2:18 Now 1 John’s 2 disciples and the Pharisees 3 were fasting. 4 So 5 they came to Jesus 6 and said, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?”
6:14 Now 7 King Herod 8 heard this, for Jesus’ 9 name had become known. Some 10 were saying, “John the baptizer 11 has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.”
9:25 Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked 12 the unclean spirit, 13 saying to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
10:17 Now 14 as Jesus 15 was starting out on his way, someone ran up to him, fell on his knees, and said, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 16
12:28 Now 17 one of the experts in the law 18 came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus 19 answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
14:12 Now 20 on the first day of the feast of 21 Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, 22 Jesus’ 23 disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 24
1 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
2 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
3 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
4 sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.
5 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate that in the narrative this question happened as a result of the fasting of John’s disciples and the Pharisees.
6 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
8 sn Herod was technically not a king, but a tetrarch, a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king. A tetrarch ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. In the NT, Herod, who ruled over Galilee, is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.
9 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
11 tn While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptisths, “the Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark prefers the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (Jo baptizwn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (only twice does he use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).
12 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
13 sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.
14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
15 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
sn Mark 10:17-31. The following unit, Mark 10:17-31, can be divided up into three related sections: (1) the rich man’s question (vv. 17-22); (2) Jesus’ teaching on riches and the kingdom of God (vv. 23-27); and (3) Peter’s statement and Jesus’ answer (vv. 28-31). They are all tied together around the larger theme of the relationship of wealth to the kingdom Jesus had been preaching. The point is that it is impossible to attain to the kingdom by means of riches. The passage as a whole is found in the section 8:27-10:52 in which Mark has been focusing on Jesus’ suffering and true discipleship. In vv. 28-31 Jesus does not deny great rewards to those who follow him, both in the present age and in the age to come, but it must be thoroughly understood that suffering will be integral to the mission of the disciples and the church, for in the very next section (10:32-34) Jesus reaffirmed the truth about his coming rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection.
16 sn The rich man wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life, but Jesus had just finished teaching that eternal life was not earned but simply received (10:15).
17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
18 tn Or “One of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
21 tn The words “the feast of” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.
22 sn Generally the feast of Unleavened Bread would refer to Nisan 15 (Friday), but the following reference to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb indicates that Nisan 14 (Thursday) was what Mark had in mind (Nisan = March 27 to April 25). The celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted eight days, beginning with the Passover meal. The celebrations were so close together that at times the names of both were used interchangeably.
23 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 sn This required getting a suitable lamb and finding lodging in Jerusalem where the meal could be eaten. The population of the city swelled during the feast, so lodging could be difficult to find. The Passover was celebrated each year in commemoration of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt; thus it was a feast celebrating redemption (see Exod 12). The Passover lamb was roasted and eaten after sunset in a family group of at least ten people (m. Pesahim 7.13). People ate the meal while reclining (see the note on table in 14:18). It included, besides the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs as a reminder of Israel’s bitter affliction at the hands of the Egyptians. Four cups of wine mixed with water were also used for the meal. For a further description of the meal and the significance of the wine cups, see E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 523-24.
25 tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 8:29.
26 sn Mark’s wording suggests that both of the criminals spoke abusively to him. If so, one of them quickly changed his attitude toward Jesus (see Luke 23:40-43).