Markus 2:17

2:17 When Jesus heard this he said to them, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. ¹  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Markus 2:26

2:26 how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest ²  and ate the sacred bread, ³  which is against the law ⁴  for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to his companions?” ⁵ 

Markus 3:8

3:8 Jerusalem, ⁶  Idumea, beyond the Jordan River, ⁷  and around Tyre ⁸  and Sidon ⁹  a great multitude came to him when they heard about the things he had done.

Markus 4:10

The Purpose of Parables

4:10 When he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

Markus 4:24

4:24 And he said to them, “Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, ¹⁰  and more will be added to you.

Markus 4:31

4:31 It is like a mustard seed ¹¹  that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground –

Markus 6:55

6:55 They ran through that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever he was rumored to be. ¹² 

Markus 7:15

7:15 There is nothing outside of a person that can defile him by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles him.”

Markus 7:25

7:25 Instead, a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit ¹³  immediately heard about him and came and fell at his feet.

Markus 7:37

7:37 People were completely astounded and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Markus 10:35

The Request of James and John

10:35 Then ¹⁴  James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

Markus 10:45

10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom ¹⁵  for many.”

Markus 11:25

11:25 Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will ¹⁶  also forgive you your sins.”

Markus 11:33

11:33 So ¹⁷  they answered Jesus, ¹⁸  “We don’t know.” ¹⁹  Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you ²⁰  by what authority ²¹  I am doing these things.”

Markus 12:9

12:9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy ²²  those tenants and give the vineyard to others. ²³ 

Markus 12:38

Warnings About Experts in the Law

12:38 In his teaching Jesus ²⁴  also said, “Watch out for the experts in the law. ²⁵  They like walking ²⁶  around in long robes and elaborate greetings ²⁷  in the marketplaces,

Markus 13:14

The Abomination of Desolation

13:14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation ²⁸  standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee ²⁹  to the mountains.

Markus 13:22

13:22 For false messiahs ³⁰  and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect.

Markus 13:32

Be Ready!

13:32 “But as for that day or hour no one knows it – neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son ³¹  – except the Father.

Markus 14:31

14:31 But Peter ³²  insisted emphatically, ³³  “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.” And all of them said the same thing.

Markus 16:18

16:18 they will pick up snakes with their hands, and whatever poison they drink will not harm them; ³⁴  they will place their hands on the sick and they will be well.”

[2:17]  ¹ sn Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.

[2:26]  ² tn A decision about the proper translation of this Greek phrase (ἐπὶ ᾿Αβιαθὰρ ἀρχιερέως, ejpi Abiaqar ajrcierew") is very difficult for a number of reasons. The most natural translation of the phrase is “when Abiathar was high priest,” but this is problematic because Abiathar was not the high priest when David entered the temple and ate the sacred bread; Ahimelech is the priest mentioned in 1 Sam 21:1-7. Three main solutions have been suggested to resolve this difficulty. (1) There are alternate readings in various manuscripts, but these are not likely to be original: D W {271} it sy^s and a few others omit ἐπὶ ᾿Αβιαθὰρ ἀρχιερέως, no doubt in conformity to the parallels in Matt 12:4 and Luke 6:4; {A C Θ Π Σ Φ 074 ˹³ and many others} add τοῦ before ἀρχιερέως, giving the meaning “in the days of Abiathar the high priest,” suggesting a more general time frame. Neither reading has significant external support and both most likely are motivated by the difficulty of the original reading. (2) Many scholars have hypothesized that one of the three individuals who would have been involved in the transmission of the statement (Jesus who uttered it originally, Mark who wrote it down in the Gospel, or Peter who served as Mark’s source) was either wrong about Abiathar or intentionally loose with the biblical data in order to make a point. (3) It is possible that what is currently understood to be the most natural reading of the text is in fact not correct. (a) There are very few biblical parallels to this grammatical construction (ἐπί + genitive proper noun, followed by an anarthrous common noun), so it is possible that an extensive search for this construction in nonbiblical literature would prove that the meaning does involve a wide time frame. If this is so, “in the days of Abiathar the high priest” would be a viable option. (b) It is also possible that this phrasing serves as a loose way to cite a scripture passage. There is a parallel to this construction in Mark 12:26: “Have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush?” Here the final phrase is simply ἐπὶ τοῦ βάτου (ejpi tou batou), but the obvious function of the phrase is to point to a specific passage within the larger section of scripture. Deciding upon a translation here is difficult. The translation above has followed the current consensus on the most natural and probable meaning of the phrase ἐπὶ ᾿Αβιαθὰρ ἀρχιερέως: “when Abiathar was high priest.” It should be recognized, however, that this translation is tentative because the current state of knowledge about the meaning of this grammatical construction is incomplete, and any decision about the meaning of this text is open to future revision.

[2:26]  ³ tn Grk “the bread of presentation.”

[2:26]  sn The sacred bread refers to the “bread of presentation,” “showbread,” or “bread of the Presence,” twelve loaves prepared weekly for the tabernacle and later, the temple. See Exod 25:30; 35:13; 39:36; Lev 24:5-9. Each loaf was made from 3 quarts (3.5 liters; Heb “two tenths of an ephah”) of fine flour. The loaves were placed on a table in the holy place of the tabernacle, on the north side opposite the lampstand (Exod 26:35). It was the duty of the priest each Sabbath to place fresh bread on the table; the loaves from the previous week were then given to Aaron and his descendants, who ate them in the holy place, because they were considered sacred (Lev 24:9). See also Matt 12:1-8, Luke 6:1-5.

[2:26]  ⁴ sn Jesus’ response to the charge that what his disciples were doing was against the law is one of analogy: “If David did it for his troops in a time of need, then so can I with my disciples.” Jesus is clear that on the surface there was a violation here. What is not as clear is whether he is arguing a “greater need” makes this permissible or that this was within the intention of the law all along.

[2:26]  ⁵ sn See 1 Sam 21:1-6.

[3:8]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:8]  ⁷ tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).

[3:8]  ⁸ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[3:8]  ⁹ sn These last two locations, Tyre and Sidon, represented an expansion outside of traditional Jewish territory. Jesus’ reputation continued to expand into new regions.

[3:8]  map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[4:24]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “by [the measure] with which you measure it will be measured to you.”

[4:31]  ¹¹ sn Mustard seeds are known for their tiny size.

[6:55]  ¹² tn Grk “wherever they heard he was.”

[7:25]  ¹³ sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

[10:35]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[10:45]  ¹⁵ sn The Greek word for ransom (λύτρον, lutron) is found here and in Matt 20:28 and refers to the payment of a price in order to purchase the freedom of a slave. The idea of Jesus as the “ransom” is that he paid the price with his own life by standing in humanity’s place as a substitute, enduring the judgment that was deserved for sin.

[11:25]  ¹⁶ tn Although the Greek subjunctive mood, formally required in a subordinate clause introduced by ἵνα ({ina), is traditionally translated by an English subjunctive (e.g., “may,” so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), changes in the use of the subjunctive in English now result in most readers understanding such a statement as indicating permission (“may” = “has permission to”) or as indicating uncertainty (“may” = “might” or “may or may not”). Thus a number of more recent translations render such instances by an English future tense (“will,” so TEV, CEV, NLT, NASB 1995 update). That approach has been followed here.

[11:33]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[11:33]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “answering, they said to Jesus.” The participle ἀποκριθέντες (apokriqentes) is redundant, but the syntax of the phrase has been modified to conform to English style.

[11:33]  ¹⁹ sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them (“We do not know”). The point of Mark 11:27-33 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.

[11:33]  ²⁰ sn Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.

[11:33]  ²¹ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 28.

[12:9]  ²² sn The statement that the owner will come and destroy those tenants is a promise of judgment; see Luke 13:34-35; 19:41-44.

[12:9]  ²³ sn The warning that the owner would give the vineyard to others suggests that the care of the promise and the nation’s hope would be passed to others. This eventually looks to Gentile inclusion; see Eph 2:11-22.

[12:38]  ²⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:38]  ²⁵ tn Or “for the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[12:38]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.

[13:14]  ²⁸ sn The reference to the abomination of desolation is an allusion to Dan 9:27. Though some have seen the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the actions of Antiochus IV (or a representative of his) in 167 b.c., the words of Jesus seem to indicate that Antiochus was not the final fulfillment, but that there was (from Jesus’ perspective) still another fulfillment yet to come. Some argue that this was realized in a.d. 70, while others claim that it refers specifically to Antichrist and will not be fully realized until the period of the great tribulation at the end of the age (cf. Mark 13:19, 24; Matt 24:21; Rev 3:10).

[13:14]  ²⁹ sn Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.

[13:22]  ³⁰ tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[13:32]  ³¹ sn The phrase nor the Son has caused a great deal of theological debate because on the surface it appears to conflict with the concept of Jesus’ deity. The straightforward meaning of the text is that the Son does not know the time of his return. If Jesus were divine, though, wouldn’t he know this information? There are other passages which similarly indicate that Jesus did not know certain things. For example, Luke 2:52 indicates that Jesus grew in wisdom; this has to mean that Jesus did not know everything all the time but learned as he grew. So Mark 13:32 is not alone in implying that Jesus did not know certain things. The best option for understanding Mark 13:32 and similar passages is to hold the two concepts in tension: The Son in his earthly life and ministry had limited knowledge of certain things, yet he was still deity.

[14:31]  ³² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:31]  ³³ tn Grk “said emphatically.”

[16:18]  ³⁴ tn For further comment on the nature of this statement, whether it is a promise or prediction, see ExSyn 403-6.