Day 40 – Tuesday, February 25, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Mark 12

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

Parable of the Vineyard Owner

Matt. 21:33–46; Luke 20:9–19

1 Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. ² Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. ³ And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. ⁵ And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. ⁶ Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷ But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.⁹ “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Have you not even read this Scripture:‘The stone which the builders rejectedHas become the chief cornerstone.¹¹ This was the Lord’s doing,And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”¹² And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 12:1–12.

Points to Ponder:

• This passage parallels the parable in Matthew 21.
• The vineyard owner leases out the vineyard to stewards. They harvest a crop of grapes. The owner then sent to get his part of the proceeds, but they beat and killed his servants, twice!
• Finally, he sent his son to collect, because he felt they would respect him. Instead, they killed him and presumed to take possession of the vineyard.
• Jesus then asked what will the owner do? He will bring an army and destroy the stewards. He then helps them understand that the owner is God the Father, and the son is the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
• Those who kill the Son will one day see the error of their ways in judgment. Do not reject the Son!

Question of Taxes

Matt. 22:15–22; Luke 20:20–26

¹³ Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. ¹⁴ When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? ¹⁵ Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” ¹⁶ So they brought it.And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”And they marveled at Him.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 12:13–17.

Points to Ponder:

• The Jewish leaders then sent Pharisees and followers of Herod to trick Jesus.
• They asked if they should pay taxes to Caesar. The Herodians would have surely reported Jesus answer if it broke the law of Caesar.
• He asked for a denarius, the day’s wage coin. He then asked who was on it. They answered that Caesar was on the coin.
• In His wisdom, He told them to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s, and to God what was God’s
• They marveled at His wisdom and had no answer.

Question of the Resurrection

Matt. 22:23–33; Luke 20:27–40

¹⁸ Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: ¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁰ Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. ²¹ And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. ²² So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. ²³ Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”²⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? ²⁵ For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ²⁶ But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, 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 the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 12:18–27.

Points to Ponder:

• The Saducees then came to test Jesus, presenting a scenario—also found in Matthew 22–that proposed a man married to a wife who died without an heir. Per Jewish tradition, the next brother would marry her to provide his brother an heir.
• Each brother died, and then the wife. Whose wife would she be in heaven?
• Jesus told them that they were mistaken. Marriage is not a need or a happening in heaven, so they would not be married in heaven, but be like the angels.
• He then again is recorded as reminding them that the Bible said that Yahweh was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Although they died on earth, they must be alive in heaven, because God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
• Heaven is not earth. It is better. We do not need the fleshly fulfillment there that we seek here. We will be like God and the angels.

Question of the Greatest Commandment

Matt. 22:34–40

²⁸ Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”²⁹ Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. ³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”³² So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. ³³ And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”³⁴ Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”But after that no one dared question Him.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 12:28–34.

Points to Ponder:

• A scribe came, impressed with Jesus’ responses, and asked what was the first commandment of all.
• Jesus went back to the schema from Deuteronomy 6. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then He shared a second commandment, to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
• He declared that there was no other commandment greater.
• The scribe welcomed Jesus’s response, and Jesus commended His response, and said he was not far from the kingdom.
• The crowds were stunned, and asked no more questions.

Jesus Questions the Leaders

Matt. 22:41–45; Luke 20:41–44

³⁵ Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? ³⁶ For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:‘The Lord said to my Lord,“Sit at My right hand,Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’³⁷ Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?”And the common people heard Him gladly.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 12:35–37.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus then shared a perplexing thought.
• People described the Christ as the son of David. He speculated that this was not possible, since David called Him Lord.
• How can David’s Lord be his Son?
• At this, the common people saw Him as a hero.

Jesus Condemns the Leaders

Matt. 23:1–14; Luke 20:45–21:4

³⁸ Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, ³⁹ the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, ⁴⁰ who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”⁴¹ Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. ⁴² Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. ⁴³ So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; ⁴⁴ for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 12:38–44.

Points to Ponder:

• Finally, this chapter concludes with an admonition to beware of the teachings of men, especially the scribes who parade around in long robes and desire preference among the people.
• They look for people’s adulation and offer pretentious long prayers.
• But then He observed a widow putting two copper pennies (mites) into the treasury. Jesus pointed out that most people gave offerings from their abundant pockets of money, whereas the widow gave all that she had, from her poverty.
• He stated that she gave all that she had, and expression of strong faith and obedience to God. Let’s all take that example to heart.

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page.