Mark 4:11

4:11 He said to them, “The secret 1  of the kingdom of God has been given 2  to you. But to those outside, everything is in parables,

Mark 7:37

7:37 People were completely astounded and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Mark 8:25

8:25 Then Jesus 3  placed his hands on the man’s 4  eyes again. And he opened his eyes, 5  his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

Mark 11:11

11:11 Then 6  Jesus 7  entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. And after looking around at everything, he went out to Bethany with the twelve since it was already late.

Mark 12:44

12:44 For they all gave out of their wealth. 8  But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.” 9 

1 tn Grk “the mystery.”

sn The key term secret (μυστήριον, musthrion) can mean either (1) a new revelation or (2) a revealing interpretation of existing revelation as in Dan 2:17-23, 27-30. Jesus seems to be explaining how current events develop old promises, since the NT consistently links the events of Jesus’ ministry and message with old promises (Rom 1:1-4; Heb 1:1-2). The traditional translation of this word, “mystery,” is misleading to the modern English reader because it suggests a secret which people have tried to uncover but which they have failed to understand (L&N 28.77).

2 tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).

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

4 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the blind man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

5 tn Or “he looked intently”; or “he stared with eyes wide open” (BDAG 226 s.v. διαβλέπω 1).

6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to indicate the transition from the previous narrative.

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

8 tn Grk “out of what abounded to them.”

9 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.