New Testament Commentary - Mark 12

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 12 Jesus gives the parable of the wicked husbandmen—He speaks of paying taxes, celestial marriage, the two great commandments, the divine Sonship of Christ, and the widow's mites.
1 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. 2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
4 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. 5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the ^avineyard unto others. 10 And have ye not read this scripture; The ^astone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 12 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.
13 ¶ And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to ^acatch him in his words. 14 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 Caesar, or not?
15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why ^atempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. 16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's. 17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.
18 ¶ Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, 19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his ^abrother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. 22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. 23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
24 And Jesus answering said unto them, ^aDo ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? 25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither ^amarry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
26 And as touching the dead, that they ^arise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God ^bspake unto him, saying, I am the ^cGod of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27 ^aHe is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.
28 ¶ And one of the ^ascribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, ^aHear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt ^alove the Lord thy God with all thy ^bheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind^a, and with all thy ^cstrength: this is the first commandment.	30^a with all thy mind We are taught that whatsoever degree of intelligence we attain to in this life, so much more will be the advantage in the life to come.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32 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: 33 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 ^aofferings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly^a, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.	34^a he answered discreetly Who was this particular scribe who presented this question to the Lord at this time? In Luke 10:25 a certain lawyer/scribe stood to tempt Jesus by asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. The Lord turned the table on him and asked him, 'What is written in the law? how readest thou? To which the lawyer answered to Jesus as Jesus had answered upon this occasion. What this scribe that same lawyer? Did he so pose the question now to Jesus, not to tempt him, but to come to his support? For indeed the exchange was amiable and to the Lord's support. The lawyer in Luke seemed to have a change of heart after hearing the parable of the Good Samaritan. Was he this same man now come again but to support the Lord before the crowd?
35 ¶ And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? 36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The ^aLORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
38 ¶ And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the ^ascribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love ^bsalutations in the marketplaces, 39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: 40 Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater ^adamnation.
41 ¶ 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. 42 And there came a certain ^apoor widow, and she threw in two ^bmites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this ^apoor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their ^aabundance; but she of her ^bwant did ^ccast in ^dall that she had, even all her living.