the son of David?^{* 36}David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’^*

³⁷“David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.^*

Jesus Denounces the Scribes

³⁸As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces^{* 39}and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! ⁴⁰They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Offering

⁴¹He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.^{* 42}A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. ⁴³Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.^{* 44}For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold

¹³As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” ²Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”^*

³When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,^{* 4}“Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray.^{* 6}Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’^c and they will lead many astray.^{* 7}When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. ⁸For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

Persecution Foretold

⁹“As for yourselves, beware, for they will hand you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them.^{* 10}And the good news^d must first be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak but the Holy Spirit.^{* 12}Sibling will betray sibling to death and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,^{* 13}and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.^*

The Desolating Sacrilege

¹⁴“But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains;^{* 15}the one on the housetop must not go down or enter to take anything from the house; ¹⁶the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. ¹⁷Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days!^{* 18}Pray that it may not be in winter. ¹⁹For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now and never will be.^{* 20}And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved, but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. ²¹And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’^e or ‘Look! There he is!’—do not believe it.^{* 22}False messiahs^f and false prophets will appear and produce signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.^{* 23}But be alert; I have already told you everything.^*

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴“But in those days, after that suffering,

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.

²⁶“Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.^{* 27}Then he will send out the angels and gather the^g elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he^h is near, at the very gates. ³⁰Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.^{* 31}Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.^*

The Necessity for Watchfulness

³²“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father.^{* 33}Beware, keep alert,ⁱ for you do not know when the time will come.^{* 34}It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.^{* 35}Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or at dawn,^{* 36}or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. ³⁷And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

¹⁴It was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to…