Mark 12 · KJV
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Mark 12

The parable of the tenants

And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.

Jesus tells of a man who plants a vineyard and leases it to tenant farmers. When he sends servants to collect his share of the harvest, the tenants beat or kill each one; finally he sends his beloved son, and they murder him. The owner will destroy them and give the vineyard to others. The leaders realise the parable is aimed at them.

What does this mean?

'Husbandmen' (KJV) are tenant farmers. A 'winefat' (KJV) is the vat beneath a winepress, where the grape juice collects. 'The head of the corner' is the cornerstone or capstone, in a quotation from Psalm 118:22–23.

Historical context

The details echo Isaiah 5:1–7, where God's vineyard represents Israel; Jesus' version targets the tenants rather than the vineyard. Absentee landowners and resentful tenants were a familiar part of rural life in first-century Galilee.

Why does it matter?

The 'beloved son' recalls the voice at Jesus' baptism and transfiguration (1:11; 9:7). The parable is widely read as an allegory, with the owner as God, the servants as the prophets and the son as Jesus. The quoted psalm moves from rejection to vindication.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in three Gospels

How Mark tells it

In Mark the servants are sent one at a time, with mounting violence, and the son is killed first and then thrown out of the vineyard (Matthew and Luke reverse the order). Jesus answers his own question about what the owner will do, where in Matthew the hearers answer. Mark lacks Matthew's saying that the kingdom will be taken away.

Paying taxes to Caesar

And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Cæsar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Cæsar’s. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

Pharisees and Herodians try to trap Jesus with flattery and a question: is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar? He asks for a coin, points to the emperor's image and inscription on it, and tells them to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and God what belongs to God.

What does this mean?

'Tribute' (KJV) is a tax paid to a foreign ruler. The 'penny' (KJV) is a denarius, a Roman silver coin. 'Superscription' means inscription. 'Render' means give back or pay.

Historical context

Judea came under direct Roman rule in 6 CE and paid a tax on each person; that year, according to Josephus, Judas the Galilean led a revolt against paying it. The common denarius of the emperor Tiberius bore his portrait and called him son of the divine Augustus, offensive to many Jews. Saying yes risked the crowd's anger; saying no risked a charge of sedition.

Why does it matter?

Jesus' answer avoids the trap while raising a larger question: if the coin bears Caesar's image, what bears God's? Many interpreters connect this with humans being made in God's image (Genesis 1:27). Christians have drawn very different conclusions from the saying about religion and the state.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in three Gospels

How Mark tells it

In Mark the questioners are 'sent', apparently by the leaders of 11:27, and their question is doubled: 'Shall we give, or shall we not give?' Jesus asks for a denarius 'that I may see it'. Luke says the aim was to hand Jesus over to the governor; in Matthew, Jesus calls them hypocrites to their faces.

A question about the resurrection

Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

Sadducees, who deny the resurrection, pose a case: a woman marries seven brothers in turn, each dying childless — whose wife will she be in the resurrection? Jesus says they know neither the scriptures nor God's power: the risen do not marry, and God's words to Moses at the burning bush show he is the God of the living.

What does this mean?

'Seed' (KJV) means offspring. 'Err' means be mistaken. 'The book of Moses' is the Torah, the first five books of the Bible; 'the bush' means the burning bush passage (Exodus 3:6).

Historical context

The Sadducees were an aristocratic party linked with the priestly leadership; according to Josephus they rejected the Pharisees' traditions and denied life after death. Their case relies on levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5–10), by which a man married his dead brother's childless widow to continue the family line. Belief in resurrection is clearly expressed in Daniel 12:2 and was held by the Pharisees.

Why does it matter?

Jesus argues from the Torah, which the Sadducees certainly accepted, rather than from later books. His argument rests on God's continuing relationship with the long-dead patriarchs. This is the Sadducees' only appearance in Mark.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

The greatest commandment

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

A scribe, impressed by Jesus' answers, asks which commandment is the most important. Jesus names love of God with all one's being, then love of neighbour. The scribe warmly agrees, adding that this matters more than all sacrifices, and Jesus tells him he is not far from God's kingdom. After this no one dares to question him.

  • Scripture connection · Quotation

    Mark 12:29–31 quotes Deuteronomy 6:4–5 · Leviticus 19:18

    Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
    Deuteronomy 6:4–5 · KJV
    Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
    Leviticus 19:18 · KJV

    Only Mark includes the opening words of the Shema ('Hear, O Israel'), the confession recited daily in Jewish prayer.

What does this mean?

'Discreetly' (KJV) means wisely. 'Whole burnt offerings' were animal sacrifices burned entirely on the altar. 'Durst' means dared.

Historical context

Jewish teachers sometimes looked for a principle summing up the law; a famous saying attributed to Hillel summed it up as not doing to others what is hateful to you. The scribe's reply echoes prophetic sayings that God values faithfulness above sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6).

Why does it matter?

Amid a series of hostile questions, this exchange is friendly, and the scribe is the only religious teacher in Mark whom Jesus commends. The claim that love outweighs sacrifices, made in the temple courts, gains force after Jesus' action against the temple trade.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in two Gospels

How Mark tells it

In Mark the questioner is a sympathetic scribe, not a lawyer testing Jesus as in Matthew. Only Mark has the scribe repeat Jesus' answer with approval, adding that love outranks all burnt offerings and sacrifices, and only Mark has Jesus reply that he is 'not far from the kingdom of God'. Matthew ends with 'all the law and the prophets'.

Whose son is the Messiah?

And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

Teaching in the temple, Jesus asks how the scribes can call the Messiah the son of David, when David himself, in a psalm, calls him 'Lord'. The large crowd listens to him with delight.

What does this mean?

'The LORD said to my Lord' quotes Psalm 110:1, traditionally attributed to David. In it God ('the LORD') speaks to someone David calls 'my Lord', inviting him to sit at God's right hand. A father would not call his own descendant 'lord'. 'The common people' (KJV) means the great crowd.

Historical context

Jewish expectation widely held that the Messiah would be a descendant of David, based on promises such as 2 Samuel 7:12–16.

Why does it matter?

Jesus does not deny being David's descendant (compare 10:47–48), but suggests the Messiah is more than a son of David. Psalm 110:1 became one of the Old Testament verses most quoted by early Christians, and Jesus alludes to it again before the high priest (14:62).

Editorial notes, not scripture.

The scribes and the widow's offering

And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Jesus warns against scribes who love status and public honour, who 'devour widows' houses' and make long prayers for show. Then, sitting opposite the temple treasury, he watches people giving and points out a poor widow who puts in two tiny coins — more than all the others, because she gave all she had to live on.

What does this mean?

'Long clothing' (KJV) means long robes that marked status. 'Salutations' are formal greetings; 'uppermost rooms' (KJV) are the best places at banquets. 'Mites' (KJV) translates lepta, the smallest coins in circulation; Mark explains that two equal a quadrans ('farthing'), a small Roman coin.

Historical context

The treasury probably refers to collection chests in the temple's Court of the Women, open to all Jewish worshippers. Widows were among the most vulnerable people in society, and the Jewish law repeatedly commands their protection.

Why does it matter?

The two scenes are linked: just after condemning those who exploit widows, Jesus points to a widow's gift. Interpreters differ on whether he praises her devotion, laments a system that took her last coins, or both. Mark's explanation of the coins in Roman terms is one reason some scholars think the Gospel was written for readers in Rome.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

Chapters

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16

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Reading

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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About Mark