Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve Mk. 12:1. And He began to speak to them in parables: A certain man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, and dug a winepress, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went away. Mk. 12:2. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, to receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. Mk. 12:3. But they, having seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Mk. 12:4. Again he sent to them another servant; and at him they threw stones, wounding him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. Mk. 12:5. He sent yet another: and him they killed, and many others, beating some and killing some. Mk. 12:6. But having yet one son, his beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying: They will reverence my son. Mk. 12:7. But the vinedressers said to one another: this is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours. Mk. 12:8. And they seized him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. Mk. 12:9. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and put the vinedressers to death, and give the vineyard to others. The vineyard signifies the Jewish people, which the Lord planted: "Protect," it is said, "that which Thy right hand hath planted" (Ps. 79:16), and Moses says: "Bring him in and plant him in the mountain of Thine inheritance" (Ex. 15:17). By the "hedge" is understood the Law, which did not allow the Jews to mingle with other nations. The "tower" is the temple, which was magnificent. By the "winepress" is signified the altar, upon which sacrificial blood was poured out. God gave His people over to "vinedressers," that is, to the teachers and rulers of the Jews, each in their own time. He sent first one servant, that is, as one may suppose, the prophets who lived around the time of Elijah, for example Micaiah, whom the false prophet Zedekiah struck (3 Kings 22:24); He sent another, whose head they wounded with stones and thus subjected to utter disgrace — this may be referred to the times of Hosea and Isaiah; He sent also a third servant, which may be understood of the prophets of the time of the Jewish captivity, for example Daniel and Ezekiel. Finally, God sent His Son (who is called a man on account of His love for mankind), saying: "They will reverence My Son." He said this knowing what they would do to His Son, but expressing what, according to His intention, ought to have been and what was possible. But the wicked husbandmen, knowing that this was the Heir of the vineyard, led Him out of the vineyard, that is, out of Jerusalem, and put Him to death. Christ was indeed crucified outside the city. For this reason the Lord of the vineyard, the Father of the slain Son, or rather, the slain Son Himself, will destroy those husbandmen, delivering them over to the Romans, and will give His vineyard to other husbandmen, that is, to the apostles. Do you wish to know how the apostles cultivated this vineyard? Read the book of the Acts of the Apostles, and you will see how three thousand (Acts 2:41) and five thousand souls at once (Acts 4:4) believed and began to bring forth fruit to God. Mk. 12:10. Have you not even read this in the Scripture: "The stone which the builders rejected," that very one "has become the head of the corner; Mk. 12:11. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes" (Ps. 117:22–23). Mk. 12:12. And they sought to lay hold on Him, but feared the people, for they knew that He had spoken the parable against them; and they left Him and went their way. Through all this the Lord shows that the Jews are rejected and the Gentiles are accepted. The "stone" is the Lord Himself, and the "builders" are the teachers of the people. Thus, He Whom these teachers rejected has "become the head of the corner," having become the Head of the Church; for the corner signifies the Church, which gathers and unites all—Jews and Gentiles—just as a corner joins two walls, bringing them together in itself. This corner, that is, the Church, is "from the Lord and is marvelous in our eyes," the eyes of the faithful, whereas for the unfaithful even the miracles themselves seem to be falsehood. And so the Church is marvelous, because it is founded upon miracles, "the Lord working with" the apostles "and confirming the word with signs following" (Mk. 16:20). Mk. 12:13. And they send to Him some of the Pharisees and Herodians, in order to catch Him in a word. Mk. 12:14. And when they were come, they say unto Him: Teacher! we know that Thou art truthful and carest not about pleasing anyone, for Thou regardest not the person of any man, but truly teachest the way of God. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? Mk. 12:15. But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them: why do you tempt Me? Bring Me a denarius, that I may see it. Mk. 12:16. They brought it. Then He says to them: whose is this image and inscription? They said to Him: Caesar's. Mk. 12:17. Jesus said to them in answer: Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And they marveled at Him. Concerning the Herodians, we have said elsewhere that this was a certain newly-appeared sect of people who called Herod the Christ, for the reason that in his time the succession of Jewish kings came to an end. But others say that the Herodians here refers to the soldiers of Herod, whom the Pharisees brought along so that they might be witnesses of what Christ would say, and then could seize Him and bring Him to trial. But observe their malice, with what flattery they attempt to deceive the Lord! "We know," they say, "that You do not regard the persons of men, and therefore You will not fear even Caesar himself." Yet all this was nothing but cunning, so as to trap Him in any case. For if He had said that one must pay tribute to Caesar, they would have accused Him before the people of enslaving the nation to a foreign yoke; and if He had said that one must not, then they could have accused Him of inciting the people against Caesar. But the Fountain of wisdom evades their snares. "Show Me," He says, "a coin," and seeing upon it the image of Caesar, He said: what bears such an image upon it, render to the one depicted, that is, to Caesar; and "the things of God to God." That is, the obligation to pay tribute to Caesar in no way hinders you in the matter of worshipping God, for you can both render to Caesar what is due and give to God what is owed. But each of us has a Caesar of his own sort: it is the unavoidable necessity of the body. And so the Lord commands us to give to the body its proper food and needful clothing, and "the things of God to God," that is, vigil to the extent of one's ability, prayer, and the rest. But to the devil as well — to this Caesar too — throw back what was given to you by him, such as anger and evil desire; and to God bring what is God's: humility, temperance in all things, and the rest. Mk. 12:18. Then the Sadducees came to Him, who say there is no resurrection, and they asked Him, saying: Mk. 12:19. Teacher! Moses wrote for us: if someone's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no children, then his brother should take his wife and raise up seed for his brother (Deut. 25:5). Mk. 12:20. There were seven brothers: the first took a wife and, dying, left no children. Mk. 12:21. The second took her and died, and he also left no children; likewise the third. Mk. 12:22. Seven had her as wife and left no children. After them all, the wife died also. Mk. 12:23. Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife shall she be of them? For the seven had her as wife. Mk. 12:24. Jesus said to them in answer: is it not by this that you are led into error, knowing neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? Mk. 12:25. For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels which are in heaven. Mk. 12:26. But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, how God spoke to him at the bush (Ex. 3:6): "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? Mk. 12:27. God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Therefore, you are greatly mistaken. The Sadducees were such heretics among the Jews who said that there is neither Resurrection, nor Angel, nor Spirit. Being crafty people, they invented such a story in order to overthrow thereby the truth of the Resurrection. They pose a question about something that never happened and could never happen. And that seven husbands took (one after another) one and the same wife — this they invented for greater mockery of the Resurrection. What then does the Lord say? Since they presented the Law of Moses as the basis of their question, He convicts them of ignorance of the Scriptures. You, He says, do not understand what kind of Resurrection is spoken of in Scripture: you think that in the Resurrection the condition of people (in body and in soul) will be the same as now; no, not so: you do not understand the meaning of Scripture, nor do you comprehend the power of God. You evidently pay attention only to the difficulty of the matter, and therefore are perplexed as to how bodies that have decomposed can again be reunited with souls, but for the power of God this means nothing. After the Resurrection, the condition of the risen will not be sensual but God-like, and the manner of life will be angelic. For we shall no longer be subject to corruption, but shall live eternally, and for this reason marriage will then be abolished. Now marriage exists because of mortality, so that, being sustained by the succession of the race, we might not perish. But then, like the Angels, people will exist without the mediation of marriage, will never diminish in number, and will abide forever without decrease. In yet another respect the Sadducees show themselves ignorant of the Scriptures. If they understood them, they would have grasped why it was said, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" — which refers to the living. For the Lord did not say "I was," but "I am" their God, as though they are present, not perished. But perhaps someone will say that the Lord said this only about the soul of the patriarchs, and not also about the body, and that from this one cannot conclude anything about the resurrection of bodies. To this I will say that the name Abraham refers not to the soul alone, but to soul and body together, since God is God of the body as well, and it is alive before God and has not passed into non-existence. Furthermore, since the Sadducees disbelieved only in the resurrection of bodies, the Lord also spoke about bodies — that they are alive before God — and not about souls; the latter even the Sadducees acknowledged. Then pay attention also to this: resurrection is the rising up of what has fallen (into the earth, into dust); but it was not the soul that fell (for it is immortal), but the body; therefore it is the body that shall rise again, being reunited with its allied soul. Mk. 12:28. One of the scribes, hearing their disputes and seeing that Jesus answered them well, came up and asked Him: which is the first of all the commandments? Mk. 12:29. Jesus answered him: the first of all the commandments is: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; Mk. 12:30. "and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Deut. 6:4–5) – behold, the first commandment! Mk. 12:31. The second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18). There is no other commandment greater than these. Mk. 12:32. The scribe said to Him: well said, Teacher! You have spoken the truth, that God is one and there is no other besides Him; Mk. 12:33. And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Mk. 12:34. Jesus, seeing that he answered wisely, said to him: you are not far from the Kingdom of God. After that, no one dared to ask Him any more questions. Matthew says that the scribe approached (Christ) "testing" (Matt. 22:35), while Mark notes of him that he "answered wisely." Do the evangelists contradict each other? No; at first he probably asked as one testing, but then he was enlightened by Christ's answer and responded wisely, and thus was praised. However, note that even the praise testifies of him as still imperfect, for Christ did not say: you are in the Kingdom of God itself, but only "not far." Why then does the lawyer so boldly put his question to Christ? He thought to show himself to Christ as one perfect in the Law, and for this reason addresses Him with such speech, as though it concerned only the Law. But the Lord, wishing to show that without love, with hatred toward one's neighbors, there is no fulfillment of the law, answers the lawyer's question that the first and greatest commandment is to love God, and the second, like it, is to love one's neighbor. Why is it like it? Because they are both closely bound together. For he who loves God loves also His creation, and the nearest to God among created things is man; consequently, he who loves God will love all people as well. And conversely, he who loves his neighbor all the more loves God; for if he loves people, who are often the cause of offenses and hatred, all the more does he love God, who always bestows blessings. Hear also the Lord's word: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me" (John 14:21). You see that on love for God depends the fulfillment of His commandments, and all His commandments converge on one thing — mutual love. And in another place (the Lord says): "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). Do you see again how by love for one another both love for Christ is sustained and His true disciples and friends are recognized! Pay attention also to how in His answer to the lawyer He enumerated all the powers of the soul. In the soul there is the animal power; He indicates it with the words "with all your soul," for Christ commands that the powers of anger and desire be completely subjected to the love of God. There is also another power of the soul called the vegetative, and otherwise it is called the power of nourishment and growth. This power too must be given over entirely to God. There is, finally, in the soul also the rational power, which the Law called "the mind." Thus, all the powers of the soul must be directed toward love. Mk. 12:35. Continuing to teach in the temple, Jesus said: how do the scribes say that Christ is the Son of David? Mk. 12:36. For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: "The Lord said to my Lord: sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet" (Ps. 109:1). Mk. 12:37. Therefore David himself calls Him Lord; how then is He his Son? And the great multitude heard Him gladly. Mk. 12:38. And He said to them in His teaching: Beware of the scribes, who love to walk in long robes and to receive greetings in the marketplaces, Mk. 12:39. to sit in the front seats in the synagogues and to recline in the first place at feasts, Mk. 12:40. These, who devour the houses of widows and for show pray at length, shall receive the more severe condemnation. Since the Lord was about to go to His passion, He corrects the false opinion of the scribes, who thought that Christ is only the Son of David and not the Son of God. Therefore, from the very words of David, He shows that He (Christ) is God; and not simply, but with a warning, He says: "until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." And they (the scribes and Pharisees) were those very enemies whom God the Father made the footstool of Christ's feet. Notice also how He asks the question! So as not to disturb them, He did not say: what do you think about Me, but about Christ. But you cannot say that David spoke this not by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; no, he in the Spirit called Him (Christ) Lord, that is, being moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit. How then can one think that Christ is only the Son of David, and not also his Lord and God? The common people, it is said, heard "Him gladly," and He began to say to the people: beware of the scribes, who wear magnificent garments and on account of them demand honors for themselves; who love to receive greetings and praises in the marketplaces and all other marks of glory; who devour the houses of widows, insinuating themselves to these defenseless women under the guise of being their protectors; who, by hypocritical lengthy prayer, outward piety, and hypocrisy deceiving the inexperienced, devour the houses of the poor. For this they shall receive even more severe condemnation than the other sinning Jews: "the mighty shall be mightily tested" (Wis. 6:6). Speaking thus to the people, the Lord at the same time instructs the apostles as well, so that they would not act after the example of the scribes, but would imitate Him. Since He was appointing them as teachers of the Church, He rightly sets forth for them the rules of life as well. Mk. 12:41. And Jesus sat over against the treasury and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury. And many that were rich cast in much. Mk. 12:42. Coming then, a certain poor widow put in two mites, which make a quadrans. Mk. 12:43. Having called His disciples to Him, Jesus said to them: truly I say to you, that this poor widow has put in more than all those who were casting into the treasury, Mk. 12:44. For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Among the Jews there was preserved a particular custom, whereby those who had the means and the desire made contributions to the church treasury, which was called the "gazophylakion," from which the priests, the poor, and widows received their sustenance. While many were doing this, a widow also came forward and showed her zeal to be greater than that of the rich. Glory to Thee, O Christ, that Thou dost accept even what is small as better than what is great! Oh, if only my soul would become a widow, having renounced Satan, with whom it had been united through unseemly deeds, and would resolve to cast into the church treasury "two mites"—the flesh and the mind—having refined them, the flesh through abstinence and the mind through humility, so that I too might hear that I have devoted my whole life to God, having within me neither worldly thoughts nor fleshly impulses!