The Grace Commentary – Your free verse-by-verse Bible commentary Mark 12

Mark 12:1

And he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put a wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.

(una) Parables. A parable is a short story or word picture with a hidden or parabolic meaning. See entrada for Matt. 13:3.

(si) A man. The man or landowner is God. This would have been obvious to any Jewish listener. The Jews had been raised on the teachings of prophets and rabbis who frequently spoke of Israel as being God’s vineyard (e.g., Is. 5:1–7).

(c) The vineyard represents the people of God, which in Old Testament times meant Israel. “The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel” (Isa. 5:7; see also Ps. 80: 8–9, Jer. 2:21).

The Jews were God’s chosen people, called to shine a heavenly light in a dark and depraved world. They were tenants or stewards of God’s favor, earthly representatives of his kingdom. But the sons of the kingdom rebelled and lost their favored position at Abraham’s table (Matt. 8:12). As a result, God gave the vineyard to others (Matt. 21:43).

(d) The wall, winepress and tower represent the blessings of protection, prosperity and peace given to the people of God. These blessings were promised to the descendants of Abraham and are ours in Christ (Gal. 3:14, 29).

This good landowner provides his tenants with many good things. He digs a pit, builds a wall, and erects a tower. The tenants don’t have to do a thing except tend the vines and reap the harvests. “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?” (Is. 5:4). In the same way, God shows great favor to us. He watches over us, provides for us, and gives us peace. We don’t have to do a thing except receive the harvest of grace.

(mi) The vine-growers or tenants were sharecroppers who tended the vineyard and paid an annual rent in crops. If the vineyard represents Israel, the tenants were Israel’s leaders, namely the chief priests, the elders, Pharisees and the other members of the ruling Sanhedrin who are standing in front of Jesus (see Matt. 21:23, 45).

The Lord entrusted the care of the nation to the priestly caste. The priests’ job was to elevate the word of God and cultivate the fruit of faith. If they had done their job, the nation would have been ready to receive the Messiah when he came. But they disobeyed God, mistreated his prophetic messengers, and then killed the Son he sent.

(F) Journey. There is no special significance to the journey other than to indicate the owner’s absence. According to Luke the landowner was gone a long time (Luke 20:9).

At the foot of Mt. Sinai, the Jews had an encounter with the Lord (Ex. 19:17–20). But since then he had been hardly sighted. It was as though he had gone on a journey. In their minds he had been gone a long time.

Mark 12:2

“At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers.

(una) Harvest time was when the landowner sent slaves to collect the annual rent from the vine-growers.

(si) Slave. The three slaves mentioned here and in verses four and six represent the Old Testament prophets, wise men and scribes (Matt. 23:34) who regularly challenged Israel’s leaders and encouraged the Jews to turn to God in faith.

(C) His produce. The fruit that God seeks is faith. Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

For three years Jesus had been encouraging people to repent and believe the good news of the kingdom. A few believed, but many didn’t because the religious leaders hindered them (Matt. 23:13, Luke 11:52). Instead of proclaiming, “Jesus is the Messiah we’ve been waiting for,” they opposed him at every turn and persecuted those who followed him.

A few hours earlier, Jesus had cursed a fruitless fig tree (Matt. 21:18–19). It was a symbolic act done in response to Israel’s faithlessness. The withered fig tree and the wicked vine-growers represent the unbelieving Jews and their fruitless leaders.

(d) The vine-growers; ver verso anterior.

Mark 12:3

“They took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

Beat him; ver entrada for Mark 12:5.

Mark 12:4

“Again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.

(una) Slave; ver entrada for Mark 12:2.

(si) Wounded him; see next verse.

(C) Shamefully. La palabra original (atimazo) is used to describe how the religious Jews dishonored Jesus (John 8:49) and the apostles (Acts 5:41).

Mark 12:5

“And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others.

(una) Another. Although Israel mistreated the prophets, God did not stop trying to warn them.

(si) Beating… killing. Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for their part in the ill treatment of God’s men before prophesying that they would continue to persecute and kill those he sent them (see Matt. 23:34).

God’s prophets were often mistreated by the rulers of Israel (Heb. 11:37). The Old Testament records occasions when the Lord’s prophets were rejected (2 Chr. 24:19, Jer. 7:25–27, 25:4), beaten (1 Kgs. 22:24, Jer. 20:2), killed (Neh. 9:26, Jer. 26:20–23; see also Matt. 23:34–35, Luke 13:34), and stoned (2 Chr. 24:20–21).

At this point in the story, the landowner faces a dilemma. In Luke’s account he asks, “What shall I do?” (Luke 20:13). He could send in the sheriff and have the wicked tenants run off his land. But he doesn’t do that because he is a good landowner who cares for his tenants who still hopes for the best. Instead of punishing them for their transgressions, he makes his boldest move yet.

Mark 12:6

“He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

(una) One more to send. For the landowner to send his son to these thugs seems madness. What was he thinking? Yet it is an act of stunning vulnerability, meant to shame the tenants out of their wickedness. The landowner hopes to inspire a change of heart.

In sending his son the landowner risks everything. He does this not merely to save his vineyard, but to save their tenants from themselves. It is an astounding act of good faith.

(si) A beloved son. This is a direct reference to Jesus, the beloved Son of God. See entrada for Matthew 3:17.

(C) Respect. La palabra original (entrepo) means to invert or turn in on oneself in a sense of shame. (The word is sometimes translated as shame, e.g., 1 Cor. 4:14, 2 Th. 3:14.)

Mark 12:7

“But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’

(una) The heir. Jesus is the heir of all things (Heb. 1:2).

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the younger son essentially wished his father dead so that he might enjoy his inheritance (Luke 15:12). In the same way, the tenants wished to be rid of the absent landowner even though he had been like a father to them. By killing his son they thought they could sever the relationship and go their own way.

(si) Let us kill him. It was an open secret that the religious leaders were keen to kill Jesus (John 7:25), and Jesus certainly knew the murderous intentions of their hearts (John 7:19, 25). The chief priests wanted Jesus dead because he threatened their position as the rulers of Israel (John 11:48).

(C) The inheritance will be ours. Kill the son, keep the vineyard. This line of thinking is so crazy that it beggars belief, yet it perfectly captures the motive behind the plot to assassinate Jesus.

The Sanhedrin was controlled by a former high priest called Annas. Annas had five sons and one grandson who became high priest after him, and Caiaphas, the current high priest, was his son-in-law (see entrada for John 18:13). The House of Annas ruled the ruling council that ruled Israel. But Annas et al. felt threatened by Jesus. Just the previous day, Jesus and his followers had shut down the temple (Mark 11:15–16). Who knew what Jesus might do next?

If Jesus was not stopped, the House of Annas might lose its grip on power. To protect their position – their inheritance – Annas, Caiaphas, and the other chief priests decided to kill the Son.

Mark 12:8

“They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

Out of the vineyard. Matthew and Luke say the son was taken outside the vineyard and then killed (Matt. 21:39, Luke 20:15).

Mark 12:9

“What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.

(una) What will the owner of the vineyard do? Here and in Luke’s account of the story, Jesus answers the question himself (Luke 20:16). But in Matthew’s version, Jesus puts the question to the temple leaders and they answer him (Matt. 21:41).

(si) Destroy the vine-growers. The tenants’ fate is similar to what happens to the murderers in the parable of the Wedding Banquet. They are thoroughly destroyed in a cataclysmic act of judgment (see entrada for Matt. 22:7). The landowner’s righteous wrath tells us how God will ultimately deal with those things that are opposed to him (Rom. 1:18).

(C) Give the vineyard to others. God’s vineyard will be offered to all, both Jews and Gentiles alike (see Eph. 2:11–13). Anyone who comes to God in faith will become part of God’s chosen people and his holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9). But those who reject God’s Son will lose their place having cut themselves off through unbelief (Rom. 11:20).

From Luke’s account we learn that the listening Jews were horrified by the thought that God might share their vineyard with the Gentiles. “May it never be!” (Luke 20:16). Jesus responds by saying, “This is exactly what is going to happen” (Matt. 21:43).

Mark 12:10–11

“Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

(una) The Scriptures. Jesus concludes the parable by quoting Psalm 118:22–23.

(si) Stone. The rejected son is compared to a rejected stone that is exalted to the highest place. Jesus, the Son the Jews rejected, became the foundation stone for God’s new covenant habitation (Is. 28:16, Eph. 2:20).

(C) The builders who rejected the stone were the tenants who rejected the son. Jesus is still talking about the religious leaders who questioned his authority.

The religious leaders were as proud of their temple as they were of their religion. In their minds, they had built something that would impress the Lord. But they had no place for Jesus. The Living Stone not cut with human hands (1 Pet. 2:4, Dan. 2:34) did not fit in their manmade edifice.

(d) Chief corner stone. The corner stone is the first stone laid in a new structure. It sets a mark for the rest of the building. Jesus is the corner stone on which God’s house is being built (Eph. 2:20).

(mi) Marvelous. What Satan meant for evil (the rejection and removal of Jesus), God would re-purpose for good.

The corrupt chief priests conspired to murder the Son of God in one of the most wicked schemes ever concocted. Yet their rotten plot became the basis of God’s salvation plan. It’s a sign to make us wonder.

Mark 12:12

And they were seeking to seize him, and yet they feared the people, for they understood that he spoke the parable against them. And so they left him and went away.

(una) They. The chief priests, scribes and elders who were questioning Jesus (Mark 11:27).

(si) They were seeking to seize him that very hour (Luke 20:19). The religious leaders would have killed Jesus there and then if they could (John 5:18, 11:53).

(C) Feared the people. The leaders’ attempts to arrest Jesus was thwarted by the temple crowds, so they waited for a more private moment. Two days later, and accompanied by 500 armed men, they seized him under the cover of night in the Garden of Gethsemane (see entrada for John 18:3).

(d) Parable. A parable is a short story or word picture with a hidden or parabolic meaning. See entrada for Matt. 13:3.

(mi) Against them. The religious leaders were not confused about the meaning of the parable. They understood that Jesus was speaking about them and their refusal to recognize him as the Son of God (John 5:18, 19:7).

(F) They left him alone for the time being. But two days later, and accompanied by 500 soldiers, they arrested Jesus late at night in the Garden of Gethsemane (see entrada for John 18:3).

Marcos 12:30

Y AMARÁS AL SEÑOR TU DIOS CON TODO TU CORAZÓN, Y CON TODA TU ALMA, Y CON TODA TU MENTE, Y CON TODAS TUS FUERZAS.'

(una) Ama al Señor. Bajo el antiguo pacto de guardar la ley, se te ordenó amar al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón (Deut. 6:5, 10:12). El fluir era de ti al Señor. Pero en el nuevo pacto de gracia, amamos porque él nos amó primero (1 Juan 4:19). Es porque conocemos el amor de Cristo (Efesios 3:19) que podemos caminar en su amor (Efesios 5:2), mantenernos en su amor (Judas 1:21) y permanecer en su amor. (Juan 15:9, 10, 1 Juan 4:12, 16).

(si) Toda tu alma. La palabra original para alma es psique, de donde obtenemos nuestra palabra psicología. Esta palabra se usa a veces en las Escrituras para describir la vida del alma que heredamos de Adán, en oposición a la zoe– o vida espiritual que recibimos de Jesús. Ver entrada para la Vida Nueva.

Marcos 12:31

“El segundo es este: 'AMARÁS A TU PRÓJIMO COMO A TI MISMO.' No hay otro mandamiento mayor que estos.”

(una) Ama a tu prójimo. Esta ley, que viene de la ley de Moisés (Lev. 19:18), fue citada por Jesús más de una vez (Mat. 19:19, 22:39, Lucas 10:27). Santiago la llamó la ley real (ver entrada para Jas. 2:8).

(si) Como tú mismo. “Amar a los demás como a ti mismo” puede contrastarse con “Amar a los demás como yo te he amado” (ver entrada para Juan 13:34).

Bajo el antiguo pacto, tú proveías el amor y cualquier otra cosa que fuera necesaria para cumplir la ley. Pero en el nuevo pacto, podemos amar a los demás por el amor que tenemos de Dios (1 Juan 4:19). En el antiguo, vosotros sois el suministro, pero en el nuevo, Dios suple todas nuestras necesidades conforme a sus riquezas en gloria en Cristo Jesús (Filipenses 4:19).

Mark 12:34

When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

El reino de Dios es sinónimo del reino de los cielos; ver entrada for Matt. 3:2.

Marcos 12:35

Y Jesús comenzó a decir, mientras enseñaba en el templo: “¿Cómo es que los escribas dicen que el Cristo es hijo de David?

(una) enseñado en el templo. Jesús a menudo enseñaba y predicaba el evangelio en el templo (Mateo 26:55, Lucas 20:1). Lo hizo porque allí se congregaba la gente (Lucas 21:38) y para cumplir las palabras del profeta Malaquías: “el Señor a quien vosotros buscáis, vendrá de repente a su templo” (Mal. 3:1).

(b) Scribes; ver entrada for Matt. 5:20.

The significance of David in the gospel message is that God promised David that the Messiah would come from his line (2 Sam. 2:12–13, Ps. 132:11). This promise was confirmed in the prophets (Is. 9:6–7, Jer. 23:5–6) and fulfilled in the Gospels (Matt. 1:1, 22:42, Luke 1:32, John 7:42).

Marcos 12:36

“David mismo dijo en el Espíritu Santo: 'DIJO EL SEÑOR A MI SEÑOR: SIÉNTATE A MI DIESTRA, HASTA QUE PONGA A TUS ENEMIGOS BAJO TUS PIES'.

(una) El espíritu santo también se le conoce como Espíritu de Dios o Espíritu de Cristo; ver entrada for John 14:26.

(si) El Señor. Jesús citó el Salmo 110:1 para mostrar que David se refirió al Mesías como Señor.

(d) Enemigos; ver entrada para mateo 22:44.

Marcos 12:37

“David mismo lo llama 'Señor'; entonces, ¿en qué sentido es Él su hijo?” Y la gran multitud disfrutaba escuchándolo.

Caballero. Los padres no llaman a sus hijos Señor, sin embargo, David se refirió al Mesías como Señor. ¿Cómo puede ser ambos? Los fariseos no podían responder (Mat. 22:46), pero la implicación era clara: el Mesías es más que descendiente de David, es el Señor de David. Él es más que el Hijo de David, es el Hijo de Dios.

Mark 12:40

who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”

Greater condemnation. Jesus is not saying there are levels to God’s judgment. Condemnation of any sort is self-inflicted (Matt. 12:37, John 3:18). The greater condemnation is that inflicted by the hardened and grace-resistant heart. See entrada for Matt. 23:14.

Mark 12:41

And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.

Opposite the treasury. The temple of Jerusalem was divided into courts. The inner court was called the Court of Israel, the outer court was the Court of Gentiles, and separating these two courts was the Court of the Women. When Jesus sat outside the treasury making remarks about widows and their mites, he was sitting in the Women’s Court. When he debated with the Pharisees and religious leaders, he was in the Court of Israel, because that’s where religious men hung out. And when Jesus overturned the tables, he was in the Court of the Gentiles, because that’s where the money changers and sacrificial animals were kept. There was no Court of the Women in the original temple; it was added to the second temple built by Herod. Sometime between Solomon and Herod, religious men decided that the temple designed by God could be improved if women were kept out of it. The religious leaders never taught in the Courts of the Gentiles and Women, but Jesus did because he wanted everyone to know how much God loves us.

Marcos 12:43

Y llamando a sus discípulos, les dijo: De cierto os digo, que esta viuda pobre echó más que todos los contribuyentes del arca;

esta pobre viuda. Quizás Jesús no estaba comentando tanto acerca de la generosidad de la viuda como se estaba maravillando de los ricos que roban a los pobres y “devoran las casas de las viudas” (Mateo 23:14). El poder de la religión para enriquecerse robando a los más pobres de los pobres era ofensivo para Jesús.

Otras lecturas: "Jesús es tu diezmo"

Marcos 12:44

porque todos echaron de lo que les sobraba, pero ella, de su pobreza, echó todo lo que tenía, todo lo que tenía para vivir.”

Todo lo que tenía para vivir, significaba que no le quedaba nada para pagar la comida. Las viudas del primer siglo no recibían pagos de asistencia social.

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