Mark Chapter Twelve
The Parable of the Tenants
[Text parallels Matthew 21:28-46 and Luke 20:9-19]
12:1 And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
Jesus began to teach a parable now known as the “Parable of the Tenants,” since it focuses on the tenant’s reactions to the vineyard owner. It can also be described as a “micro-model” of God’s relationship with God’s people beginning with the Promised Land. A vineyard is planted, a fence is placed around it, a winepress and a tower is built. Each representing things created by God for God’s people (the Promised Land, which was later known as Israel). The tenants being people, or more specifically, God’s people. The servants that were sent can be interpreted as prophets sent by God.
12:3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.
God’s people reject every one of the prophets sent, most were brutally beaten while others were killed.
12:6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.
Then God sends His Son, who the tenants (God’s people) kill and dispose of His body by throwing Him out of the vineyard. Their depraved thinking had them believing that they could gain the inheritance (entrance to the kingdom of God) on their own self-righteousness without God.
12:9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.
The vineyard owner, God, will come and destroy the tenants, God’s people, and give the vineyard to others. This warning of Jesus was later fulfilled when Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple[1] which resulted in the Jews being dispersed around the world in another ‘diaspora’ (see below). This verse is often misunderstood to be a reference to God permanently turning away from the Jews. God made an unconditional promise to Abraham and will never break His promise, just like the promise of eternal life for believers in Jesus, God always keeps His promises. God will once again return to the Jews, however, in the meantime, the vineyard (Israel)[2] was being occupied by others.
12:10 Have you not read this Scripture: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
Still talking to the chief priests, scribes, and elders (see Mark 11:27), Jesus asks them if they had not read in the Scriptures, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” quoting Psalm 118:22. Referring to Himself as the Stone that was rejected[3], He says that He will be the Cornerstone on which the problem of sin will be solved and salvation offered. Something only God can provide and is truly marvelous to see!
12:12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
Those listening (the chief priests, scribes, and elders), recognized that they were the tenants in Jesus’ parable, and perhaps also recognized that they were the ones that rejected the Stone that became the Cornerstone. However, it is unlikely that saw themselves as the ones rejecting the stone as that would have required recognizing Jesus as being sent by God. Regardless, they understood enough of the parable to know that they wanted to have Him arrested even more. Fearing that an arrest would upset the people, they walked away.
Considerations
Jewish Diasporas[4]
The Greek word ‘diaspora’[5] in general, is defined as a dispersion of any people from their homeland. It is most commonly used both in the New Testament (see John 7:35; James1:1; 1 Peter 1:1) and extra-biblically in conjunction with the Jews being dispersed outside of Israel. There were several periods recorded in the Bible and also later where their enemies took them into captivity, usually due to their disobedience to God.
The term ”Diaspora" (as a proper noun), can refer to a specific event or to a series of events. There are three ‘Jewish’ diaspora events referenced in the Bible:
In each event the Jews were widely dispersed, many remaining in these foreign lands, resulting in Jews living in nearly every region of Africa, Asia and Europe.
There was also another period referred to as a Diaspora, this one by the Christians, as the intolerance of Christianity in Rome began to antagonize and murder believers. They were forced to leave Roman occupied land at some point before the expulsion of the Jews.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
[Text parallels Matthew 22:15-22 and Luke 20:20-26]
12:13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
Almost as if some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians were waiting on the sidelines for their turn to approach and attempt to trap Jesus into saying something inappropriate (in their view), the text implies they were sent (same word that the word ‘apostle’ is derived), but does not identify who sent them. Little is known about the Herodians, other than they were supporters of the Herodian local leadership dynasty.[6] They begin their inquiry with a series of complements, saying that they know He speaks the truth, does not care about other people’s opinion, is not swayed by what is perceived, and only teaches the way of God. They then ask Jesus if it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Jesus, knowing their hypocrisy, especially after stating those complements that they certainly did not offer truthfully, asks, “Why put me to the test?” He then asks for someone to bring Him a denarius (a Roman coin),[7] which someone did. He asked, whose image and inscription was on the coin? They responded, “Caesar’s.” Jesus told them to ‘render’ (Greek ‘apodote’,[8] to give or do something necessary in fulfillment of obligation expectation) to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. They marveled at His wisdom, yet still did not understand who Jesus was.
The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
[Text parallels Matthew 22:23-33 and Luke 20:27-40]
12:18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
Next came the Sadducees, Mark identifies them as those that do not believe in any form of resurrection, yet they ask a question about the resurrection (presumably as taught in Scripture, see Considerations below). They develop an unlikely scenario where if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife before having any children, the man must take the widow and raise offspring for his brother, so far not a problem as this practice refers to the law of levirate marriage (see Genesis 38:8-9; Deuteronomy 25:5-10). The story then adds that there were seven brothers and each took the widow as a wife, but died before she was able to give birth to a child. The question is then asked, since the woman was married to each brother, whose wife would she be after the resurrection (in heaven)?
12:24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as 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’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
Jesus tells them that they were wrong in their question’s premise and tells them that their error was due to their ignorance of God’s Word and that they also had underestimated the power of God. He explains that when the resurrection occurs, people will neither marry nor be married, just like the angels in heaven. Using Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush, Jesus further explains that God is the God of the living, not God of the dead. Referring to the passage that reads, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6) Jesus points out that the God when speaking to Moses, used the Hebrew word ‘ā·nō·ḵiy’,[9] translated here as “I Am,” which is in a present tense, not a past tense (such as “I was”). Even though each had died, they were still very much alive, therefore God is not the God of the dead, He is the God of the living (life after death). Clearly refuting the Sadducees’ position on the resurrection, a belief that was primarily based on their lack of understanding the power and ability of God.
Considerations
Resurrection is What the Bible Teaches
Many try to limit the ability of God (see above), often limiting Him to the same lack of abilities as mankind. To the Sadducees one such limitation was in regard to the resurrection as promised in the Bible. Scripture clearly teaches a bodily resurrection. In what is thought to be the oldest book in the Bible, we read, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25-27) In the book of Psalms we find, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:9-11) The prophet Daniel wrote, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2) Even the apostle John wrote, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) These are only a few verses on the subject of the resurrection that awaits every believer.
In response to the Sadducees’ question, Jesus answered their question with an option they did not offer, that they were wrong. He then points to the two causes of their errors. The first being their lack of knowing and understanding Scripture, the second, not knowing the power of God. Sadly, both of these issues are still barriers to the truth about Jesus today. Among unbelievers many blindly accept negative comments, such as the Bible contains errors or contradictions, and make no effort to read the Bible for themselves. They also often try to limit God to the ‘laws’ of the physical world and deny miracles. However, viewpoints such as these are to be expected and Christians engaged in evangelism should be equipped to properly counter those arguments.
The exceptionally sad story is that when Christians by refusing to read what God wants them to know they are choosing to be Biblically inept. Some even say that they have enough knowledge (perhaps taught in church as a child), but that is not what the Bible teaches. To be blunt, Christians don’t graduate from Bible study until they are with Jesus in heaven. Listening to sermons and Bible studies are good, but there is no substitute for opening the Bible to read and study. Christians can also limit God, as nearly two-thousand years of writings from a wide variety of theologians, teachers, pastors, and commentators have demonstrated that many of them have also underestimated God’s power and ability, often making Jesus more human than God. We need to remember, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37, see also Genesis 18:14, Matthew 19:26).
The Great Commandment
[Text parallels Matthew 22:34-40]
12:28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Matthew notes that after Jesus successfully debated the Sadducees regarding the resurrection, the Pharisees send over an attorney. Here Mark identifies him as one of the scribes (not a contradiction as many scribes were also attorneys). This scribe apparently agreed with Jesus on the subject of the resurrection, so he asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus then quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Jesus adds that the second most important commandment is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18b). He then states that there are no other commandments greater than these. It is interesting to note that Mark here (and Luke, reporting on a different event) add the word ’strength’ referring to a person’s physical strength. The variation may be due to difference in the Septuagint’s rendering of Deuteronomy 6:5 which emphasizes strength or power (Greek ‘dynameōs’,[10] power, being able), “And you shall love the Lord your God with the whole of your mind and with the whole of your soul and with the whole of your power.”[11] (NETS)
12:32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
The scribe would have been very familiar with this passage as it is what the Jews call, “The Shema,” (see below). This scribe, instead of attempting to find fault in Jesus, agrees with Him. Saying, that God is truly One and that there is none like Him, and to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, and with all the strength was the correct answer. The scribe adds in agreement, “And to love one’s neighbor as oneself.” But then, perhaps to everyone’s astonishment, said that these commandments are more important than God’s mandated burnt offerings and sacrifices.[12] Jesus acknowledged the man’s wisdom saying, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” The Pharisees’ effort to trap Jesus failed miserably as one of their own recognized that Jesus spoke the truth. The time for questions was now over as no one dared to ask Him any more questions.
Considerations
The Shema in a Nutshell[13]
The Shema consists of Deuteronomy 6:4-9: "4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
The opening line of “The Shema,” is “šemǎ’ yiś·rā·’ēl,”[14] calling the people of Israel to listen and obey. The Shema has several components beginning with a fundamental truth, YHWH[15] is One. But what does that mean? One what? The Hebrew word ‘ě·ḥāḏ’[16] (also spelled ‘echad’), can mean one, first, once, or one of a number of things. It can also express agreement or unity among others. While the meaning of the term in this verse is often the subject of debate, the context of the verse is clear. There is only one God and His name is YHWH, or stated another way, He and He alone is God. The idea of God being one can be a barrier for some hearing the gospel message as they may question if God the Father is God, Jesus the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, how can God be one? When does three equal one? Through the years Christians have come up with a number of ways to answer that paradox, but the truth is simply beyond mankind’s comprehension. While this verse could be translated, “the LORD is alone,” the Bible elsewhere teaches that there is only one true God.
The second component of “The Shema” is the command to ‘love’ YHWH (Hebrew word ‘ā·hǎḇ·tā’).[17] But not love like one might love another, the command is to love YHWH with ‘all’ our hearts, soul and might. The Hebrew word ‘ḵāl’,[18] refers to every, all, everything, the whole, the entire, in this context implying not a percentage of or some portion offered, but literally all! The Hebrew ‘lē·ḇāḇ’,[19] refers to the heart, mind or inner person, this word describes the entire disposition of the “inner person,” to be totally committed to God. The word ‘nǎp̄š’,[20] translated here as ‘soul’, can be translated in several ways, including breath, life, soul, spirit, psyche, etc. The word ‘me’ō·ḏě’[21] refers to something great in power or might, implying the application of effort or energy. In verse five God is commanding that the people of Israel (and all Christians as Jesus referred to this verse as being the most important), to love God with all their physical being and with all of their thoughts. God is not simply to be just another aspect, something to consider, or just a vague notion in our minds, He is to be the priority in everything in life, yes, everything, in both body and mind with our full energy applied. This includes how we think. Many are influenced by worldly thinking, which embrace only naturalistic explanations regarding the universe and the existence of life. Some Christians have either ignored or have completely rejected some basic Biblical teachings, believing that those concepts cannot hold up to critical thinking. If one is unwilling to recognize the hand of God in creation, or to acknowledge that He is not influenced or restricted by physical laws, their faith is incomplete. We are to accept the whole Word of God as being true, and since the Bible is indeed the truth it can certainly ‘stand up’ to any level of critical thinking. Trusting that Jesus will provide salvation includes the knowledge that He has the ability to do as He promised. The songwriter and singer Michael Card summarizes this nicely, when he sang referring to Jesus, “He cannot love more and will not love less!”[22] How does one respond to a love like that? See “Commanded to Love” in the Considerations under Matthew 22:34-40.
The third component of “The Shema” (verses 6-7) could be described as the application of this and all of the other commands being taught in the Bible. The words are to be on their hearts (same Hebrew word used in verse five, meaning “inner person”), another way of interpreting this could be that they are to essentially be made of God’s Word (fully embraced). These words are so important that it is imperative that they diligently teach them to their children, not just include them in some form of curricula during school time, but during the day when walking with them, during the night when they lie down to sleep, and in the morning when they rise from bed (in other words, all day).
In addition to being taught, these words being presented were to be bound as a sign on their hand (Hebrew ‘ôṯ’,[23] meaning sign, signal or mark, can also be a reference to a promise to remember), as frontlets between their eyes (Hebrew ‘ṭō·ṭā·p̄ōṯ’,[24] referring to a headband, phylactery, or symbol), and be written on their doorposts and on their gates (verse 8-9). Believed to originally be considered figurative language to indicate complete dedication to YHWH and His ways, these commands were later taken literally to refer to actual physical objects, which became what is known as the practice of wearing ‘tefillin’ (a word that is not found in Scripture, unknown origin, also known as phylacteries, derived from Greek word ‘phylaktērion’[25] from the word ‘phylassō’[26] meaning to watch, guard, to keep, or preserve). During Jesus’ ministry the word ‘phylaktērion’ also carried the meaning of amulets or charms, to guard from evil. In the Septuagint the Hebrew word ‘ṭō·ṭā·p̄ōṯ’ is translated into the Greek as ‘asaleutos’,[27] referring to something unshakable or immovable.
Whose Son Is the Christ?
[Text parallels Matthew 22:41-46 and Luke 20:41-44]
12:35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ 37 David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.
In Matthew’s account he adds that after Jesus answered the Pharisees’ question, He then asks them this question. The premise is based on the Biblical hierarchy where the superior person is recognized as Lord by those inferior (can also refer to an elder or older person being honored by those younger). Quoting Psalm 119:1, Jesus asks if the Christ (the Messiah) is the son of David, implying that David would then be considered greater than the Christ in this hierarchy, then why did David call the Son of David (referring to the Christ) Lord? Essentially recognizing the younger as being superior. Jesus is asking if David calls the Christ Lord, how can He be his son? Matthew records that no one was able to answer. Mark adds that a large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.
Jesus was calling their attention to the fact that the Son of David, the Christ, namely Himself, was greater than David because He was sent by God and is God Himself, making Him much greater (far superior) than a human child in the lineage of David.[28]
Beware of the Scribes
[Text parallels Matthew 23:1-36 and Luke 20:45-47]
12:38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
Jesus continued to teach with a stern warning regarding the superficial nature of the scribes (Matthew includes Pharisees in this teaching). He says that they like to walk around in robes for attention, be seen in the best seats, take advantage of widows, and be heard speaking long prayers. They desire to be seen and heard as very devout godly men. Since their devotion to God is a ruse and only ‘skin deep’, Jesus said they will receive a greater condemnation. The Bible teaches that those that know Scripture and mislead or teach a false doctrine will receive a more severe punishment (see Hebrews 10:29; 1 Peter 2:8; 2 Peter 2:1; Jude 4).
The Widow’s Offering
[Text parallels Luke 21:1-4]
12:41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Now sitting opposite the Temple’s treasury, a place where people can deposit their offerings and tithes, Jesus began watching people placing money in the collection box. Most of the people were placing large sums of money into the treasury, but then came a poor widow who put in two small copper coins, which was worth only a penny (Greek ‘kodrantēs’,[29] a small coin often called a ‘mite’, some consider it worth approximately one sixty-fourth of a denarius).[30] Jesus called His disciples together to take note that the widow had put in more than the others who were contributing out of their abundance, as she contributed out of her poverty, putting everything she had in the box. By giving all she had to live on, she demonstrated that she fully trusted that God would provide for her.
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[1] See Considerations under Matthew 24:1-2.
[2] See Considerations under Matthew 21:45-46 “The Nation of Israel as God’s Vineyard.”
[3] See Considerations under Matthew 7:24-27 "Jesus is the Rock."
[4] Adapted from author’s book, “Everything a Christian Should Know About the Torah A Commentary on the First Five Books of the Bible”
[5] Strong’s Greek 1290.
[6] See commentary under Matthew 22:15-16.
[7] See commentary under Matthew 17:24-27; 18:23-35.
[8] Strong’s Greek 591.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 595.
[10] Strong’s Greek 1411.
[11] Pietersma, A., & Wright, B. G. (Eds.). (2007). Deuteronomion. In M. K. H. Peters (Trans.), A New English Translation of the Septuagint (Primary Texts) (Dt 6:5). New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[12] See Considerations under Matthew 12:1-8 "The Dilemma of the Sabbath."
[13] Adapted from author’s book, “Everything a Christian Should Know About the Torah A Commentary on the First Five Books of the Bible”
[14] Strong’s Hebrew 8085 and 3478 respectively.
[15] The four-letter Hebrew name of God known as the ‘tetragrammaton’. Due to not knowing the actual vowel sounds, there are a wide variety of pronunciations including Jehovah and Yahweh.
[16] Strong’s Hebrew 259.
[17] Strong’s Hebrew 157.
[18] Strong’s Hebrew 3605.
[19] Strong’s Hebrew 3824.
[20] Strong’s Hebrew 5315.
[21] Strong’s Hebrew 3966.
[22] Card, Michael (1994), Chorus of Faith [Recorded by Michael Card]. Joy in the Journey: 10 Years of Greatest Hits [Vinyl, CD, Album]. Brentwood, Tennessee: Sparrow Records.
[23] Strong’s Hebrew 226.
[24] Strong’s Hebrew 2903.
[25] Strong’s Greek 5440.
[26] Strong’s Greek 5442.
[27] Strong’s Greek 761.
[28] See also the commentary under Matthew 22:41-46.
[29] Strong’s Greek 2835.
[30] See commentary under Mathew 20:1-16.