Mark 12

Mark 12:1

And Christ spake many parables unto them, all pertinent to the rebuking of them for their unbelief, as first, that mentioned Matt. xxi. 28, and then, secondly, this here, Matt. xxi. 33, of a man that planted a vineyard,—

Mark 12:10

Psalm cxviii. 22, Isaiah xxviii. 16, Matt. xxi. 42, Acts iv. 11, Rom. ix. 33, 1 Peter ii. 7.

Mark 12:12

And they were willing to find some justifiable occasion to apprehend him, being somewhat restrained by fear of the people, and yet being much incensed against him, (for they knew that he had designed these parables particularly to pourtray them,) but in fine they let him alone at present and departed.

Mark 12:13

Soon after, being willing to get some accusation against him, they sent some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians together to him, the Pharisees that thought not Cæsar to have right over Judæa, but looked on him as an usurper; and the Herodians, (see note [b] on Matt. xxii.) which asserted his right, that between them they might bring him to say somewhat either against the liberty of the people of God, asserted by the Pharisees, or against the power of the Roman emperor, asserted by the others; perhaps also suspecting, by his frequent being in Galilee, (and his apostles most of them being born there,) that he was of the sect and doctrine of the Galileans, that no acknowledgment or tribute was to be paid to the emperor.

a that thou wilt freely speak thy mind what danger soever come of it, and not suffer the fear of Cæsar to restrain thee from telling us the will of God.

b the treacherousness of their design under those fair words, said unto them—

Mark 12:14

[a] tribute] Judas of Galilee (called indifferently Gaulonita and Galileus) was, saith Josephus, head of a fourth sect among the Jews, (see Antiq. I. 18. c. 2.) and having Saddok a Pharisee joined to him, he solicited the people to defection, telling them that God was to be their only master and prince, and no mortal to be acknowledged such; that the requiring a tax from them, if it were paid by them, was a manifest profession of servitude, and that it was their duty to vindicate their liberty, by which means he raised a great sedition among the Jews, and was the cause, under pretence of defending the public liberty, of innumerable mischiefs to the nation. Of this sect, it is possible, they suspected Christ might be a favourer, and the rather for his being counted a Galilean, and that therefore they now come and ask him this question. And though he answer most punctually in favour of the Roman emperor, and so much more for the paying than for the refusing to pay tribute, yet, because there was so much caution in his speech, as that the Pharisees were not able to take any advantage against him, it is therefore improved into an accusation against him, that he forbad to give tribute to Cæsar, Luke xxiii. 20, see note [b] Matt. xxii. That which is in the printed copies κῆνσον, tax, or tribute, is in the old Greek and Latin MSS., which Th. Beza sent to the University of Cambridge, ἐπικεφάλιον, head money.

Mark 12:27

And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,

Those therefore were then alive when God said this of them, which was long after their death: ye therefore—

• understanding, ver. 33, and with—

Mark 12:30

Was John, that received proselytes by baptism, sent with commission from God or no? m a prophet sent with commission from God. ### CHAP. XII.

Mark 12:33

And the real substantial performance of all duties both towards God and man is to be preferred before all those ritual performances that religion is generally placed in.

Mark 12:40

Matt. xxiii. 14. h in the temple over against the chest, into which the free-will offerings were cast for pious and charitable uses, Luke xxi. 1.

Mark 12:44

[b] want] To discern the meaning of ὑστίρησις, or ὑστίρημα, among the scripture writers, it will not be amiss to look on it a little in the Old Testament, Ezra vi. 9, where ὁ ἐν ὑστίρημα (whereby ומה חשוון is rendered) signifies that which they have need of; for the word חשוון signifies oportuit, necesse habuit, indiguat, to want, or have need of; and so ἐκ τῆς ὑστεστήσεως here, and ἐκ τοῦ ὑστερήματος, Luke xxi. 4, will be rendered out of her necessaries, out of that which was necessary to her, out of that which she wanted for herself, out of her very low estate or extremity, (as appears by that which follows, ὅλον τὸν βίον αὐτῆς, all her provision, all that she had to live or subsist on,) as that is opposed to ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύοντος, out of that which those others had to spare. Thus Phil. iv. 11, καθ’ ὑστίρησιν, in respect of a very low estate, wherein he had no more than absolute necessaries, (with which, saith he, he had learned to be content,) expressed by ταπεινοῦσθαι, being abased, or very low, ver. 12; both which are opposed to περισσεύειν there, when πεινᾶν, hungering, is opposed to χορτάζεσθαι, feeding full. So 1 Cor. xvi. 17, ὑμῶν ὑστίρημα οὗτοι ἀνεπλήρωσαν, that which you ought to have done, and