Jesus answers the question not only with the first commandment, citing Deuteronomy 6:4-5, but a second: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” from Leviticus 19:18. Finally a scribe comes the closest to an honest question concerning what is first and foremost in the Law: “Which commandment is the first of all?” (12:28). The Saducees likewise ask a question concerning the resurrection, even when they don’t believe in the resurrection. These unlikely foes join forces in an attempt to entrap Jesus with a question about taxes to the emperor. The Pharisees and Herodians are two groups that have nothing to do with each other politically and religiously. Finally Jesus will turn tables on all of them and confound them with his question (12:35-37). So they left him and went away” (12:12).Īll of this leads to our text as one by one the religious leaders come forth to put Jesus to the test with a series of questions: the Pharisees and Herodians (12:13-17) the Sadducees (12:18-27) and one of the scribes (12:28-34). Recognizing that Jesus’ parable and the Psalm have expressed the word of God the evangelist concludes: “When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. Jesus confirms the judgment of the parable from Psalm 118:22: “Have you not read this scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?” (12:10-11). The identity of the owner as God and the son as Jesus in the parable is unmistakable.įollowing the parable, Jesus asks of his hearers, “What will the owner of the vineyard do?”, and answers the question himself, “He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others” (12:9). Knowing he is the heir they kill him and throw him out of the vineyard.Īs a side note before we go any further, the identity of the owner’s son is the same as the voice from heaven at Jesus’ baptism, “You are my Son, the Beloved” (Mark 1:11), and transfiguration, “This is my Son, the Beloved” (Mark 9:7). Finally the owner sends “a son, the beloved” (12:6), thinking they will respect him. The succession of the owner’s slaves to collect the share of the produce of the vineyard meets with beatings, insults and even death. The parable of the wicked tenants is a graphic clue as to how confrontational Jesus’ teaching will be. Mark 12:1-12 continues Jesus’ teaching the religious leaders by setting the next stage with a parable. Jesus has gained the upper hand and responds: “Neither will I tell you by what authority/power (Greek: exousia) I am doing these things” (11:33). Jesus’ hearers know they have been caught by either their denial or affirmation and so give a dishonest answer: “We do not know” (11:35). Jesus confounds his hearers by asking a counter question: “Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” (11:30). The follow up on this event with the parable or the sign of the fig tree’s significance (11:20-26) occurs between the second and third visit to the temple.Īs Jesus enters the temple for the third time, the question of his authority/power (Greek: exousia) is raised. The cursing of the fig tree occurs (11:12-14) between the first and second visit. He enters the temple three times (11:11, 15, 27), and each time the encounter with the present temple practice becomes more and more intense. The teaching of Jesus in Jerusalem is confrontational. The setting for the gospel text for Pentecost 22, November 1 (also All Saints Day), within the gospel of Mark is crucial to understanding of Mark 12:28-34.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |