Mfano Wa Shamba La Mizabibu Na Wakulima Waovu

12 Yesu alianza kusema nao kwa kutumia mifano: “Mtu mmoja alipanda shamba la mizabibu; akalizungushia uzio, akachimba kisima cha kutengenezea divai na akajenga mnara. Akalikodisha shamba hilo kwa wakulima fulani kisha akasafiri kwenda nchi nyingine. Wakati wa mavuno ulipofika, mwenye shamba alimtuma mtumishi wake kwa hao wakulima kuchukua sehemu yake ya mavuno. Lakini wale wakulima walimkamata yule mtumishi, wakampiga, wakamfukuza mikono mitupu. Yule mwenye shamba akamtuma mtum ishi mwingine. Wale wakulima wakampiga kichwani, na kumfanyia mambo ya aibu. Akapeleka mtumishi mwingine tena. Huyu, wakam wua. Akapeleka wengine zaidi, baadhi yao wakawapiga na wengine wakawaua. Mwenye shamba akawa amebakiwa na mtu mmoja tu ambaye angeweza kumtuma. Huyu alikuwa mwanae aliyempenda sana. Hatimaye akaamua kumtuma akisema, ‘Bila shaka watamheshimu mwanangu.’ Lakini wale wakulima wakashauriana, ‘Huyu mwanae ndiye mrithi. Tumwue na urithi utakuwa wetu.’ Wakamchukua, wakamwua, wakam tupa nje ya shamba. Mnadhani yule mwenye shamba atafanya nini? Atakuja, awaue hao wakulima kisha alikodishe shamba lake kwa wak ulima wengine. 10 Hamjasoma Maandiko haya? ‘Lile jiwe waliloli kataa wajenzi limekuwa jiwe kuu la msingi. 11 Jambo hili limefa nywa na Bwana, nalo ni la ajabu kwetu.’ ”

12 Viongozi wa Wayahudi wakatafuta njia ya kumkamata Yesu kwa sababu walifahamu kuwa mfano huo uliwasema wao. Lakini wali waogopa watu. Kwa hiyo walimwacha wakaondoka, wakaenda zao. Kuhusu Kulipa Kodi

13 Mafarisayo kadhaa na Maherode walitumwa kuja kumtega Yesu katika maneno yake. 14 Wakamjia, wakamwambia, “Mwalimu, tunafahamu kuwa wewe huwaambia watu ukweli pasipo kujali watu watasema nini. Wala hujali cheo cha mtu bali unafundisha njia ya Mungu kwa kweli. Je, ni halali au si halali kulipa kodi kwa Kais ari? 15 Tulipe kodi hiyo au tusilipe?” Lakini Yesu alitambua hila yao. Akawaambia, “Mbona mnajaribu kunitega? Nileteeni sar afu niione.” 16 Wakamletea. Akawauliza, “Hii ni picha ya nani na hii ni sahihi ya nani?” Wakamjibu, “Ni ya Kaisari.”

17 Basi Yesu akawaambia, “Mpeni Kaisari vilivyo vya Kais ari na vya Mungu mpeni Mungu.” Jibu hili liliwastaajabisha sana.

Kuhusu Ufufuo wa Wafu

18 Kisha Masadukayo, ambao wanaamini kuwa hakuna ufufuo wa wafu, walimjia Yesu wakamwuliza swali wakisema, 19 “Mwalimu, Musa alituandikia agizo kuwa kama mtu akifariki akamwacha mkewe bila mtoto, basi ndugu yake hana budi kumwoa mjane huyo ili amzalie ndugu yake watoto. 20 Sasa walikuwapo ndugu saba. Yule wa kwanza akaoa akafariki pasipo kupata mtoto. 21 Wapili akam woa yule mjane, naye akafariki bila kuacha mtoto. Ikawa hivyo hata kwa yule wa tatu. 22 Kwa kifupi, ndugu wote saba walimwoa huyo mjane lakini wote hawakuzaa naye. Hatimaye yule mama naye akafariki. 23 Sasa tuambie, wakati wa ufufuo, watakapofufuka wote, huyo mama aliyeolewa na ndugu wote saba, atakuwa mke wa nani?”

24 Yesu akawajibu, “Mmekosea kabisa kwa maana hamfahamu Maandiko wala uweza wa Mungu.” 25 Wafu watakapofufuka, hawataoa wala kuolewa; watakuwa kama malaika wa mbinguni . 26 Na kuhusu ufufuo wa wafu: hamjasoma katika kitabu cha Musa, sehemu ile inayoelezea jinsi Mungu alivyozungumza na Musa kutoka katika kichaka akisema, ‘Mimi, ni Mungu wa Ibrahimu na Mungu wa Isaka na Mungu wa Yakobo’? 27 Mungu si Mungu wa wafu bali ni Mungu wa walio hai. Kwa hiyo mmekosea kabisa.”

Amri Iliyo Kuu

28 Mwalimu mmoja wa sheria aliwasikiliza wakijadiliana. Alipoona kwamba Yesu amewajibu vizuri, naye akamwuliza, “Katika amri zote, ni ipi iliyo kuu?” 29 Yesu akamjibu, “Iliyo kuu ni hii, ‘Sikiliza Israeli, Bwana Mungu wetu ndiye Bwana pekee. 30 Nawe mpende Bwana Mungu wako kwa moyo wako wote, kwa roho yako yote, kwa akili zako zote na kwa nguvu zako zote.’ 31 Na sheria ya pili kwa ukuu ndio hii: ‘Mpende jirani yako kama nafsi yako.’ Hakuna amri nyingine iliyo kuu kuliko hizi.”

32 Yule mwalimu wa sheria akamwambia Yesu, “Mwalimu, ume jibu vyema. Ulivyosema ni kweli kabisa, Mungu ni mmoja wala hakuna mwingine ila yeye. 33 Na kumpenda Mungu kwa moyo wote na kwa akili zote na kwa nguvu zote; na kumpenda jirani kama mtu anavyojipenda ni bora zaidi kuliko kutoa sadaka ya kuteketezwa.”

34 Yesu alipoona jinsi alivyojibu kwa busara, akamwambia, “Wewe hauko mbali na Ufalme wa Mungu.” Tangu wakati huo, hakuna mtu aliyethubutu kumwuliza maswali zaidi.

Kuhusu Mwana Wa Daudi

35 Yesu alipokuwa akifundisha Hekaluni, aliuliza, “Mbona walimu wa sheria wanasema kwamba Kristo ni Mwana wa Daudi? 36 Kwa maana Daudi akiongozwa na Roho Mtakatifu alisema, ‘Bwana alimwambia Bwana wangu: keti mkono wangu wa kulia mpaka niwashi nde na kuwafedhehesha maadui zako chini ya miguu yako.’ 37 Ikiwa Daudi mwenyewe anamwita Bwana, yawezekanaje tena Kristo akawa mwanawe?” Watu wote wakamsikiliza kwa furaha.

Yesu Awatahadharisha Watu Kuhusu Walimu Wa Shera

38 Katika mafundisho yake, Yesu alisema, “Jihadharini na walimu wa sheria. Wao hupenda kutembea wakiwa wamevaa mavazi yao rasmi na kusalimiwa kwa heshima masokoni. 39 Pia wao hupenda kukaa viti vya mbele katika masinagogi na kupewa nafasi za heshi ma katika sherehe. 40 Hao hao ndio huwadhulumu wajane nyumba zao na ili waonekane kuwa wema wanasali sala ndefu. Mungu ata waadhibu vikali zaidi.”

Sadaka Ya Mjane

41 Kisha Yesu akaketi karibu na sehemu ya kutolea sadaka Hekaluni akawaangalia watu walivyokuwa wakiweka sadaka zao kwenye chombo cha sadaka. Matajiri wengi waliweka humo kiasi kikubwa cha fedha. 42 Lakini mjane mmoja fukara, alikuja akaweka sarafu mbili zenye thamani ya senti kumi.

43 Yesu akawaita wanafunzi wake akawaambia, “Ninawaambia hakika, huyu mjane ametoa zaidi kuliko wote! 44 Wengine wote wametoa kutokana na ziada ya mali zao; lakini huyu mama ingawa ni fukara, ameweka kila kitu alichokuwa nacho, hata na kile alicho hitaji kwa ajili ya riziki yake.”

The Parable of the Tenants(A)

12 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard.(B) He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

“He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all,(C) saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

“But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;(D)
11 the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’[a]?”(E)

12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd;(F) so they left him and went away.(G)

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar(H)

13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians(I) to Jesus to catch him(J) in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax[b] to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”(K)

And they were amazed at him.

Marriage at the Resurrection(L)

18 Then the Sadducees,(M) who say there is no resurrection,(N) came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.(O) 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection[c] whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures(P) or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.(Q) 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[d]?(R) 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

The Greatest Commandment(S)

28 One of the teachers of the law(T) came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[f](U) 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g](V) There is no commandment greater than these.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.(W) 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(X)

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”(Y) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.(Z)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?(AA)(AB)

35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,(AC) he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?(AD) 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,(AE) declared:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your feet.”’[h](AF)

37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd(AG) listened to him with delight.

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.(AH) 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering(AI)

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put(AJ) and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”(AK)

Footnotes

  1. Mark 12:11 Psalm 118:22,23
  2. Mark 12:14 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens
  3. Mark 12:23 Some manuscripts resurrection, when people rise from the dead,
  4. Mark 12:26 Exodus 3:6
  5. Mark 12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord
  6. Mark 12:30 Deut. 6:4,5
  7. Mark 12:31 Lev. 19:18
  8. Mark 12:36 Psalm 110:1