‏ Mark 12

The Vineyard and Husbandmen

In this section, Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard and its tenants. Through this story, he shows that God gave special privileges to Israel, but they did not give him the respect and obedience he deserved. Instead, they rejected his messengers and even his Son. The parable explains that because of this, God would judge them and give their privileges to others who would be faithful.

v. 1: Jesus begins the parable by describing a man who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, built a tower, and rented it to tenants. Then he went away. This means that God gave many blessings and opportunities to his people Israel, like his laws, his temple, and his care (He showed his word to Jacob, his statutes and judgments to Israel, Psalm 147:19 ^a).

v. 2: When it was time to collect fruit, the owner sent a servant to the tenants to receive some of the fruit from the vineyard. This shows how God sent his prophets to remind Israel of their duty and to see if they were being faithful (Mark 12:2 ^b).

v. 3: But the tenants beat the servant and sent him away with nothing. This represents how God’s messengers were often rejected and treated badly by the people (They beat them, and sent them empty away, Mark 12:3 ^c).

v. 4: The owner sent another servant, and this one they hit on the head and treated shamefully. This shows that God’s prophets often suffered even worse treatment when they tried to call the people back to God (Mark 12:4 ^d).

v. 5: The owner sent many others, but some they beat and some they killed. The people became more and more violent towards God’s messengers (Mark 12:5 ^e).

v. 6: Finally, the owner sent his beloved son, thinking they would respect him. This means that God sent his own Son, Jesus, to the people, hoping they would listen and honor him (Mark 12:6 ^f; This is my beloved Son, Genesis 37:14 ^g).

v. 7: But the tenants said, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” They were jealous and wanted the power for themselves. Instead of respecting the Son, they planned to get rid of him (Mark 12:7 ^h).

v. 8: So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. This points to what would soon happen to Jesus: he would be killed by those who rejected him, and his message would be pushed away (Mark 12:8 ⁱ).

v. 9: Jesus asks, “What will the owner of the vineyard do?” He answers that the owner will come, destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. This means God would judge Israel for rejecting Jesus and give his blessings to new people, including the Gentiles (Colossians 1:6 ^j).

v. 10–11: Jesus says, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Mark 12:10–11 ^k). Even though Jesus was rejected, God would make him the most important part of his plan. Everyone would see that this was God’s work.

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v. 12: The religious leaders knew Jesus was talking about them. They wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. Instead of repenting, they left Jesus, showing that when people reject the truth, it only makes their hearts harder (Mark 12:12 ^l).

The Question Respecting Tribute.

In this section, Jesus is challenged by his enemies with a tricky question about paying taxes to Caesar. They want to trap him with his answer. This event is also described in Matthew 22:15 ^m (Matthew 22:15 ⁿ). The people who ask the question are not sincere; they are trying to find a reason to accuse Jesus, either before the people or the Roman authorities.

v. 13: The people sent to question Jesus were the Pharisees and the Herodians. These two groups usually disagreed, but they worked together against Jesus (Mark 12:13 ^o). The Pharisees wanted Jewish freedom and would be angry if Jesus supported paying taxes to Caesar. The Herodians supported the Roman government and would accuse Jesus if he spoke against paying taxes. Sometimes, people who are enemies in other matters will unite against Christ.

v. 14: They pretended to ask Jesus a serious question about what is right. They praised him, calling him Master and saying he teaches the way of God in truth. They said he is fair and not afraid of anyone. If they really believed this, it was wrong for them to later accuse and kill him. If they did not believe it, they were lying and flattering him. Hypocrites will be judged by their own words, and their false praise will be used against them (Mark 12:14 ^p).

v. 15: The question they asked was, Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? They acted as if they wanted to know what was right, but really, they just wanted to trap Jesus. If he said yes, the people might turn against him. If he said no, the authorities could arrest him. Ministers can be trapped when asked about political matters. The people seemed to want Jesus to decide for them, but their real goal was to accuse him, no matter what he said (Mark 12:15 ^q).

v. 15-17: Jesus knew they were being hypocrites and trying to trick him. He asked them to show him a coin, which had Caesar’s image and name on it. He told them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s (Mark 12:15-17 ^r). This meant they should pay taxes because they used Caesar’s money and lived under his rule. But they must also give God what belongs to him—their hearts and worship. Many people are careful to give others what they owe, but forget to give God the honor he deserves. Everyone was amazed at Jesus’ wise answer, but sadly, few were moved to truly give themselves to God.

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The Question of the Sadducees.

In this section, the Sadducees come to challenge Jesus. They were skeptics who did not believe in the resurrection, angels, or life after death. Their goal was not to attack Jesus personally, but to try to make his teaching about resurrection look foolish. Jesus had been teaching about life after death, and the Sadducees wanted to confuse people and stop his message from spreading.

v. 19: The Sadducees started by quoting a law from Moses: if a man died without children, his brother should marry the widow and have children for him (Deuteronomy 25:5 ^s). They created a story where seven brothers, one after the other, each married the same woman and all died without children (Mark 12:19 ^t). The Sadducees were not just questioning Jesus, but also making fun of Moses’ law and trying to make the idea of resurrection seem ridiculous.

v. 20: They asked whose wife the woman would be in the resurrection since all seven brothers had been married to her (Mark 12:20 ^u). The Sadducees pretended to accept the idea of resurrection, but really they wanted to show it was impossible or absurd. This is a common trick of people who do not believe the truth—they try to make it look confusing instead of openly denying it.

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v. 24: Jesus answered that the Sadducees were wrong because they did not understand the Scriptures or the power of God (Mark 12:24 ^v). They read the Scriptures but did not really know what they meant. They trusted only their own ideas and did not believe what God could do. Jesus reminded them that knowing the Scriptures and believing in God’s power protects us from error. The same God who created life can raise the dead. There is nothing impossible for God (Psalm 62:11; Romans 4:19-21; Philippians 3:21).

v. 25: Jesus explained that in the resurrection, people will not marry or be given in marriage (Mark 12:25 ^w). The relationships we have on earth will not continue in the same way in heaven. Instead, people will be like the angels. Christians know that flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50 ^x). In heaven, we will be satisfied with God’s love and presence (Psalm 17:15 ^y).

v. 26-27: Jesus proved the resurrection by reminding them of what God said to Moses at the burning bush: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Mark 12:26-27; Exodus 3:6 ^z). God did not say “I was,” but “I am,” showing that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive with God, even after their deaths. If God is still their God, their souls must live, and their bodies will one day rise. Jesus finished by saying, You are greatly mistaken. Those who deny the resurrection make a big error and should be corrected.

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The Hopeful Scribe.

This section describes a rare moment when a scribe approaches Jesus with respect, not to trap him, but to learn from him. Usually, the scribes and Pharisees argued with Jesus, but this scribe noticed how well Jesus answered the Sadducees. He wanted to know more about what Jesus taught and asked a sincere question. This shows that even among those who usually opposed Jesus, there were some who truly wanted to understand.

v. 28: The scribe asked Jesus, Which is the first commandment of all? (Mark 12:28 ^aa). He did not mean the first in order, but the most important. He wanted to know which command should guide all the others. While all of God’s commands matter, some are greater, especially moral commands compared to rituals.

v. 29-31: Jesus answered directly. He said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:29-30 ^ab). Jesus began with the truth from the Scriptures: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Because God is one, he deserves all our love. God is our creator and the one true God, so he should have first place in our hearts. The second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31 ^ac). We should care for others just as we care for ourselves. Jesus said, There is no other commandment greater than these. If we obey these, we will naturally obey all the other commands.

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v. 32-33: The scribe agreed with Jesus and said, Well, Master, you have said the truth (Mark 12:32-33 ^ad). He added that there is no other God but the Lord, and loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbor is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. This means that love for God and others is more valuable than religious rituals. The scribe understood that our love must be intelligent as well as sincere, using our whole mind to love God.

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v. 34: Jesus saw that the scribe answered wisely and said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34 ^ae). Jesus encouraged him because he understood the heart of God’s law. Many people are close to understanding the truth, but do not take the next step to follow Jesus completely. After this, no one dared to question Jesus anymore because everyone was amazed at his wisdom and authority.

Christ the Son and Lord of David.

In this section, Jesus teaches in the temple and shows the people how the scribes do not fully understand the Scriptures. He gives an example using a question about the Messiah. The scribes could not answer some deep questions about the Old Testament, even though they were supposed to explain it. Jesus wants people to look for answers about himself from him directly, not just from religious teachers.

v. 35: The scribes taught that the Messiah would be the Son of David (Mark 12:35 ^af). This was true, because the Messiah would come from David’s family and would sit on David’s throne (Luke 1:32 ^ag). But the people often just repeated what the scribes said, instead of studying the Scriptures for themselves. Jesus wants us to go to God’s Word as the source of truth.

v. 36: Jesus pointed out that David, by the Holy Spirit, called the Messiah his Lord in Psalm 110:1 ^ah: The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” The scribes liked to talk about the Messiah as David’s son, but they did not teach the people that the Messiah was much greater—he was David’s Lord and also the Son of God. They could not explain how the Messiah could be both David’s descendant and David’s Lord at the same time.

v. 37: Jesus asked, “If David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ how is he his son?” The scribes could not answer this question. The common people loved to listen to Jesus teach, because what he said was amazing and different from what they heard before (Mark 12:37 ^ai). However, even though the people enjoyed his teaching, not all of them believed or followed him. Some would later even call for his crucifixion.

v. 38: Jesus warned the people to be careful about the scribes (Mark 12:38 ^aj). He wanted them to avoid copying the scribes’ pride and hypocrisy. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus gave a longer warning about this (Matthew 23:1-39 ^ak), but here he makes his point more briefly.

v. 38-40: Jesus described how the scribes tried to look important. They wore long robes and liked to walk around in public, wanting people to notice and respect them. They also liked to pray long prayers in public, not out of real love for God, but to look holy in front of others. They enjoyed being greeted with honor in the marketplaces, and sitting in the best seats at the synagogue and dinners. Even worse, they took advantage of widows, sometimes stealing their property while pretending to be religious. Jesus said that these hypocrites would receive a much greater punishment. Their outward show could not hide their sin from God, and pretending to be holy made their guilt even worse (Mark 12:40 ^al).

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Christ Commendeth the Poor Widow.

This story is found in Mark and Luke, but not in Matthew. Here, Jesus praises a poor widow who gives two small coins to the temple treasury. Even though Jesus was busy teaching, he noticed her act of giving. This passage teaches us about true generosity and how God values our gifts, not by their size, but by the heart behind them.

v. 41: There was a public collection box in the temple for charity. People gave money to help the poor. It is good to have places where people can give to help others, especially in places of worship. Giving to the poor and worshipping God go well together (Acts 10:2, 4 ^am). The Bible also teaches us to set aside money to give as God has blessed us (1 Corinthians 16:2 ^an).

Jesus sat near the treasury and watched as people put money in. He was not jealous or upset that he had nothing to give. Instead, he paid attention to how people gave. Jesus sees not just what we give, but why and how we give. He knows if we give cheerfully or just to be seen by others.

Many rich people put in large amounts of money. It is good when those who have much give generously. God expects people who are rich to give more, not just the same as those who have little. If we have a lot, we should look for ways to help others and be creative in our generosity.

v. 42: A poor widow came and put in two small coins, worth only a little (Mark 12:42 ^ao). Jesus noticed her and called his disciples to see what she had done.

v. 43: Jesus told his disciples that the widow had given more than all the others (Mark 12:43 ^ap). She gave everything she had to live on, even though it was very little. The rich gave from their extra money, but she gave out of her poverty. Jesus knew she gave with a sincere and generous heart.

v. 44: Jesus explained that the widow’s gift was greater because she gave all she had, while the rich only gave what they could easily spare (Mark 12:44 ^aq). Some people might criticize her for giving when she had so little, but Jesus praised her. This teaches us that giving, even a small amount, is valuable to God if it is given with love and faith. We should be willing to give, even if it means denying ourselves some comforts, to help others. God accepts our gifts when we give according to what we have, not what we do not have (2 Corinthians 8:2-3 ^ar). True generosity is giving from the heart, sometimes even beyond what seems possible, trusting God to provide for us.