Tyndale Open Study NotesMark 12

• The events from 11:27–12:44 happen in the temple (see 11:27; 13:1). This story, or parable, is closely connected to the earlier question about the authority of Jesus (11:27–33). Mark introduces it with the words, "Then Jesus began to speak to them." The parable is the extended answer Jesus gives to the religious leaders.

• Jesus wanted his audience to understand this parable in the context of Isaiah 5:1–7. This tells a similar story about planting a vineyard, building a lookout tower, putting up a fence, and digging a pit for a wine vat. Both stories also ask a similar question about what the owner will do next (Mark 12:9; compare Isaiah 5:4). In Isaiah, the vineyard clearly represents the people of Israel (Isaiah 5:7). In the same way, people hearing the parable would understand it as a story about Israel.

  Several parts of the parable have symbolic meaning:

  • The tenants represent Israel’s leaders.

  • The owner represents God.

  • The servants represent the Old Testament prophets.

  • The beloved son represents Jesus, the Son of God.

  • The murder of the son points to the crucifixion of Jesus.

  • The vineyard being given to others points to the judgment that would come upon Israel (Mark 11:15–17; 13:1–37).

  Mark's audience would understand this explanation more clearly than the original audience hearing the words of Jesus. Even so, the religious leaders understood enough to realize that Jesus was speaking against them, and they began looking for a way to kill him (12:12).

• speak to them: This refers to the religious leaders mentioned earlier in 11:27 (also in 12:12).

• The beginning description of the story comes from Isaiah 5:1–7. The people Jesus was speaking to knew the book of Isaiah well. They would have quickly recognized this symbolic story, in which each part of the vineyard had a special meaning.

• The grape harvest likely refers to the time when a new vineyard produces its first crop, about four years after planting. The owner would receive grapes or wine as payment for leasing the vineyard.

• In the Old Testament, prophets are often referred to as servants (Jeremiah 7:25–26; Amos 3:7; Zechariah 1:6). Israelite leaders frequently treated them badly and killed them (1 Kings 18:13; 19:10, 14; 2 Chronicles 24:20–27; 36:15–16; Jeremiah 26:20–23; Nehemiah 9:26; see Matthew 23:34, 37; 1 Thessalonians 2:15).

Mark’s early audience would have quickly connected beloved son with Jesus (compare 1:11; 9:7; see also 1:1; 3:11; 5:7).

The reasoning of the tenants is unclear to us, although it was apparently clear to the original hearers, requiring no further explanation (compare Matthew 21:38; Luke 20:14). Perhaps when the son arrived, the tenants thought the father had died. They may have believed that if they killed the son, no rightful owner would remain. Then the vineyard might become theirs, since they had worked it for many years.

threw him out of the vineyard: This action shows even more dishonor, because they did not bury him. Compare with Hebrews 13:12–13.

The parable ends with two rhetorical questions (compare 3:23, 33; 4:13; 7:18; 8:12). The first question matches the response of the “LORD of Hosts” in Isaiah’s parable of the vineyard (Isaiah 5:5–7).

Some interpreters believe Jesus meant that God would replace the unfaithful Jewish leaders (Mark 11:27; 12:12) with faithful leaders. However, the first people hearing Mark’s Gospel likely understood the others who would receive the vineyard to include the Gentile church (compare Matthew 21:43; Romans 9:25–33; 11:13–24).

In this way, the parable of Jesus is connected to the coming destruction of Jerusalem (Mark 11:15–19; 13:1–37; 14:58; 15:29).

In his second rhetorical question, Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22–23. The stone the builders rejected, representing the Son, has become the cornerstone of God's kingdom (compare Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:4, 6–7). Traditionally, this phrase refers to a cornerstone buried in the foundation. But it could also mean the capstone at the top of a building, marking its completion. In either case, it was the most important stone.

Although the builders, representing the religious leaders, rejected the stone, their actions still took place according to God’s will (Acts 4:28). God used even their evil intentions to accomplish his plan, which is wonderful to see. Those who put Jesus to death became instruments in God’s purpose for the Son of Man "to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

the leaders: For the second time, the crowd stopped their evil plans (see 11:31–32; 14:1–2).

After they failed to question the authority of Jesus, his enemies tried to turn the people against him. From the beginning, it is clear that the Pharisees and the supporters of Herod (see 3:6) were not sincere. They were trying to trap Jesus so he would say something that could lead to his arrest.

The question Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? was carefully planned. It put Jesus in a difficult situation where any answer seems wrong. If he said yes, the people might turn against him, because they hated Roman rule and taxes. If he said no, he could

taxes: The Greek word refers to a poll tax, a tax each person paid to the government (compare Luke 2:1–2 and Acts 5:37).

• Jesus gave a surprising response that showed his wisdom.

• a denarius: The tax likely had to be paid using Roman coins.

The picture and title on the coin were almost certainly of Tiberius Caesar, who ruled from AD 14 to 37. The inscription (words written on the coin) said, “Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Son of [the] Divine Augustus” on one side and “High Priest” on the other.

Give to Caesar what is Caesar's: The words of Jesus should not be understood as support for anti-Roman revolutionaries who opposed paying taxes to Caesar. Elsewhere, Jesus clearly rejected the violent goals of such groups (see Matthew 5:9, 39, 41; 26:52).

At the same time, Jesus was not simply supporting Roman rule. Loyalty and service to God come first because God’s authority is greater than Caesar’s. Like the evil tenants in the previous parable, the religious leaders had failed to give God what rightly belonged to him.

• This is the third controversy story of the series begun in 11:27. As in most New Testament references to the Sadducees, the setting is the temple (Matthew 22:23–33; Luke 20:27–40; Acts 4:1–3; 5:12, 17; 22:30–23:10; the exceptions are Matthew 3:7; 16:1–12).

• The Sadducees’ question (Mark 12:19–23) was carefully crafted and based on a commandment of Moses (Deuteronomy 25:5–6; see Genesis 38:6–11; Ruth 4:1–22). Since all seven men could not have the woman as wife in the resurrection, and since none of them had a special claim, the Sadducees thought that they had proven the absurdity of the doctrine of the resurrection and refuted the Pharisees and Jesus (compare Matthew 12:41–42; Luke 16:19–31; see also Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34).

This is the only place in Mark where the Sadducees are mentioned by name, although they are included in references to the leading priests (see 8:31; 10:33; 11:18, 27). Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection from the dead (see Acts 4:1–2; 23:8).

• The Sadducees based their views only on the books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).

• Like the Pharisees (12:14), they addressed Jesus as Teacher. The Sadducees often debated with religious teachers (see Josephus, Antiquities 18.1.4).

• Jesus gave two answers. First, he corrected the Sadducees because they did not understand the Scriptures (the Old Testament). The resurrection of the dead is shown most clearly in the Prophets (Isaiah 26:19; Ezekiel 37:1–14) and the Writings (Job 19:26; Psalms 16:9–11; 49:15; 73:23–26; Daniel 12:2). But the Sadducees accepted only the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy). So Jesus answered them from the Torah.

  God called himself “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6, 15–16). This showed that God’s covenant (binding relationship) with the patriarchs could not be ended by death. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive to God (Matthew 8:11–12; 13:17; Luke 16:19–31; John 8:56). God is the God of the living, not the dead. This means that God’s relationship with his people continues after physical death.

• Second, Jesus corrected the Sadducees because they did not understand God’s power. They thought resurrection life would be the same as mortal life. But resurrection life is new and different. In that life, people will not need sexual reproduction because there will be no more death. Marriage will no longer have the same role. Believers will share full fellowship with God and with all God’s people (Mark 10:29–30; Matthew 19:28–29; Luke 18:29–30; Revelation 21:1–4). In this way, resurrected believers will be like the angels in heaven.

• The answer Jesus gave shows his wisdom before his opponents. It also confirmed the hope of resurrection for his followers. Jesus is "the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). He has defeated death. He promises that all who believe in him will "not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

After the three hostile challenges in 11:27–12:27, we might expect the next question to Jesus to be hostile (see 11:28; 12:13, 15, 19–23). However, this question was different. Earlier in Mark, the teachers of religious law usually opposed Jesus (2:6–7, 16; 3:22; 7:1, 5; 8:31; 9:14; 10:33; 11:18, 27). Jesus also warned the crowds about their lack of honesty (12:38–40). But this teacher spoke respectfully to Jesus and even praised him (12:28, 32–33). Jesus said the man answered wisely and was "not far from the kingdom of God" (12:34).

“Which commandment is the most important of all?”: The Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) contains 613 separate commandments, and Jewish teachers frequently debated about which were more important than others. No command was considered unimportant, but some were recognized as more fundamental than others (see Matthew 22:40).

Rabbi Hillel’s answer to this question was, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor” (Babylonian Shabbat 31a; see also Tobit 4:15). Other suggestions included Proverbs 3:6; Isaiah 33:15–16; 56:1; Amos 5:4; Micah 6:8; and Habakkuk 2:4.

• Jesus answered by joining two commands from different parts of the Torah.

• The first, Deuteronomy 6:4–5, was likely the most well-known passage in the Old Testament. Faithful Jews repeated it twice each day. It is called the Shema because it starts with the word Listen (Hebrew shema‘). This command matches the first part of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2–11), which focuses on a person’s relationship with God.

• God’s oneness is central to Jewish and Christian monotheism (belief in one God). It is the foundation for the command to love God fully—with all one's heart (thinking and affection), soul (desire and feeling), mind (understanding), and strength (energy and power).

• The second command comes from Leviticus 19:18. It matches the second part of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12–17), which concerns relationships with other people. This command is based on the natural tendency of people to care for themselves. Its importance in the early church is shown by how often it is repeated (Matthew 5:43–44; 19:19; 25:31–46; Romans 13:8–10; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8; Didache 1.2; 2.7).

  These two commands are closely connected and together form one commandment. This connection rejects a mysticism concerned only with a person's relationship with God or a humanism concerned only with human relationships.

The scribe’s affirmation adds emphasis to the importance of these two commands for authentic devotion.

The account ends with Jesus praising the teacher of religious law for understanding that these two commands were more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices (see Hosea 6:6). We remain uncertain about what happened to this man. He was close to the kingdom of God, but did he enter it? Mark might have left this question open so each person would consider, Have I entered the kingdom of God?

After answering many questions, most of them from opponents, Jesus asked a question of his own (see 8:27; Matthew 17:25; 21:31; Luke 10:36). The Messiah was commonly called the Son of David because of passages like Isaiah 9:2–7; 11:1–5; Jeremiah 23:5–6; 33:15–16; Ezekiel 34:23–24; 37:24–28.

Jesus did not deny that the Messiah was a descendant of David (Mark 10:47–48; 11:10; see Romans 1:3–4). Instead, he showed that this title alone was not enough to describe the Messiah. The Messiah is much greater than only a son of David.

Psalm 110:1 is the Old Testament verse most quoted in the New Testament. Since David wrote the psalm, the statement "The Lord [God] said to my [David’s] Lord [the Messiah]," shows that the Messiah is David’s Lord. So, the Messiah is not just David’s son. He is the Son of God and Man who sits at God’s right hand (Mark 14:62). He will come to judge the world (8:38; 13:24–27, 32–37).

• the scribes: See 1:22. This warning is similar to the one against the Pharisees and Herod in 8:15. The scribes violated the two greatest commandments (12:30–31). They broke the first commandment by not loving God and by seeking respect and praise for themselves instead of reserving it for God.

• long robes: These were likely clothes worn by religious men. To receive greetings perhaps meant being called Rabbi (see Matthew 23:7). The chief seats were in the front of the synagogue facing the congregation.

• The teachers of religious law broke the second command by failing to love their neighbors, as was seen in their cheating widows of their property. They clearly were cheating the most vulnerable and needy people despite God’s concern for widows (Deuteronomy 14:29; Psalms 68:5; 146:9; Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 7:6; 49:11) and his condemnation of those who mistreat them (Isaiah 1:23; Ezekiel 22:7; Zechariah 7:10; Malachi 3:5). The teachers of religious law showed false holiness through outward religious actions (see Matthew 6:5–6; Luke 18:11–12).

• These men will receive greater condemnation: This refers to the final judgment (Mark 9:42–48; see Luke 14:11).

The word treasury can refer to a building in the temple area where they stored temple money. Here, it refers to one of thirteen money chests into which gifts were placed.

As Jesus watched, many rich people put in large amounts. Then, he noticed one poor widow who put in two small copper coins. (The Roman term quadrans suggests Mark wrote his Gospel for the church in Rome; see Mark Book Introduction, “Audience.”) These two coins were worth only one sixty-fourth of a denarius, which was a normal day’s pay (Matthew 20:1–2).

This story about a poor widow shows the difference between the religious leaders who were not sincere and those who truly love God (12:38–40). The focus of the passage is on the statement from Jesus, Truly I tell you, where the widow is said to have given more than the rich people.

Jesus called his disciples to hear his teaching (see 3:23; 6:7; 8:1; 10:42; see also 7:14; 8:34). In 12:43, Jesus showed a big difference between his thinking and that of the world. No one would have named a building after the widow for her gift of two small coins, but Jesus and his Father look at a person’s heart (1 Samuel 16:7). The widow was doing exactly what Jesus told the rich young ruler to do (Mark 10:21) and what he taught his disciples (1:18, 20; 8:34–37; 10:28–29). Like the woman in 14:3–9, the poor widow loved God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength (12:30).