Mark 12  Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Parable of the Vineyard Owner

12 Then^(A) He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard,^(B) put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. ² At harvest time he sent^(C) a slave^(D) to the farmers to collect some of the fruit^(E) of the vineyard from the farmers. ³ But they took him, beat^(F) him, and sent him away empty-handed.^{(G) 4} Again he sent another slave to them, and they^[a] hit him on the head and treated him shamefully.^{[b] 5} Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; they beat some and they killed some.

⁶ “He still had one to send, a beloved^(H) son. Finally^(I) he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷ “But those tenant farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ ⁸ So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ “Therefore, what will the owner^[c](J) of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Haven’t you read this Scripture:^(K)

¹² Because they knew He had said this parable against them, they were looking for a way to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd. So they left Him and went away.

God and Caesar

¹³ Then^(O) they sent some of the Pharisees^(P) and the Herodians^(Q) to Him to trap Him by what He said.^{[f](R) 14} When they came, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know You are truthful and defer to no one, for You don’t show partiality^[g](S) but teach truthfully the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes^(T) to Caesar or not? ¹⁵ Should we pay, or should we not pay?”

But knowing their hypocrisy,^(U) He said to them, “Why are you testing^(V) Me? Bring Me a denarius^(W) to look at.” ¹⁶ So they brought one. “Whose image^(X) and inscription^(Y) is this?” He asked them.

“Caesar’s,” they said.

¹⁷ Then Jesus told them, “Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”^(Z) And they were amazed^(AA) at Him.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

¹⁸ Some^(AB) Sadducees,^(AC) who say there is no resurrection,^(AD) came to Him and questioned Him: ¹⁹ “Teacher,^(AE) Moses^(AF) wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaves his wife behind, and leaves no child,^(AG) his brother should take the wife^(AH) and produce offspring for his brother.^{(AI)[h] 20} There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying, left no offspring. ²¹ The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. ²² So the seven^[i] left no offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. ²³ In the resurrection, when they rise,^[j] whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?”^[k]

²⁴ Jesus told them, “Are you not deceived because you don’t know the Scriptures^(AJ) or the power^(AK) of God?^{(AL) 25} For when they rise^(AM) from the dead,^(AN) they neither marry nor are given in marriage^(AO) but are like angels^(AP) in heaven. ²⁶ Now concerning the dead being raised—haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him: I^(AQ) am the God of Abraham^(AR) and the God of Isaac^(AS) and the God of Jacob?^{(AT)[l] 27} He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are badly deceived.”

The Primary Commands

²⁸ One^(AU) of the scribes^(AV) approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all?”^[m]

²⁹ “This is the most important,”^[n] Jesus answered:

³¹ “The second is: Love your neighbor^(BC) as yourself.^(BD)[r] There is no other command^(BE) greater than these.”

³² Then the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher! You have correctly said that He is One, and there is no one^(BF) else except Him.^{(BG) 33} And to love^(BH) Him with all your heart, with all your understanding,^[s] and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^(BI)

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”^(BJ) And no one dared^(BK) to question Him any longer.

The Question about the Messiah

³⁵ So^(BL) Jesus asked this question as He taught in the temple complex,^(BM) “How can the scribes^(BN) say that the Messiah^(BO) is the Son of David?^{(BP) 36} David^(BQ) himself says by the Holy Spirit:^(BR)

³⁷ David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how then can the Messiah be his Son?” And the large crowd was listening to Him with delight.

Warning against the Scribes

³⁸ He^(BV) also said in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes,^(BW) and who want greetings in the marketplaces,^{(BX) 39} the front seats^(BY) in the synagogues,^(BZ) and the places of honor^(CA) at banquets.^{(CB) 40} They devour^(CC) widows’^(CD) houses and say long prayers^(CE) just for show. These will receive harsher punishment.”

The Widow’s Gift

⁴¹ Sitting^(CF) across from the temple treasury,^(CG) He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich^(CH) people were putting in large sums. ⁴² And a poor^(CI) widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.^{[u] 43} Summoning His disciples,^(CJ) He said to them, “I assure you:^(CK) This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury.^{(CL) 44} For they all gave out of their surplus,^(CM) but she out of her poverty^(CN) has put in everything she possessed^(CO)—all she had to live on.”^(CP)