Mark 12

1Then he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away on a journey.

2When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the fruit of the vineyard.

3But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

4Again he sent them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.

5He sent another, and that one they killed. So it was with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.

6He still had one left, a son, whom he loved. Last of all he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

7But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

8So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

9What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.

10Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

11this came from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12They were looking for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd, for they knew he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.

13Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him to trap him in what he said.

14They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and are not concerned about anyone’s opinion, for you pay no attention to a person’s status but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay the tax to Caesar, or not?

15Should we pay, or should we not?” But he knew their hypocrisy and said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”

16They brought one. He said to them, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”

17Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” And they were utterly amazed at him.

18Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him,

19“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no child, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.

20There were seven brothers. The first married a wife and died without leaving offspring.

21The second married her and died without leaving offspring, and the third likewise.

22None of the seven left offspring. Last of all the woman also died.

23In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”

24Jesus said to them, “Is this not why you are mistaken, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?

25For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like angels in heaven.

26And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?

27He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken.”

28One of the scribes came up and heard them debating. Seeing that Jesus had answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”

29Jesus answered, “The first is this: ‘Hear, Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

32The scribe said to him, “Well said, Teacher. You are right in saying that he is one, and there is no other besides him.

33And 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 more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

35While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David?

36David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’

37David himself calls him ‘Lord’; so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd listened to him with delight.

38In his teaching he said, “Watch out for the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted in the marketplaces,

39and to have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.

40They devour widows’ houses and for show make long prayers. They will receive a more severe judgment.”

41Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and watched how the crowd was putting money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large amounts.

42A poor widow came and put in two lepta, which make a quadrans.

43Calling his disciples to him, he said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.

44For they all gave out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”