1:3 the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make 1 his paths straight.’” 2
3:31 Then 7 Jesus’ 8 mother and his brothers 9 came. Standing 10 outside, they sent word to him, to summon him.
7:17 Now 17 when Jesus 18 had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable.
9:28 Then, 22 after he went into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?”
11:1 Now 27 as they approached Jerusalem, 28 near Bethphage 29 and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, 30 Jesus 31 sent two of his disciples
14:32 Then 42 they went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus 43 said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
1 sn This call to “make his paths straight” in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.
2 sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.
3 tc The reading found in almost the entire NT ms tradition is σπλαγχνισθείς (splancnisqei", “moved with compassion”). Codex Bezae (D), {1358}, and a few Latin
4 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 sn Touched. This touch would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean (Lev 14:46; also Mishnah, m. Nega’im 3.1; 11.1; 12.1; 13.6-12).
6 tn Grk “to James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James.”
7 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
8 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 sn The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3.
10 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
12 tn That is, “an official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (arcisunagwgo") refers to the “president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93; cf. Luke 8:41).
sn The synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership. See also the note on synagogue in 1:21.
13 tc Codex Bezae (D) and some Itala
14 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Grk “garment,” but here ἱμάτιον (Jimation) denotes the outer garment in particular.
16 tn Grk “his”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
18 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.
20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
21 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
23 tc The Western text (D it) and a few others have only καί (kai) here, rather than καὶ προσελθόντες Φαρισαῖοι (kai proselqonte" Farisaioi, here translated as “then some Pharisees came”). The longer reading, a specific identification of the subject, may have been prompted by the parallel in Matt 19:3. The fact that the
sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
24 tn In Greek this phrase occurs at the end of the sentence. It has been brought forward to conform to English style.
25 tn The personal pronoun “his” is not in the Greek text, but is certainly implied and has been supplied in the English translation to clarify the sense of the statement (cf. “his wife” in 10:7).
26 tn The particle εἰ (ei) is often used to introduce both indirect and direct questions. Thus, another possible translation is to take this as an indirect question: “They asked him if it were lawful for a man to divorce his wife.” See BDF §440.3.
sn The question of the Pharisees was anything but sincere; they were asking it to test him. Jesus was now in the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas (i.e., Judea and beyond the Jordan) and it is likely that the Pharisees were hoping he might answer the question of divorce in a way similar to John the Baptist and so suffer the same fate as John, i.e., death at the hands of Herod (cf. 6:17-19). Jesus answered the question not on the basis of rabbinic custom and the debate over Deut 24:1, but rather from the account of creation and God’s original design.
27 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
28 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
29 sn The exact location of the village of Bethphage is not known. Most put it on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and northwest of Bethany, about 1.5 miles (3 km) east of Jerusalem.
30 sn “Mountain” in English generally denotes a higher elevation than it often does in reference to places in Palestine. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 30 meters (100 ft) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.
31 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 tn Grk “And answering, he said to it.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.
33 sn Mark 11:12-14. The incident of the cursing of the fig tree occurs before he enters the temple for a third time (11:27ff) and is questioned at length by the religious leaders (11:27-12:40). It appears that Mark records the incident as a portent of what is going to happen to the leadership in Jerusalem who were supposed to have borne spiritual fruit but have been found by Messiah at his coming to be barren. The fact that the nation as a whole is indicted is made explicit in chapter 13:1-37 where Jesus speaks of Jerusalem’s destruction and his second coming.
34 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.
sn This slave (along with the others) represent the prophets God sent to the nation, who were mistreated and rejected.
35 tn Grk “from the tenants,” but this is redundant in English, so the pronoun (“them”) was used in the translation.
36 tn Grk “from the fruits of the vineyard.”
37 tn Grk “one beloved son.” See comment at Mark 1:11.
sn The owner’s decision to send his one dear son represents God sending Jesus.
38 sn Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.
39 sn The nature of the judgment coming upon them will be so quick and devastating that one will not have time to come down or go inside to take anything out of his house. It is best just to escape as quickly as possible.
40 tn Grk “one who dips with me.” The phrase “his hand” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
41 sn One who dips with me in the bowl. The point of Jesus’ comment here is not to identify the specific individual per se, but to indicate that it is one who was close to him – somebody whom no one would suspect. His comment serves to heighten the treachery of Judas’ betrayal.
42 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
43 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
44 tn Grk “Coming up the crowd began to ask [him to do] as he was doing for them.”
45 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
46 sn See the note on Crucify in 15:13.
47 tn Grk “by throwing the lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throwing dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling. According to L&N 6.219 a term for “dice” is particularly appropriate.
sn An allusion to Ps 22:18.