Mark 12
A Widow Who Gave All She Had to Live On
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The Parable of the Vineyard Tenants
12:1He began speaking to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress vat, and built a tower. He leased it to tenant farmers and went abroad.
12:2At the proper season he sent a slave to the farmers, to receive from them some of the vineyard’s fruit.
12:3They seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
12:4Again he sent another slave to them; they struck that one on the head and dishonored him.
12:5He sent another, and they killed that one; and many others—some they beat, and others they killed.
12:6He still had one, a beloved son. He sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
12:7But those farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
12:8They seized him, killed him, and threw him outside the vineyard.
12:9What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers and give the vineyard to others.
12:10Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.
12:11This came from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12:12They sought to seize Him, but feared the crowd, for they knew that He had spoken the parable against them. They left Him and went away.
They Sent Some of the Pharisees and Herodians
12:13They sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Him, to catch Him in a word.
12:14They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one, for You do not look at people’s outward standing, but teach God’s way in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not? Should we give it or not?”
12:15Knowing their hypocrisy, He said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius so that I may see it.”
12:16They brought one. He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
12:17Jesus said to them, “Give back Caesar’s things to Caesar, and God’s things to God.” They marveled greatly at Him.
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
12:18Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and questioned Him, saying,
12:19“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
12:20There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died leaving no offspring.
12:21The second took her and died leaving no offspring, and the third likewise.
12:22The seven left no offspring. Last of all, the woman also died.
12:23In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
12:24Jesus said to them, “Is this not why you are mistaken: you know neither the Scriptures nor God’s power?
12:25For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in the heavens.
12:26As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’?
12:27He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are greatly mistaken.”
The First Commandment
12:28One of the scribes approached, having heard them disputing and seen that He had answered them well. He asked Him, “Which commandment is first of all?”
12:29Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
12:30You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with your whole mind, and with your whole strength.’
12:31The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
12:32The scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher! You have truly said that He is one, and there is no other besides Him.
12:33To love Him with the whole heart, with the whole understanding, and with the whole strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
12:34Seeing that he answered thoughtfully, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” No one dared to question Him any further.
David’s Son and David’s Lord
12:35Jesus responded as He taught in the temple, “How do the scribes say that the Christ is David’s son?
12:36David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at My right until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.’
12:37David himself calls Him Lord; how then is He his son?” The large crowd listened to Him gladly.
Beware of the Scribes
12:38In His teaching He said, “Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes and receive greetings in the marketplaces,
12:39the foremost seats in the synagogues, and the foremost reclining places at dinners.
12:40They devour widows’ houses and make long prayers as a pretense. These will receive greater judgment.”
The Widow’s Offering
12:41He sat opposite the treasury and watched how the crowd put copper money into the treasury. Many rich people put in much.
12:42One poor widow came and put in two lepta, which is a quadrans.
12:43He called His disciples to Him and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those putting into the treasury.
12:44For they all put in from their surplus, but she, from her need, put in everything she had—her whole livelihood.”
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.