2:23 Jesus 12 was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples began to pick some heads of wheat 13 as they made their way.
9:33 Then 39 they came to Capernaum. 40 After Jesus 41 was inside the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”
11:27 They came again to Jerusalem. 46 While Jesus 47 was walking in the temple courts, 48 the chief priests, the experts in the law, 49 and the elders came up to him
12:38 In his teaching Jesus 55 also said, “Watch out for the experts in the law. 56 They like walking 57 around in long robes and elaborate greetings 58 in the marketplaces,
14:22 While they were eating, he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it. This is my body.”
14:53 Then 72 they led Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests and elders and experts in the law 73 came together.
16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic spices 78 so that they might go and anoint him.
16:12 After this he appeared in a different form to two of them while they were on their way to the country.
1 sn This is a parenthetical comment by the author.
2 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
3 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
5 sn Note how the author distinguishes healing from exorcism here, implying that the two are not identical.
6 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
7 sn Why Jesus would not permit the demons to speak is much discussed. Two possibilities are (1) the mere source of the testimony (demonic) and (2) that the title, with its political implications, may have had elements that Jesus wished to avoid until the full nature of his mission was clarified.
8 tc The
9 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the shift from the thoughts of the experts in the law to Jesus’ response.
10 tn Grk “they were thus reasoning within themselves.”
11 tn Grk “Why are you reasoning these things in your hearts?”
12 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 tn Or “heads of grain.” While the generic term στάχυς (stacus) can refer to the cluster of seeds at the top of grain such as barley or wheat, in the NT the term is restricted to wheat (L&N 3.40; BDAG 941 s.v. 1).
14 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
15 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
16 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”).
17 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
18 sn These last two locations, Tyre and Sidon, represented an expansion outside of traditional Jewish territory. Jesus’ reputation continued to expand into new regions.
map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
19 sn Unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.
20 tn Grk “And he.”
21 sn The term apostles is rare in the gospels, found only here and Mark 6:30, Matt 10:2, and six more times in Luke (6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10).
22 tc The phrase “whom he named apostles” is lacking in the majority of
23 tc ‡ Many
24 sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Matt 13:19 has “the evil one,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.
25 sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.
26 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response to Jesus’ request.
27 tn It is possible that this prepositional phrase modifies “as he was,” not “they took him along.” The meaning would then be “they took him along in the boat in which he was already sitting” (see 4:1).
sn A boat that held all the disciples would be of significant size.
28 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (Who then is this?). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.
29 sn This section in Mark (4:35-5:43) contains four miracles: (1) the calming of the storm; (2) the exorcism of the demon-possessed man; (3) the giving of life to Jairus’ daughter; (4) the healing of the woman hemorrhaging for twelve years. All these miracles demonstrate Jesus’ right to proclaim the kingdom message and his sovereign authority over forces, directly or indirectly, hostile to the kingdom. The last three may have been brought together to show that Jesus had power over all defilement, since contact with graves, blood, or a corpse was regarded under Jewish law as causing a state of ritual uncleanness.
30 tn The Greek word εὐθύς (euqus, often translated “immediately” or “right away”) has not been translated here. It sometimes occurs with a weakened, inferential use (BDAG 406 s.v. 2), not contributing significantly to the flow of the narrative. For further discussion, see R. J. Decker, Temporal Deixis of the Greek Verb in the Gospel of Mark with Reference to Verbal Aspect (SBG 10), 73-77.
31 tn Grk “ran together on foot.” The idea of συντρέχω (suntrecw) is “to come together quickly to form a crowd” (L&N 15.133).
32 tn Or “cities.”
33 tc The translation here follows the reading προῆλθον (prohlqon, “they preceded”), found in א B (0187) 892 2427 pc lat co. Some
34 tn Grk “he spoke with them, and said to them.”
35 tn Grk “wherever they heard he was.”
36 tn Grk “except they wash the hands with a fist,” a ceremonial washing (though the actual method is uncertain).
37 tn Grk “but as much as he ordered them, these rather so much more proclaimed.” Greek tends to omit direct objects when they are clear from the context, but these usually need to be supplied for the modern English reader. Here what Jesus ordered has been clarified (“ordered them not to do this”), and the pronoun “it” has been supplied after “proclaimed.”
38 tc ‡ A difficult textual problem is found here, involving three different variants: καὶ λέγουσιν (kai legousin) is found in א pc; οἱ δὲ εἶπον (Joi de eipon) is the reading of Ì45 A D W Θ Ë1,13 33 Ï it; and καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ (kai legousin autw) is supported by B C L (Δ 579 892) 2427 pc. The first two variants would not be translated differently; the third reading, however, would add “to him” after “they replied.” What complicates the issue is that the external evidence is fairly evenly split between the second and third readings, though the first reading is in agreement with the second reading in lacking the dative pronoun. Indeed, another layout of the problem here could treat this as two distinct problems: καὶ λέγουσιν vs. οἱ δὲ εἶπον and αὐτῷ vs. omission of the word. In this second arrangement of the problem, the reading without the pronoun has slightly stronger support (Ì45 א A D W Θ Ë1,13 33 Ï it). Internally, Mark never elsewhere uses the form εἶπον for the third person plural indicative form of this verb (it is always εἶπαν [eipan]). And although only one other time in Mark is the object lacking after λέγουσιν (6:38), it is a similar context (viz., the disciples’ response before Jesus feeds the 5000). Very tentatively, the reading that is followed here is καὶ λέγουσιν. NA27 puts αὐτῷ in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
39 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
40 map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-C3; Map3-B2.
41 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Traditionally, “scourge him” (the term means to beat severely with a whip, L&N 19.9). BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “The ‘verberatio’ is denoted in the passion predictions and explicitly as action by non-Israelites Mt 20:19; Mk 10:34; Lk 18:33”; the verberatio was the beating given to those condemned to death in the Roman judicial system. Here the term μαστιγόω (mastigow) has been translated “flog…severely” to distinguish it from the term φραγελλόω (fragellow) used in Matt 27:26; Mark 15:15.
43 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
44 tc Most
45 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
46 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
47 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
48 tn Grk “the temple.”
49 tn Or “the chief priests, the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
50 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
51 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.
52 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.
53 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.
54 tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 28.
55 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
56 tn Or “for the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
57 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.
58 sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.
59 tn Grk “out of what abounded to them.”
60 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.
61 tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.
62 tn Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
63 tn Grk “three hundred denarii.” One denarius was the standard day’s wage, so the value exceeded what a laborer could earn in a year (taking in to account Sabbaths and feast days when no work was done).
64 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (as the proceeds from the sale of the perfumed oil).
65 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
66 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the flow within the narrative.
67 tn Grk “and came.”
68 sn The author’s note that the disciples found things just as he had told them shows that Jesus’ word could be trusted.
69 tn Grk “while they were reclined at the table.”
sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
70 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
71 tn Or “will hand me over”; Grk “one of you will betray me, the one who eats with me.”
72 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
73 tn Or “and scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
74 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
75 tn Grk “in the middle.”
76 tn Grk “and ministered to him.”
sn Cf. Luke 8:3.
77 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
78 tn On this term see BDAG 140 s.v. ἄρωμα. The Jews did not practice embalming, so these materials were used to cover the stench of decay and slow decomposition.
sn Spices were used not to preserve the body, but as an act of love, and to mask the growing stench of a corpse.