Mark 3:31

Jesus’ True Family

3:31 Then ¹  Jesus’ ²  mother and his brothers ³  came. Standing ⁴  outside, they sent word to him, to summon him.

Mark 11:1

The Triumphal Entry

11:1 Now ⁵  as they approached Jerusalem, ⁶  near Bethphage ⁷  and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, ⁸  Jesus ⁹  sent two of his disciples

Mark 12:2

12:2 At harvest time he sent a slave ¹⁰  to the tenants to collect from them ¹¹  his portion of the crop. ¹² 

Mark 12:4-6

12:4 So ¹³  he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously. 12:5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed. 12:6 He had one left, his one dear son. ¹⁴  Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

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¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

² tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ 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.

⁴ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

⁶ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁷ 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.

⁸ 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.

⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ tn Grk “from the tenants,” but this is redundant in English, so the pronoun (“them”) was used in the translation.

¹² tn Grk “from the fruits of the vineyard.”

¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ mistreatment of the first slave.

¹⁴ 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.