Discovery BoxMark 2:14 
Context2:14 As he went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth. 1 “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.
Mark 2:16
Context2:16 When the experts in the law 2 and the Pharisees 3 saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 4
Mark 5:15
Context5:15 They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed and in his right mind – the one who had the “Legion” – and they were afraid.
Mark 6:34
Context6:34 As Jesus 5 came ashore 6 he saw the large crowd and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So 7 he taught them many things.
Mark 6:48
Context6:48 He 8 saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. As the night was ending, 9 he came to them walking on the sea, 10 for 11 he wanted to pass by them. 12
Mark 9:20
Context9:20 So they brought the boy 13 to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He 14 fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Mark 9:25
Context9:25 Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked 15 the unclean spirit, 16 saying to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
Mark 10:14
Context10:14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17
Mark 12:28
Context12:28 Now 18 one of the experts in the law 19 came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus 20 answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
Mark 12:34
Context12:34 When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Then no one dared any longer to question him.
1 tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.
sn The tax booth was a booth located on the edge of a city or town to collect taxes for trade. There was a tax booth in Capernaum, which was on the trade route from Damascus to Galilee and the Mediterranean. The “taxes” were collected on produce and goods brought into the area for sale, and were a sort of “sales tax” paid by the seller but obviously passed on to the purchaser in the form of increased prices (L&N 57.183). It was here that Jesus met Levi (also named Matthew [see Matt 9:9]) who was ultimately employed by the Romans, though perhaps more directly responsible to Herod Antipas. It was his job to collect taxes for Rome and he was thus despised by Jews who undoubtedly regarded him as a traitor.
2 tn Or “the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
3 sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
4 sn The issue here is inappropriate associations. Jews were very careful about personal associations and contact as a matter of ritual cleanliness. Their question borders on an accusation that Jesus is ritually unclean.
5 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Grk “came out [of the boat],” with the reference to the boat understood.
7 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate this action is the result of Jesus’ compassion on the crowd in the narrative.
8 tn This verse is one complete sentence in the Greek text, but it has been broken into two sentences in English for clarity.
9 tn Grk “about the fourth watch of the night,” between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.
10 tn Or “on the lake.”
11 tn The καί (kai) was translated so as to introduce a subordinate clause, i.e., with the use of “for.” See BDF §442.9.
12 sn The statement he wanted to pass by them is somewhat difficult to understand. There are at least two common interpretations: (1) it refers to the perspective of the disciples, that is, from their point of view it seemed that Jesus wanted to pass by them; or (2) it refers to a theophany and uses the language of the Greek Old Testament (LXX) when God “passed by” Moses at Sinai (cf. Exod 33:19, 22). According to the latter alternative, Jesus is “passing by” the disciples during their struggle, in order to assure them of his presence with them. See W L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 236.
13 tn Grk “him.”
14 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
15 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
16 sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.
17 sn The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Children are a picture of those whose simple trust illustrates what faith is all about. The remark illustrates how everyone is important to God, even those whom others regard as insignificant.
18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
19 tn Or “One of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
20 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
