1
Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put a hedge around it. He dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and went into another country.

2
And at the proper time he sent a servant to the tenant farmers to receive from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.

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

4
Then he sent another servant to them. This one they struck on the head and treated shamefully.

5
Then he sent another, and this one they killed. And many others he sent, some they beat and some they killed.

6
Now there was only one left, his beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

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

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

9
Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenant farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.

10
Have you never read this scripture:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone:

11
this was from the Lord, a marvelous thing in our eyes.'”

12
Then they tried to seize Jesus, because they knew that He had spoken the parable against them. But they feared the crowd, so they left Him and went away.

13
Then they sent some Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to trap Him in a question.

14
Those men came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful, and You do not fear anyone, for You do not show partiality, but truly teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar, or not? Should we pay, or should we not pay?”

15
But Jesus, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius, so that I may look at it.”

16
So they brought one. Then He asked them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They answered, “Caesar’s.”

17
Then Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were greatly amazed at Him.

18
Some Sadducees came to Jesus, who say that there is no resurrection. They asked him:

19
“Teacher, Moses wrote this command for us: If a man has a brother and dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must marry the wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

20
There were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died, leaving no offspring.

21
The second also married her and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise.

22
And so it was with the seven; they left no offspring. Last of all, after them all, the woman also died.

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

24
Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

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

26
And concerning the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?

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

28
Then one of the scribes, hearing Jesus and the Sadducees disputing and knowing that Jesus had answered them well, came and asked him, “Which commandment is the most important?”

29
Jesus answered, “The most important is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

30
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

31
And the second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

32
Then the scribe said to Jesus, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken truly that he is one, and that there is no other besides him.

33
And 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 far more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

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

35
At one time, while Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said: “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David?

36
David himself, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, said:

The Lord said 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 he be his son?” And the great crowd listened to him with delight.

38
In his teaching Jesus said: “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes and to receive greetings in the marketplaces,

39
and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,

40
who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive a more severe judgment.”

41
And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and watched how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.

42
Then a poor widow came and put in two mites, which make a farthing.

43
And he called his disciples to him and said to them: “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are putting money into the treasury.

44
For they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, even all her living.”

📖 Mark 12 – The Parable, Wisdom, and a Heart that Loves God

🧾 Summary of Mark 12

In Mark 12, Jesus comes face to face with the religious leaders through various parables and discussions. He reveals the character of God, who is just and full of love, emphasizes love as the greatest commandment, and commends the faith and sincerity of a poor widow.

Main Points:

The Parable of the Vineyard Tenants (verses 1–12):
- A vineyard owner leased his vineyard to tenants. When the owner’s servants were sent to collect the fruit, they were mistreated.
- Finally he sent his son, but the son was also killed.
- This is a parable about Israel rejecting the prophets and in the end killing God’s own Son—Jesus.
- The religious leaders realized that they were the ones meant and wanted to seize him.
The Question about Paying Taxes to Caesar (verses 13–17):
- They tried to trap Jesus with the question: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”
- Jesus answered with wisdom:
  “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.”
Question about the Resurrection (verses 18–27):
- The Sadducees (who do not believe in the resurrection) asked about a woman who had been married seven times.
- Jesus affirmed that in the resurrection there is no marriage as in this world, and that God is the God of the living, not of the dead.
The Greatest Commandment (verses 28–34):
- A scribe asked, “Which commandment is the greatest?”
- Jesus’ answer:
  “Love the Lord your God… and love your neighbor as yourself.”
- The scribe acknowledged the truth of Jesus’ words, and Jesus said:
  “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Question about David’s Son (verses 35–37):
- Jesus asked how the Messiah could be called “Son of David,” when David himself called Him “Lord.”
- This declares the divinity of the Messiah—greater than being only a descendant of David.
Jesus Condemns the Scribes (verses 38–40):
- They love honor and fine clothing, but they oppress widows.
- Jesus warned that they would receive a greater judgment.
The Poor Widow’s Offering (verses 41–44):
- A poor widow gave two mites, all that she had to live on.
- Jesus praised that she gave more than all the rich people, because she gave out of her lack in faith.

📘 Main Teachings of Mark 12

God has sent His Son—Jesus—but the world rejected Him.
Heavenly wisdom distinguishes between worldly duty and responsibility to the Lord.
The resurrection is real; God is the God of the living.
Love for God and neighbor is the heart of all the law.
Jesus is the divine Messiah, not merely a man.
The Lord looks at the heart, not the amount; true giving comes from faith and sacrifice.

✨ Spiritual Meaning of Mark 12

We are called to be faithful tenants—not rejecting the Lord who owns our lives.
True spiritual life is not about ritual, but sincere love for God and neighbor.
The Lord’s praise is not directed to splendor, but to a heart surrendered like the poor widow’s.
Jesus teaches truth with wisdom and love, while also challenging hypocrisy.