Mark Chapter 12 — Authority and the Greatest Commandment

¹He began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the wine press, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country.

²When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard.

³They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty.

⁴Again, he sent another servant to them; and they threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.

⁵Again he sent another, and they killed him, and many others, beating some, and killing some.

⁶Therefore still having one, his beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷But those farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

⁸They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

⁹What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.

¹⁰Haven’t you even read this Scripture:

¹¹This was from the Lord.

¹²They tried to seize him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them. They left him and went away.

¹³They sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him, that they might trap him with words.

¹⁴When they had come, they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and don’t defer to anyone; for you aren’t partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

¹⁵Shall we give, or shall we not give?”

¹⁶They brought it.

¹⁷Jesus answered them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

¹⁸Some Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him, saying,

¹⁹“Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’

²⁰There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.

²¹The second took her, and died, leaving no children behind him. The third likewise;

²²and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died.

²³In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as a wife.”

²⁴Jesus answered them, “Isn’t this because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God?

²⁵For when they will rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

²⁶But about the dead, that they are raised, haven’t you read in the book of Moses about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?✡Exodus 3:6

²⁷He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are therefore badly mistaken.”

²⁸One of the scribes came and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”

²⁹Jesus answered, “The greatest is: ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

³⁰You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’✡Deuteronomy 6:4-5 This is the first commandment.

³¹The second is like this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’✡Leviticus 19:18 There is no other commandment greater than these.”

³²The scribe said to him, “Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he;

³³and to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from God’s Kingdom.”

³⁵Jesus responded, as he taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

³⁶For David himself said in the Holy Spirit,

³⁷Therefore David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?”

³⁸In his teaching he said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces,

³⁹and to get the best seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts,

⁴⁰those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

⁴¹Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much.

⁴²A poor widow came and she cast in two small brass coins,*literally, lepta (or widow’s mites). Lepta are very small brass coins worth half a quadrans each, which is a quarter of the copper assarion. Lepta are worth less than 1% of an agricultural worker’s daily wages. which equal a quadrans coin.†A quadrans is a coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius. A denarius is about one day’s wages for an agricultural laborer.

⁴³He called his disciples to himself and said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury,

⁴⁴for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.”