Mark 12 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - Mark) Free Bible Online

Mark 12

1 - He began to speak to them in parables."A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the wine press, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country.

2 - When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard.

3 - They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty.

4 - Again, he sent another servant to them; and they threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.

5 - Again he sent another; and they killed him; and many others, beating some, and killing some.

6 - Therefore still having one, his beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

7 - But those farmers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'

8 - They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

9 - What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.

10 - Haven't you even read this Scripture:'The stone which the builders rejected,the same was made the head of the corner.

11 - This was from the Lord,it is marvelous in our eyes'?"Psalm 118:22-23

12 - They tried to seize him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them. They left him, and went away.

13 - They sent some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to him, that they might trap him with words.

14 - When they had come, they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you are honest, and don't defer to anyone; for you aren't partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

When they had come, they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you are honest, and don't defer to anyone; for you aren't partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

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15 - Shall we give, or shall we not give?"But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them,"Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius, that I may see it."

16 - They brought it.He said to them,"Whose is this image and inscription?"They said to him, "Caesar's."

17 - Jesus answered them,"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."They marveled greatly at him.

18 - There came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection. They asked him, saying,

19 - "Teacher, Moses wrote to us, 'If a man's brother dies, and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.'

20 - There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.

21 - The second took her, and died, leaving no children behind him. The third likewise;

22 - and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died.

23 - In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as a wife."

24 - Jesus answered them,"Isn't this because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God?

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

26 - But about the dead, that they are raised; haven't you read in the book of Moses, about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?Exodus 3:6

27 - He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are therefore badly mistaken."

28 - One of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together. Knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the greatest of all?"

29 - Jesus answered,"The greatest is, 'Hear, 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.'Deuteronomy 6:4-5This is the first commandment.

31 - The second is like this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'Leviticus 19:18There is no other commandment greater than these."

32 - The scribe said to him, "Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he,

33 - and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

34 - When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him,"You are not far from God's Kingdom."No one dared ask him any question after that.

35 - Jesus responded, as 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 in the Holy Spirit,'The Lord said to my Lord,"Sit at my right hand,until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet."'Psalm 110:1

37 - Therefore David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?"The common people heard him gladly.

38 - In his teaching he said to them,"Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces,

39 - and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts:

40 - those who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

41 - Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much.

42 - A poor widow came, and she cast in two small brass coins, which equal a quadrans coin.

43 - He called his disciples to himself, and said to them,"Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury,

44 - for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on."

The Book of Mark

Mark 1:15 - And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark 2:12 - And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

Mark in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

Painting of St. Mark by Titian - 1560

Introduction to The Gospel of Mark

The Word Gospel. The second book of the English Bible that most of us read from is the Gospel of Mark. Mark is the second of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of The Book of Mark

Brief Summary. Jesus of Nazareth is the suffering servant who came to die for the sins of all men. He did His work and "immediately" went to the cross, so be encouraged all who are suffering because Christ suffered for you.

Purpose. The Book of Mark is the shortest of the 4 Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus Christ. and he seems to write his account of the Gospel of Christ with a sense of urgency. He mentions the word "immediately" 27 times. In Mark many times Jesus exercises actions rather than words, which would impress his Roman readers who the Book seems to be addressing. He portrays Jesus as a man of power and miracles, who could set aside the laws of nature at will. Yet this powerful Son of God was the suffering servant who would give up His life as a ransom for all mankind (Mark 10:45). The clear purpose of mark was to encourage those suffering persecution that their master suffered first, and He suffered for them.

Audience. Apparently Mark wrote his Gospel account to encourage gentile Christians in Rome who were facing the persecutions of the Emperor Nero. History is clear about the atrocious behavior of the Romans and especially the insanity of Nero. The other evidence that scholars bring up concerning mark's audience as being gentiles is the fact that Mark does not deal with Jewish Laws and he only quotes one prophecy from the Old Testament. There is also careful thought into explaining Jewish customs and idioms. (See Mark 3:7; 5:41; 7:2; 10:46; 14:36; 15:34; 9:43; 14:12; 15:42).

Authorship. The gospel of Mark does not proclaim who the author is within the document, yet the information that we know about Mark can be seen in the writer of this gospel. It is evident that the writer was Jewish, he was a Christian, and he was familiar with every day Jewish life, as well as the Jewish Scriptures. We know from the Scriptures that Mark was Jewish, and he knew the teachings of Jesus very well. He also knew the teachings of the rest of the apostles. It is also important to notice that after Peter was imprisoned he went to the house of Mary, the mother of Mark (Acts 12:12-17). Also Peter mentions in his epistle "my son Mark" (1 Peter 5:13). During Paul's missionary journeys Mark became a companion of Paul and Barnabas, and he left them at Perga in Pamphylia (Acts 13:13), after Paul had rebuked him. Many years later Mark regained the favor of Paul  (Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11). Early Church tradition unanimously ascribes the second gospel to Mark as a companion of Peter and the writer of the second Gospel. One prologue to the Gospels which was written around 160 AD has this statement: "Mark� Was Peter's interpreter, and after Peter's decease wrote down this gospel in the region of Italy." Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian also attest to Mark as the author.

Location. Nothing in the Gospel of Mark indicates where it was written from. Most of the early writers who boast of Mark as the author also name Rome as the place it was written.

Date. Early Christian writers and traditions place the Gospel of Mark sometime close to the end of Peter's life, around 60-65 AD. Most scholars agree that the Gospel of Mark was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, while the Second Temple in Jerusalem was still standing (Mark 13:1-2). Many scholars do not believe in the miracle of predictive prophecy and argue that the Gospel of Mark was written after the fall of Jerusalem, because of the accurate details of the events that Jesus spoke about.  Mark's Gospel account seems to have been written as encouragement to the Christians who were facing the persecution of the Emperor Nero which took place in 64 AD.

Outline of the Book of Mark

The Servant Comes - Chapter 1:1-13
The Servant's Work - Chapters 1:14-13:37
The Servant's Death - Chapters 14:1-15:47
The Servant's Resurrection - Chapter 16:1-20

The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

Mark Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire