The Gospel According to St. Mark

⭑ Douay-Rheims :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 12 -

(Matthew 21:33–46; Luke 20:9–18)

And he began to speak to them in parables: A certain man planted a vineyard and made a hedge about it, and dug a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it to husbandmen; and went into a far country.

And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant to receive of the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.

Who having laid hands on him, beat him, and sent him away empty.

And again he sent to them another servant; and him they wounded in the head, and used him reproachfully.

And again he sent another, and him they killed: and many others, of whom some they beat, and others they killed.

Therefore having yet one son, most dear to him; he also sent him unto them last of all, saying: They will reverence my son.

But the husbandmen said one to another: This is the heir; come let us kill him; and the inheritance shall be ours.

And laying hold on him, they killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those husbandmen; and will give the vineyard to others.

And have you not read this scripture, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner:

By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.

And they sought to lay hands on him, but they feared the people. For they knew that he spoke this parable to them. And leaving him, they went their way.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

(Matthew 22:15–22; Luke 20:19–26)

And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians; that they should catch him in his words.

Who coming, say to him: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker, and carest not for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar; or shall we not give it?

Who knowing their wiliness, saith to them: Why tempt you me? bring me a penny that I may see it.

And they brought it him. And he saith to them: Whose is this image and inscription? They say to him, Caesar’s.

And Jesus answering, said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

(Matthew 22:23–33; Luke 20:27–40)

And there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying:

Master, Moses wrote unto us, that if any man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

Now there were seven brethren; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no issue.

And the second took her, and died: and neither did he leave any issue. And the third in like manner.

And the seven all took her in like manner; and did not leave issue. Last of all the woman also died.

In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise again, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

And Jesus answering, saith to them: Do ye not therefore err, because you know not the scriptures, nor the power of God?

For when they shall rise again from the dead, they shall neither marry, nor be married, but are as the angels in heaven.

And as concerning the dead that they rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You therefore do greatly err.

The Greatest Commandment

(Deuteronomy 6:1–19; Matthew 22:34–40)

And there came one of the scribes that had heard them reasoning together, and seeing that he had answered them well, asked him which was the first commandment of all.

And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.

And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

And the scribe said to him: Well, Master, thou hast said in truth, that there is one God, and there is no other besides him.

And that he should be loved with the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength; and to love one’s neighbour as one’s self, is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices.

And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

(Matthew 22:41–46; Luke 20:41–44)

And Jesus answering, said, teaching in the temple: How do the scribes say, that Christ is the son of David?

For David himself saith by the Holy Ghost: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool.

David therefore himself calleth him Lord, and whence is he then his son? And a great multitude heard him gladly.

Beware of the Scribes

(Luke 20:45–47)

And he said to them in his doctrine: Beware of the scribes, who love to walk in long robes, and to be saluted in the marketplace,

And to sit in the first chairs, in the synagogues, and to have the highest places at suppers:

Who devour the houses of widows under the pretence of long prayer: these shall receive greater judgment.

The Widow’s Offering

(Luke 21:1–4)

And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many that were rich cast in much.

And there came a certain poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing.

And calling his disciples together, he saith to them: Amen I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury.

For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want cast in all she had, even her whole living.

(Matthew 21:33–46; Luke 20:9–18)

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Haven’t you even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner.

This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’?” (a)

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.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

(Matthew 22:15–22; Luke 20:19–26)

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

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?

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.”

They brought it. He said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”

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.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

(Matthew 22:23–33; Luke 20:27–40)

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

“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.’

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

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

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

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

Jesus answered them, “Isn’t this because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God?

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

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’? (b)

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

The Greatest Commandment

(Deuteronomy 6:1–19; Matthew 22:34–40)

One of the scribes came and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”

Jesus answered, “The greatest is: ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ (c) This is the first commandment.

The second is like this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (d) There is no other commandment greater than these.”

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

and to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, 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.”

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.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

(Matthew 22:41–46; Luke 20:41–44)

Jesus responded, as he taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

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.”’ (e)

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

Beware of the Scribes

(Luke 20:45–47)

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,

and to get the best seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts,

those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Offering

(Luke 21:1–4)

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

A poor widow came and she cast in two small brass coins,(f) which equal a quadrans coin.(g)

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,

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

Footnotes

(a)12:11 ℘ Psalms 118:22-23

(b)12:26 ℘ Exodus 3:6

(d)12:31 ℘ Leviticus 19:18

(e)12:36 ℘ Psalms 110:1

(f)12:42 literally, lepta (or widow’s mites). Lepta are very small brass coins worth half a quadrans each, which is a quarter of the copper assarion. Lepta are worth less than 1% of an agricultural worker’s daily wages.

(g)12:42 A quadrans is a coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius. A denarius is about one day’s wages for an agricultural laborer.