The Parable of the Vineyard Owner
1 ThenHe began to speak to them in parables:“A man planted a vineyard,put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away.
2 At harvest time he senta slaveto the farmers to collect some of the fruitof the vineyard from the farmers.
3 But they took him, beathim, and sent him away empty-handed.
4 Again he sent another slave to them, and theyhit him on the head and treated him shamefully.
5 Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; they beat some and they killed some.
6 “He still had one to send, a belovedson. Finallyhe sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But those tenant farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours! ’
8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “Therefore, what will the ownerof the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers and give the vineyard to others.
10 Haven’t you read this Scripture:
Thestone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
11 This came from the Lord
and is wonderful in our eyes? ”
12 Because they knew He had said this parable against them, they were looking for a way to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd. So they left Him and went away.
God and Caesar
13 Thenthey sent some of the Phariseesand the Herodiansto Him to trap Him by what He said.
14 When they came, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know You are truthful and defer to no one, for You don’t show partialitybut teach truthfully the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxesto Caesar or not?
15 Should we pay, or should we not pay? ”
But knowing their hypocrisy,He said to them,“Why are you testingMe? Bring Me a denariusto look at.”
16 So they brought one.“Whose imageand inscriptionis this? ”He asked them.
“Caesar’s,” they said.
17 Then Jesus told them,“Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”And they were amazedat Him.
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
18 SomeSadducees,who say there is no resurrection,came to Him and questioned Him:
19 “Teacher,Moseswrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaves his wife behind, and leaves no child,his brother should take the wifeand produce offspring for his brother.
20 There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying, left no offspring.
21 The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise.
22 So the sevenleft no offspring. Last of all, the woman died too.
23 In the resurrection, when they rise,whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her? ”
24 Jesus told them,“Are you not deceived because you don’t know the Scripturesor the powerof God?
25 For when they risefrom the dead,they neither marry nor are given in marriagebut are like angelsin heaven.
26 Now concerning the dead being raised — haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him: Iam the God of Abrahamand the God of Isaacand the God of Jacob?
27 He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are badly deceived.”
The Primary Commands
28 Oneof the scribesapproached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all? ”
29 “This is the most important,”Jesus answered:
Listen, Israel! The Lordour God, the Lordis One.
30 Lovethe Lord your Godwith all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,and with all your strength.
31 “The second is: Love your neighboras yourself.There is no other commandgreater than these.”
32 Then the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher! You have correctly said that He is One, and there is no oneelse except Him.
33 And to loveHim with all your heart, with all your understanding,and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him,“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”And no one daredto question Him any longer.
The Question about the Messiah
35 SoJesus asked this question as He taught in the temple complex,“How can the scribessay that the Messiahis the Son of David?
36 Davidhimself says by the Holy Spirit:
The Lorddeclared to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand
until I put Your enemies under Your feet.’
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how then can the Messiah be his Son? ”And the large crowd was listening to Him with delight.
Warning against the Scribes
38 Healso said in His teaching,“Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes,and who want greetings in the marketplaces,
39 the front seatsin the synagogues,and the places of honorat banquets.
40 They devourwidows’houses and say long prayersjust for show. These will receive harsher punishment.”
The Widow’s Gift
41 Sittingacross from the temple treasury,He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many richpeople were putting in large sums.
42 And a poorwidow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.
43 Summoning His disciples,He said to them,“I assure you:This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury.
44 For they all gave out of their surplus,but she out of her povertyhas put in everything she possessed— all she had to live on.”
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MRK/12-6c5ff1725c0c822e5bced4368b6e9612.mp3?version_id=72—