Holman Christian Standard Bible (298 page)

12
 Because they knew He had said this parable against them, they were looking for a way to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd. So they left Him and went away.

God and Caesar

13
 Then they sent some of the
•Pharisees
 and the
•Herodians
 to Him to trap Him by what He said.
14
 When they came, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know You are truthful and defer to no one, for You don't show partiality but teach truthfully the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
15
 Should we pay, or should we not pay? ”

But knowing their hypocrisy, He said to them,
“Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a
•denarius
 to look at.”
16
 So they brought one.
“Whose image and inscription is this? ”
He asked them.

“Caesar's,” they said.

17
 Then Jesus told them,
“Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
 And they were amazed at Him.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

18
 Some 
•Sadducees
, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and questioned Him:
19
 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that
if a man's brother dies
, leaves his wife behind, and
leaves no child,
 
his brother should take the wife
 
and produce
•offspring
for his brother.
20
 There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying, left no offspring.
21
 The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise.
22
 So the seven left no offspring. Last of all, the woman died too.
23
 In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her? ” 

24
 Jesus told them,
“Are you not deceived because you don't know the Scriptures or 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
 Now concerning the dead being raised — haven't you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him:
I
 
am the God of Abraham
 
and the God of Isaac
 
and the God of Jacob
?
27
 He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are badly deceived.”

The Primary Commandments

28
 One of the
•scribes
 approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all? ” 

29
 “This is the most important,”
 Jesus answered:

32
 Then the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher! You have correctly said that He is One, and there is no one else except Him. 
33
 And to love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 

34
 When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him,
“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
 And no one dared to question Him any longer.

The Question about the Messiah

35
 So Jesus asked this question as He taught in the
•temple
complex, 
“How can the scribes say that the
•Messiah
 is the Son of David? 
36
 David himself says by the Holy Spirit:
 

37
 David himself calls Him ‘Lord'; how then can the Messiah be his Son? ”
And the large crowd was listening to Him with delight.

Warning against the Scribes

38
 He also said in His teaching,
“Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes, and who want greetings in the marketplaces, 
39
 the front seats in the
•synagogues
, and the places of honor at banquets. 
40
 They devour widows' houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive harsher punishment.”

The Widow's Gift

41
 Sitting across from the temple treasury, He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums.
42
 And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. 
43
 Summoning His disciples, He said to them,
“
•I assure you
: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. 
44
 For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed  — all she had to live on.”
 

Mark

Destruction of the Temple Predicted

13
As He was going out of the
•temple
complex, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings! ” 

2
 Jesus said to him,
“Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down! ”

Signs of the End of the Age

3
 While He was sitting on the
•Mount
of Olives across from the temple complex, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,
4
 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to take place? ”

5
 Then Jesus began by telling them:
“Watch out that no one deceives you.
6
 Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,' and they will deceive many.
7
 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don't be alarmed; these things must take place, but the end is not yet.
8
 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines.
 
These are the beginning of birth pains.
 

Persecutions Predicted

The Great Tribulation

14
 “When you see the
abomination that causes desolation
standing where it should not”
(let the reader understand ),
“then those in Judea must flee to the mountains!
15
 A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house. 
16
 And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. 
17
 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days!
18
 Pray it
 
won't happen in winter.
19
 For those will be days of tribulation, the kind that hasn't been from the beginning of the world,
which God created, until now and never will be again!
20
 Unless the Lord limited those days, no one would survive.
 
But He limited those days because of the elect, whom He chose.
 

21
 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the
•Messiah
! Look — there! ' do not believe it!
22
 For false messiahs
 
and false prophets will rise up and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
23
 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.

The Coming of the Son of Man

24
 “But in those days, after that tribulation:
 

26
 Then they will see the
•Son
of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 
27
 He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
 

The Parable of the Fig Tree

28
 “Learn this parable from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 
29
 In the same way, when you see these things happening, know
 
that He
 
is near — at the door!
30
 
•I assure you
: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.
31
 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
 

No One Knows the Day or Hour

32
 “Now concerning that day or hour no one knows — neither the angels in heaven nor the Son  — except the Father. 
33
 Watch! Be alert!
 
For you don't know when the time is coming.
 
34
 It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his
•slaves
, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert.
35
 Therefore be alert, since you don't know when the master of the house is coming — whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning.
36
 Otherwise, he might come suddenly and find you sleeping. 
37
 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert! ”

Mark

The Plot to Kill Jesus

14
After two days it was the
•Passover
 and the Festival of
•Unleavened
Bread. The
•chief
priests and the
•scribes
 were looking for a treacherous way to arrest and kill Him. 
2
 “Not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be rioting among the people.”

The Anointing at Bethany

3
 While He was in Bethany at the house of Simon who had a serious skin disease, as He was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of pure and expensive fragrant oil of nard. She broke the jar and poured it on His head. 
4
 But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this fragrant oil been wasted?
5
 For this oil might have been sold for more than 300
•denarii
 and given to the poor.” And they began to scold her.

6
 Then Jesus said,
“Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for Me.
7
 You always have the poor with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have Me. 
8
 She has done what she could; she has anointed My body in advance for burial. 
9
 
•I assure you
: Wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

10
 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to hand Him over to them.
11
 And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him silver. So he started looking for a good opportunity to betray Him.

Preparation for Passover

12
 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb, His disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare the Passover so You may eat it? ”

13
 So He sent two of His disciples and told them,
“Go into the city, and a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him.
14
 Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room for Me to eat the Passover with My disciples? ” '
15
 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.”
16
 So the disciples went out, entered the city, and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.