Mark 12

The chapter belongs to the period of Jesus' Jerusalem ministry in the latter part of the Gospel of Mark. The conflict with the chief priests, scribes, and elders who challenged Jesus' authority at the end of Mark 11 continues in this chapter, with the temple as its setting.

Outline

• Verses 1-12 The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen. The husbandmen beat and kill the servants sent by the owner of the vineyard, and finally kill even his beloved son. Jesus quotes the words about "the stone which the builders rejected." His hearers recognize that the parable is aimed at them and seek to lay hold on him, but they fear the multitude.
• Verses 13-17 The Pharisees and the Herodians ask whether it is lawful to give tribute to Caesar. Jesus asks to be shown a denarius and answers on the basis of the image and superscription on it (Mark 12:13-17).
• Verses 18-27 The Sadducees, who deny the resurrection, pose a question about seven brothers and one wife. Jesus cites the passage about the burning bush and answers that God is "the God of the living."
• Verses 28-34 A scribe asks which is the first commandment. Jesus names love for God and love for one's neighbor, and tells him, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:28-34).
• Verses 35-37 Citing Psalm 110, Jesus asks how the Christ, whom David calls "Lord," can be the son of David.
• Verses 38-40 Jesus warns his hearers to beware of the scribes, who love long clothing and the chief seats and who devour widows' houses.
• Verses 41-44 A poor widow casts two mites into the treasury. Jesus says that she has cast in more than all the others, because she gave all her living.

Key Verses

• Mark 12:17 "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" — the verse most often cited in discussions of the relationship between faith and state power.
• Mark 12:30-31 "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart… Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" — a summary of the whole law in two commandments.
• Mark 12:44 "She of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living" — reflecting a view that measures the size of a gift by the giver's circumstances rather than by the amount.

People and Places

• Jesus: Remains in the temple and teaches throughout the chapter.
• Pharisees, Herodians, Sadducees, and scribes: Groups of Jewish leaders who pose questions in turn.
• Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David: Mentioned as Jesus and his questioners cite the Old Testament.
• Caesar: A title referring to the Roman emperor.
• The poor widow: A woman whose name has not been preserved. The two mites were the smallest coin denomination of the time.
• The Jerusalem Temple: The setting of every exchange in this chapter.

Points for Reflection

• The Old Testament passages cited are as follows: verses 10-11 cite Psalm 118:22; verse 19 cites the levirate marriage provision of Deuteronomy 25 (the practice by which, if a man died childless, his brother took the widow as his wife to raise up offspring for him); verse 26 cites Exodus 3; and verses 29-31 cite Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19. Psalm 118:22 is also quoted in Acts 4:11 and 1 Peter 2:7, and Psalm 110:1 appears again in Acts and Hebrews.
• Some read verse 17 as a call to distinguish the spheres of church and state; others read it as a statement that relativizes the state by showing that it, too, stands under God's sovereignty. Together with Romans 13, the verse is treated in discussions of the church and politics.
• Verses 41-44 have traditionally been read as an example of sacrificial giving. Other interpreters, however, read the scene together with the immediately preceding verse 40, "which devour widows' houses," and see it as a critique of a temple system that placed burdens on the poor.
• Parallel material appears in Matthew 21-22 and Luke 20-21.

In the Korean Church

The story of the widow's two mites is widely cited in sermons on the proper attitude toward giving. The two commandments of verses 30-31 are frequently used in Sunday school lessons and as memory verses.