February 25: Mark 12
The Parable of the Tenants
12 Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: âThere once was a man who planted a vineyard[a] and put a secure fence around it.[b] He dug a pit for its winepress and erected a watch tower. Then he leased it to tenant-farmers and traveled abroad. 2 When the time of harvest came, he sent one of his servants[c] to the tenants to collect the landownersâ share of the harvest. 3 But the tenants seized him and beat him and sent him back empty-handed. 4 So the owner sent another servant to them. And that one they shamefully humiliated and beat over the head.[d] 5 So he sent another servant, and they brutally killed him. Many more servants were sent, and they were all severely beaten or killed. 6 The owner had only one person left to sendâhis only son, whom he dearly loved. So he sent him to them, saying, âSurely they will restrain themselves[e] and respect my son.â 7 But the tenants saw their chance and said to one another, âThis is the heir. Come! Letâs kill him, and then weâll inherit it all!â 8 So they violently seized him, killed him, and threw his body over the fence![f] 9 So what do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? He will come and put to death those tenants and give his vineyard to others.[g] 10 Havenât you read what the psalmist said?
The stone the builders examined and rejected
  has become the cornerstone,
  the most important stone of all?[h]
11 This was the Lordâs planâ
  and he[i] is wonderful for our eyes to behold!â[j]
12 Now, the chief priests, religious scholars, and leaders realized that Jesusâ parable was aimed at them. They had hoped to arrest him then and there, but they feared the reaction of the crowd, so they left him alone and went away.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
13 Then they sent a delegation of Pharisees, together with some staunch supporters of Herod, to entrap Jesus with his own words. 14 So they approached him and said, âTeacher, we know that youâre an honest man of integrity and you teach us the truth of Godâs ways. We can clearly see that youâre not one who speaks only to win the peopleâs favor, because you speak the truth without regard to the consequences.[k] So tell us, then, what you think. Is it proper for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?â
15 Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said to them, âWhy are you testing me? Show me one of the Roman coins.â 16 They brought him a silver coin used to pay the tax.
âNow, tell me,â Jesus said, âwhose head is on this coin and whose inscription is stamped on it?â
âCaesarâs,â they replied.[l]
17 Jesus said, âPrecisely. The coin bears the image of the emperor Caesar, so you should pay the emperor his portion. But because you bear the image of God,[m]you must give back to God all that belongs to him.â And they were utterly stunned by Jesusâ words.
A Question about Marriage
18 Some of the Sadducees, a religious group that denied there was a resurrection of the dead, came to ask Jesus this question: 19 âTeacher, the law of Moses teaches[n] that if a man dies before he has children, his brother should marry the widow and raise up children for his brotherâs family line. 20 Now, there was a family with seven brothers. The oldest got married but soon died, and he had no children. 21 The second brother married his oldest brotherâs widow, and he also died without any children, and the third also. 22 This repeated down to the seventh brother, none of whom had children. Finally, the woman died. 23 So hereâs our dilemma: Which of the seven brothers will be the womanâs husband when sheâs resurrected from the dead, since they all were once married to her?â
24 Jesus answered them, âYou are deluded[o] because your hearts are not filled with the revelation of the Scriptures or the power of God. 25 For when they rise from the dead, men and women will not marry, just like the angels of heaven donât marry. 26 Now, concerning the resurrection, havenât you read in the Torah[p] what God said to Moses at the burning bush? âI AM the living God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacobâ?[q] 27 God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, and you are all badly mistaken!â[r]
The Greatest Commandment
28 Now a certain religious scholar overheard them debating. When he saw how beautifully Jesus answered all their questions, he posed one of his own, and asked him, âTeacher, which commandment is the greatest of all?â
29 Jesus answered him, âThe most important of all the commandments is this: âThe Lord Yahweh, our God, is one!â[s] 30 You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, with every thought that is within you, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment. 31 And the second is this: âYou must love your neighbor[t] in the same way you love yourself.â You will never find a greater commandment than these.â
32 The religious scholar replied, âYes, thatâs true, Teacher. You spoke beautifully when you said that God is one, and there is no one else besides him.[u] 33 And there is something more important to God than all the sacrifices and burnt offerings: itâs the commandment to constantly love God with every passion of your heart, with your every thought, and with all your strengthâand to love your neighbor in the same way as you love yourself.â
34 When Jesus noticed how thoughtfully and sincerely the man answered, he said to him, âYouâre not far from the reality of Godâs kingdom realm.â[v] After that, no one dared to question him again.
Jesus, Son of DavidâLord of David
35 While Jesus was teaching in the courts of the temple, he posed a question to those listening: âWhy do the religious scholars say that the Messiah is Davidâs son? 36 Yet it was David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, who sang:
The Lord Jehovah said to my Lord,
  âSit near me in the place of authority
  until I subdue all your enemies under Your feet.â[w]
37 Since David calls him Lord, how can he be his son?â
The large crowd that had gathered around Jesus took delight in hearing his words.
Jesus Warns Against the Religious Scholars
38 Jesus also taught the people, âBeware of the religious scholars.[x] They love to parade around in their clergy robes and be greeted with respect on the street.[y]39 They crave to be made the leaders of synagogue councils,[z] and they push their way to the head table at banquets. 40 For appearanceâs sake, they will pray long religious prayers at the homes of widows for an offering, cheating them out of their very livelihood.[aa] Beware of them all, for they will one day be stripped of honor, and the judgment they receive will be severe.â
The Widowâs Offering
41 Then he sat down near the offering box, watching all the people dropping in their coins. Many of the rich would put in very large sums, 42 but a destitute widow walked up and dropped in two small copper coins, worth less than a penny. 43 Jesus called his disciples to gather around and then said to them, âI tell you the truth, this poor widow has given a larger offering than any of the wealthy. 44 For the rich only gave out of their surplus, but she sacrificed out of her poverty and gave to God all that she had to live on, which was everything she had.â
