Mark 12
1 Then He began to speak to them in figurative language. "There was once a man," He said, "who planted a vineyard, fenced it round, dug a pit for the wine-tank, and built a strong lodge. Then he let the place to vine-dressers and went abroad.
Then Jesus told [those Jewish leaders] a parable. [He wanted to show what God would do to those who rejected the former prophets and himself. He said], “A certain man planted a vineyard. He built a fence around it [in order to protect it]. He made a stone tank [to collect the juice that] they would press [out of the grapes]. He also built a tower [for someone to sit in to guard his vineyard]. Then he leased the vineyard to some men to care for it and [to] give him some of the [grapes] in return. Then he went away to another country.
2 At vintage-time he sent one of his servants to receive from the vine-dressers a share of the grapes.
When the time came to harvest the [grapes], he sent a servant to the men [who were taking care of the vineyard] in order to receive from them his share of the grapes that the vineyard had produced.
3 But they seized him, beat him cruelly and sent him away empty-handed.
But [after the servant arrived], they grabbed him and beat him, and they did not give him any fruit. Then they sent him away.
4 Again he sent to them another servant: and as for him, they wounded him in the head and treated him shamefully.
Later the one who owned the vineyard sent another servant to them. But they beat that one on his head, and they insulted him.
5 Yet a third he sent, and him they killed. And he sent many besides, and them also they ill-treated, beating some and killing others.
Later he sent another servant. That man they killed. They mistreated many other servants [whom he sent]. Some they beat and some they killed.
6 He had still one left whom he could send, a dearly-loved son: him last of all he sent, saying, "'They will treat my son with respect.'
The man still had one other [person with him]. It was his son. He loved him very much. So, finally he sent his son to them because he thought that they would respect him [and give him some of the grapes].
7 "But those men--the vine-dressers--said to one another, "'Here is the heir: come, let us kill him, and then the property will one day be ours.'
But [when they saw his son coming], those men who were looking after the vineyard said to each other, ‘Look! Here comes the man who will some day inherit the vineyard! So let’s kill him in order that this vineyard will be ours!’
8 "So they took him and killed him, and flung his body outside the vineyard.
They seized him and killed him. Then they threw his body outside the vineyard.
9 What, therefore, will the owner of the vineyard do?" "He will come and put the vine-dressers to death," they said; "and will give the vineyard to others."
So (do you know what the man who owns the vineyard will do?/I will tell you what the man who owns the vineyard will do [RHQ]). He will come, and he will kill those evil men who were taking care of his vineyard. Then he will arrange for other people to take care of it.
10 "Have you not read even this passage," He added, "'The stone which the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone:
[Now think carefully about these words], which you have read [in] the Scriptures: The men who were building the building rejected one stone. But others [put that same stone in its proper place, and] it has become the most important stone in the building [MET]!
11 this Cornerstone came from the Lord, and is wonderful in our esteem?'"
The Lord has done this, and we marvel as we look at it.”
12 And they kept looking out for an opportunity to seize Him, but were afraid of the people; for they saw that in this parable He had referred to them. So they left Him and went away.
Then [the Jewish leaders] realized that he was accusing them when he told this story [about what those wicked people did]. So they wanted to seize him. But they were afraid of what the crowds [would do if they did that]. So they left him and went away.
13 Their next step was to send to Him some of the Pharisees and of Herod's partisans to entrap Him in conversation.
The [Jewish leaders] sent to [Jesus] some Pharisees [who thought that the Jews should pay only the tax that their own Jewish authorities required people to pay]. They also sent some members of the party that supported Herod [Antipas and the Roman government]. They wanted to make Jesus say something wrong [that would make one of those groups very angry with him].
14 So they came to Him. "Rabbi," they said, "we know that you are a truthful man and you do not fear any one; for you do not recognize human distinctions, but teach God's way truly. Is it allowable to pay poll-tax to Caesar, or not?
After they arrived, they said to him [deceivingly], “Teacher, we know that you [teach] the truth. We also know that you are not concerned about [what] people [say about you, even if an important person does not like what you say]. Instead, you teach truthfully what God wants [us to do]. So [tell us what you think about this matter: ] Is it right that we pay taxes to the Roman government, or not [MTY]? Should we pay the taxes, or should we not pay them?”
15 Shall we pay, or shall we refuse to pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, replied, "Why try to ensnare me? Bring me a shilling for me to look at."
Jesus knew that they did not really want to know [what God wanted them to do]. So he said to them, “(I [know that] you are [just] trying to make me say something wrong for which you can arrest me./Why are you [just] trying to make me say something wrong for which you can arrest me?) [RHQ] [But I will answer your question anyway]. Bring me a coin so that I might [ask you something after] I look at it.”
16 They brought one; and He asked them, "Whose is this likeness and this inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied.
After they brought him a coin, he asked them, “Whose picture is [on] this [coin]? And [whose] name [is on it]?” They replied, “It is a picture and the name of Caesar, [the man who rules the Roman government].”
17 "What is Caesar's," replied Jesus, "pay to Caesar--and what is God's, pay to God." And they wondered exceedingly at Him.
Then Jesus said to them, “[That is correct, so] give to the government [MTY] what they [require], and give to God what he [requires].” They were [frustrated at his answer but] amazed at what he said, [because they were not able to accuse him of anything because of what he said].
18 Then came to Him a party of Sadducees, a sect which denies that there is any Resurrection; and they proceeded to question Him.
[Men who belong to the] Sadducee [sect] deny that people become alive again after they die. [In order to discredit] Jesus [by ridiculing the idea that people will live again, some of] them came to him and asked him,
19 "Rabbi," they said, "Moses made it a law for us: 'If a man's brother should die and leave a wife, but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up a family for his brother.'
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us [Jews] that if a man who has no children dies, his brother should marry the dead man’s widow. [Then if those two bear children, everyone will consider that those children are the] children of the man who died, [and in that way the dead man will continue to have descendants].
20 There were once seven brothers, the eldest of whom married a wife, but at his death left no family.
[So here is an example]. There were seven boys [in one family]. The oldest one married [a woman], but [he and his wife] did not bear any children. Then he [later] died.
21 The second married her, and died, leaving no family; and the third did the same.
The second [brother followed this law and] married that woman and he, too, did not bear any children. Then he [later] died. The third [brother did] like [his other brothers did. But he also did not bear any children, and later died].
22 And so did the rest of the seven, all dying childless. Finally the woman also died.
Eventually all seven [brothers married that woman, one by one], but they had no children, and one by one they died. Afterwards the woman died, too.
23 At the Resurrection whose wife will she be? For they all seven married her."
Therefore, [if it were true what some people say, that people will become alive again after they die], whose wife do you think that woman will be when people become alive again? ([Keep in mind that] she was married to all seven [brothers]!/She was married to all seven [brothers, so how can anyone decide] [RHQ]?)”
24 "Is not this the cause of your error," replied Jesus--"your ignorance alike of the Scriptures and of the power of God?
Jesus replied to them, “You are certainly wrong [RHQ]. You do not know [what they have written in] the Scriptures [about this]. You also do not understand God’s power [to make people alive again].
25 For when they have risen from among the dead, men do not marry and women are not given in marriage, but they are as angels are in Heaven.
[That woman will not be the wife of any of them], because when people have become alive again, instead of men having wives and women having husbands, they will be like the angels in heaven, [who do not marry].
26 But as to the dead, that they rise to life, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?'
But as to people becoming alive again after they die, in the book that Moses [wrote, he said something about people who have died] that I am sure that you have read [RHQ]. When Moses [was looking at] the bush [that was burning], God said to him, ‘I am the God whom Abraham [worships] and the God whom Isaac [worships] and the God whom Jacob [worships].’
27 He is not the God of dead, but of living men. You are in grave error."
It is not dead people who worship God. It is living people who worship him. [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob died long before Moses lived, but God said that they were still worshipping him, so we know their spirits were still alive]! So your [claim that dead people do not become alive again] is very wrong.”
28 Then one of the Scribes, who had heard them disputing and well knew that Jesus had given them an answer to the point, and a forcible one, came forward and asked Him, "Which is the chief of all the Commandments?"
A man who taught the [Jewish] laws heard their discussion. He knew that Jesus answered the question well. So he stepped forward and asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important?”
29 "The chief Commandment," replied Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;
Jesus answered, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, [you people of] Israel! [You must worship] the Lord, our God, our only Lord.
30 and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole mind, and thy whole strength.'
[You must show that you love him in all the ways that you live] Show it in all that you want and feel, in all that you think, and in all that you do!’
31 "The second is this: 'Thou shalt love thy fellow man as thou lovest thyself.' "Other Commandment greater than these there is none."
The next [most important commandment] is: ‘You must love people you come in contact with as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these two!”
32 So the Scribe said to Him, "Rightly, in very truth, Rabbi, have you said that He stands alone, and there is none but He;
The man said to Jesus, “Teacher, [you have answered] well. You correctly said that he is the only [God] and that there is no other God [we must worship/obey].
33 and To love Him with all one's heart, with all one's understanding, and with all one's strength, and to love one's fellow man no less than oneself, is far better than all our whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices."
You have also said correctly that we ([should/must show that we]) love God by all that we are, by all that we think, and by the way that we live. And you have said correctly that we must love (people with whom we come in contact/others) as much as we love ourselves. And you have also implied that doing these things [pleases God] more than offering/giving animals to him or burning [other] sacrifices.”
34 Perceiving that the Scribe had answered wisely Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." No one from that time forward ventured to put any question to Him.
Jesus realized that this man had answered wisely. So he said to him, “[I perceive that] you will soon [decide to let] God rule your life.” After that, [the Jewish leaders] were afraid to ask him any more questions [like that to try to trap him].
35 But, while teaching in the Temple, Jesus asked, "How is it the Scribes say that the Christ is a son of David?
[Later], while he was teaching in the Temple [courtyard], Jesus said [to the people], “These men who teach the [Jewish] laws, (they must be wrong when they say that the Messiah is [merely] a descendant of [King] David!/why do they say that the Messiah is [merely] a descendant of [King] David?) [RHQ]
36 David himself said, taught by the Holy Spirit, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I have made thy foes a footstool under thy feet.'
The Holy Spirit caused David himself to say [about the Messiah], God said to my Lord, ‘Sit here beside me at the place where I will highly honor you! Sit here while I completely defeat your enemies! [MTY]’
37 "David himself calls Him 'Lord:' how then can He be his son?" And the mass of people found pleasure in listening to Jesus.
Therefore, [because] David himself calls [the Messiah] ‘my Lord,’ (the Messiah cannot be [just] a man who descended [from King David!]/how can the Messiah be [just] a man who descended [from King David]?) [RHQ] [He must be much greater than David]”! Many people listened to him gladly [as he taught those things].
38 Moreover in the course of His teaching He said, "Be on your guard against the Scribes who like to walk about in long robes and to be bowed to in places of public resort,
While Jesus was teaching [the people], he said to them, “Beware that you [do not act like] the men who teach our [Jewish] laws. They [like people to honor them, so] they put on long robes and walk around [in order to show people how important they are]. They also like people to greet them [respectfully] in the marketplaces.
39 and to occupy the best seats in the synagogues and at dinner parties,
[They like to sit] in the most important seats in our (synagogue/Jewish meeting place). At festivals, [they like to sit in] the seats where the most honored people sit.
40 and who swallow up the property of widows and then mask their wickedness by making long prayers: these men will receive far heavier punishment."
They (swindle/take for themselves) the houses [and property] of widows by cheating them. [Then] they pretend [that they are good] by praying long prayers [publicly. God] will certainly punish them severely!”
41 Having taken a seat opposite the Treasury, He observed how the people were dropping money into the Treasury, and that many of the wealthy threw in large sums.
[Later], Jesus sat down [in the Temple courtyard opposite the boxes in which people put offerings. As he was sitting there], he watched as all the people put money in the box. Many rich people put in large amounts [of money].
42 But there came one poor widow and dropped in two farthings, equal in value to a halfpenny.
Then a poor widow came along and put in two small copper coins, which had a very small value.
43 So He called His disciples to Him and said, "In solemn truth I tell you that this widow, poor as she is, has thrown in more than all the other contributors to the Treasury;
He gathered his disciples around him and said to them, “The truth is that these other people have a lot of money, [but] they gave [only a small part of it]. But this woman, who is very poor, has put in all the money that she had to pay for the things she needs. [So God considers that] this poor widow has put more money into the box than all the other people!”
44 for they have all contributed out of what they could well spare, but she out of her need has thrown in all she possessed--all she had to live on."
