Markus 12:13-17
Konteks12:13 Then 1 they sent some of the Pharisees 2 and Herodians 3 to trap him with his own words. 4 12:14 When they came they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and do not court anyone’s favor, because you show no partiality 5 but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 6 Is it right 7 to pay taxes 8 to Caesar 9 or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” 12:15 But he saw through their hypocrisy and said 10 to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius 11 and let me look at it.” 12:16 So 12 they brought one, and he said to them, “Whose image 13 is this, and whose inscription?” They replied, 14 “Caesar’s.” 12:17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 15 And they were utterly amazed at him.
Markus 12:32-33
Konteks12:32 The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him. 16 12:33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength 17 and to love your neighbor as yourself 18 is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Markus 12:38-44
Konteks12:38 In his teaching Jesus 19 also said, “Watch out for the experts in the law. 20 They like walking 21 around in long robes and elaborate greetings 22 in the marketplaces, 12:39 and the best seats in the synagogues 23 and the places of honor at banquets. 12:40 They 24 devour widows’ property, 25 and as a show make long prayers. These men will receive a more severe punishment.”
12:41 Then 26 he 27 sat down opposite the offering box, 28 and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. 12:42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, 29 worth less than a penny. 12:43 He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth, 30 this poor widow has put more into the offering box 31 than all the others. 32 12:44 For they all gave out of their wealth. 33 But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.” 34
[12:13] 1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[12:13] 2 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
[12:13] 3 sn Pharisees and Herodians made a very interesting alliance. W. W. Wessel (“Mark,” EBC 8:733) comments: “The Herodians were as obnoxious to the Pharisees on political grounds as the Sadducees were on theological grounds. Yet the two groups united in their opposition to Jesus. Collaboration in wickedness, as well as goodness, has great power. Their purpose was to trip Jesus up in his words so that he would lose the support of the people, leaving the way open for them to destroy him.” See also the note on “Herodians” in Mark 3:6.
[12:13] 4 tn Grk “trap him in word.”
[12:14] 5 tn Grk “and it is not a concern to you about anyone because you do not see the face of men.”
[12:14] 6 sn Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians was specifically designed to trap Jesus.
[12:14] 7 tn Or “lawful,” that is, in accordance with God’s divine law. On the syntax of ἔξεστιν (exestin) with an infinitive and accusative, see BDF §409.3.
[12:14] 8 tn According to L&N 57.180 the term κῆνσος (khnso") was borrowed from Latin and referred to a poll tax, a tax paid by each adult male to the Roman government.
[12:14] sn This question concerning taxes was specifically designed to trap Jesus. If he answered yes, then his opponents could publicly discredit him as a sympathizer with Rome. If he answered no, then they could go to the Roman governor and accuse Jesus of rebellion.
[12:14] 9 tn Or “the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
[12:15] 10 tn Grk “Aware of their hypocrisy he said.”
[12:15] 11 tn Here the specific name of the coin was retained in the translation, because not all coins in circulation in Palestine at the time carried the image of Caesar. In other places δηνάριον (dhnarion) has been translated simply as “silver coin” with an explanatory note.
[12:15] sn A denarius was a silver coin stamped with the image of the emperor and worth approximately one day’s wage for a laborer.
[12:16] 12 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate their response to Jesus’ request for a coin.
[12:16] 13 tn Or “whose likeness.”
[12:16] sn In this passage Jesus points to the image (Grk εἰκών, eikwn) of Caesar on the coin. This same Greek word is used in Gen 1:26 (LXX) to state that humanity is made in the “image” of God. Jesus is making a subtle yet powerful contrast: Caesar’s image is on the denarius, so he can lay claim to money through taxation, but God’s image is on humanity, so he can lay claim to each individual life.
[12:16] 14 tn Grk “they said to him.”
[12:17] 15 sn Jesus’ answer to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s was a both/and, not the questioners’ either/or. So he slipped out of their trap.
[12:32] 16 sn A quotation from Deut 4:35.
[12:33] 17 sn A quotation from Deut 6:5.
[12:33] 18 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
[12:38] 19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:38] 20 tn Or “for the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
[12:38] 21 tn In Greek this is the only infinitive in vv. 38-39. It would be awkward in English to join an infinitive to the following noun clauses, so this has been translated as a gerund.
[12:38] 22 sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.
[12:39] 23 sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21.
[12:40] 24 tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 38.
[12:40] 25 tn Grk “houses,” “households”; however, the term can have the force of “property” or “possessions” as well (O. Michel, TDNT 5:131; BDAG 695 s.v. οἶκια 1.a).
[12:41] 26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[12:41] 27 tc Most
[12:41] 28 tn On the term γαζοφυλάκιον (gazofulakion), often translated “treasury,” see BDAG 186 s.v., which states, “For Mk 12:41, 43; Lk 21:1 the mng. contribution box or receptacle is attractive. Acc. to Mishnah, Shekalim 6, 5 there were in the temple 13 such receptacles in the form of trumpets. But even in these passages the general sense of ‘treasury’ is prob., for the contributions would go [into] the treasury via the receptacles.” Based upon the extra-biblical evidence (see sn following), however, the translation opts to refer to the actual receptacles and not the treasury itself.
[12:41] sn The offering box probably refers to the receptacles in the temple forecourt by the Court of Women used to collect freewill offerings. These are mentioned by Josephus, J. W. 5.5.2 (5.200); 6.5.2 (6.282); Ant. 19.6.1 (19.294), and in 1 Macc 14:49 and 2 Macc 3:6, 24, 28, 40 (see also Luke 21:1; John 8:20).
[12:42] 29 sn These two small copper coins were lepta (sing. “lepton”), the smallest and least valuable coins in circulation in Palestine, worth one-half of a quadrans or 1/128 of a denarius, or about six minutes of an average daily wage. This was next to nothing in value.
[12:43] 30 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[12:43] 31 tn See the note on the term “offering box” in v. 41.
[12:43] 32 sn Has put more into the offering box than all the others. With God, giving is weighed evaluatively, not counted. The widow was praised because she gave sincerely and at some considerable cost to herself.
[12:44] 33 tn Grk “out of what abounded to them.”
[12:44] 34 sn The contrast between this passage, 12:41-44, and what has come before in 11:27-12:40 is remarkable. The woman is set in stark contrast to the religious leaders. She was a poor widow, they were rich. She was uneducated in the law, they were well educated in the law. She was a woman, they were men. But whereas they evidenced no faith and actually stole money from God and men (cf. 11:17), she evidenced great faith and gave out of her extreme poverty everything she had.
