Once in Jerusalem, Jesus continues to teach in parables. The nation of Israel that it is not ready for what is to come.
Mark 12:1-11, The vineyard and its servants
He then began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
"Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully.
"He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
"He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, `They will respect my son.'
"But the tenants said to one another, `This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
"What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. Haven't you read this scripture: "`The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes' ?"
Who is the son in this parable? Who is the vineyard planter? Who are the other characters? Do the listeners understand the parable? As a Gentile believer, I echo the psalmist: "The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes." (The quote in verse 11 is from Psalm 118:22-23.)
He then began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
"Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully.
"He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
"He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, `They will respect my son.'
"But the tenants said to one another, `This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
"What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. Haven't you read this scripture: "`The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes' ?"
Who is the son in this parable? Who is the vineyard planter? Who are the other characters? Do the listeners understand the parable? As a Gentile believer, I echo the psalmist: "The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes." (The quote in verse 11 is from Psalm 118:22-23.)
Mark 12:12, Too many people for an arrest
Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.
The tension builds.
Mark 12:13-17, Another trap, this one on paying taxes!
Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we?"
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it."
They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied.
Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him.
Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we?"
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it."
They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied.
Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him.
Note that the Herodians are included in this conversation! Loyal to Herod, the Herodians would have immediately seized upon any statement challenging King Herod's Roman authority. The hope that Jesus will be tricked into "speaking with integrity" against the Romans. Yet Jesus sidesteps the nasty politics and insists on a spiritual message, that one needs to give to God what is God's.
One should never allow one's political affections to become an idol, replacing allegiance to the eternal Kingdom of God.
One should never allow one's political affections to become an idol, replacing allegiance to the eternal Kingdom of God.
Mark 12:18-27, A favorite puzzle of the Sadducees
Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too.
Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too.
At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"
Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
"Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, `I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
"You are badly mistaken!"
The Sadducees were very proud of this little conundrum. It put belief in a resurrection in direct conflict with instructions of Moses about marriage. But the conundrum was caused by a naive assumption that the situations addressed by Moses carried on past the resurrection. The Sadducees made this simplistic assumption because they had not thought very carefully about the resurrection. In my experience, many religious (and political) arguments are of this nature. They only work with those who have not thought very deeply about the topic. (See Facebook for many examples!)
The quote in verse 26 is from Exodus 3:6.
The quote in verse 26 is from Exodus 3:6.
The religious leaders will continue to challenge Jesus during his last week in Jerusalem. His deftness and turning aside these challenges will eventually take him to the cross.
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