The Sower and Seed Parable

Gospel of Matthew 13

That same day, when Jesus had left the house and was sitting by the sea, 2 such great crowds gathered round him, that he got into a boat, and sat in it, while all the people stood upon the beach. 3 Then he told them many truths in parables.

“The sower,” he began, “went out to sow; and, 4 While sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once. 6 As soon as the sun had risen, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. 7 Some, again, fell into the brambles; but the brambles shot up and choked it. 8 Some, however, fell on good soil, and yielded a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold. 9 Let those who have ears hear.”

10 Afterwards his disciples came to him, and said: “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 “To you,” answered Jesus, “the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given, but not to them. 12 For, to all who have, more will be given, and they shall have abundance; but, from all who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because, though they have eyes, they do not see, and though they have ears, they do not hear or understand.”

14 “And in them is being fulfilled that prophecy of Isaiah which says: ‘You will hear with your ears without ever understanding, And, though you have eyes, you will see without ever perceiving, 15 For the mind of this nation has grown dense, And their ears are dull of hearing, Their eyes also have they closed; Lest some day they should perceive with their eyes, And with their ears they should hear, And in their mind they should understand, and should turn—and I should heal them.’“

16 “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear; 17 For I tell you that many prophets and good men have longed for the sight of the things which you are seeing, yet never saw them, and to hear the things which you are hearing, yet never heard them. 18 Listen, then, yourselves to the sower and seed parable.”

19 When anyone hears the message of the kingdom without understanding it, evil comes and snatches away what has been sown in their minds. These receivers are signified by the seed which was sown along the path. 20 By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the receivers who hear the message, and at once accept it joyfully; 21 But, as they have no roots, they stand for only a short time; and, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the message, they fall away at once.

22 By the seed which was sown among the brambles is meant the receivers who hear the message, but the cares of life and the glamour of wealth completely choke the message, so that it gives no return. 23 But by the seed which was sown on the good ground is meant the receivers who hear the message and understand it, yielding a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold.”

24 Another parable which Jesus told them was this: “The kingdom of heaven is compared to a farmer who sows good seed in their field. 25 But, while everyone was asleep, their enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So, when the blades of corn shot up, and came into ear, the weeds made their appearance also. 27 Seeing this, the owner’s servants came to him, and said ‘Was not it good seed that you sowed in your field? Where, then, do the tares in it come from?’“

What is the Lord’s Prayer?

To continue reading Chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew, please click on page 2 below.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Daily Bread

Chapter 7

Our daily bread…

(Gathering Our Inheritance)

Knowing that we can claim ownership of our inheritance in the living hour is one thing. But what are we supposed to do with that knowledge? The childhood keys of wonderment and immediacy help unlock the door to the kingdom of heaven, but they don’t have the power to usher us across the threshold. To cross into the kingdom and gather our inheritance, we have to move beyond the carefree world of the child and into the care-driven world of adults—to expand our concerns beyond the “me” to include the “us”.

We can begin by recognizing that although the spontaneity of the child and the adult are similar, they are not one and the same. Take for example the miracles that Jesus performs in the Gospels. If we can set aside the unanswerable question of whether or not these miracles actually occurred, we can begin to see the miracle stories as parables of spontaneity, ones which teach us that living in Christ means immediately responding to the needs of others. Whether it is healing the sick,¹ walking on water,² or turning water into wine,³ Jesus never hesitates but responds spontaneously and confidently to those who call out to him.

Spontaneous charity is taught also by the story of the Good Samaritan.⁴ In this well–known parable a man gets robbed and beaten while on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho. A priest and a local man pass by him as he lies half–dead on the road. Finally a stranger from Samaria stops, tends to his wounds, and takes him to an inn to recuperate, paying the man’s bills—all without giving his actions a second thought.

The genuine caring shown by the Good Samaritan sheds light on Jesus’s enigmatic teaching: “When you do acts of charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your charity may be secret; and your Father, who sees what is in secret, will recompense you.”⁵ By performing our acts of charity spontaneously like the Samaritan, we keep them secret from our egos (that part of us which wants to debate whether we have the time, money, or energy to respond to others in need), and we allow our Christ consciousness to rise (that part of us which recognizes that when others suffer we suffer too). Our charity is thus driven by nothing except a true generosity of spirit.

Jesus encourages us to bring that same spirit to our acts of fellowship. The generosity of Christ is shown by welcoming all the members of our community to our table—the good and the bad, the funny and the dull, the smart and the annoying. Look at the way Jesus accepted twelve very flawed apostles as his intimates. That he took in Judas (knowing full well that he would betray him) and never gave up on the poor, clueless, and overzealous Peter should be a lesson to us all. Furthermore, we are told how Jesus regularly sat down to eat and drink with his neighbors,⁶ regardless of how “righteous” they might be or what other people thought—so much so that he was unfairly labeled a glutton and a wino.⁷

Never has Jesus’s gospel of fellowship and acceptance had more…

The Lord’s Prayer. To continue reading, click on page 2 at the bottom.

1. “Sir,” he said, “my servant is lying ill at my house with a stroke of paralysis, and is suffering terribly.” 7 “I will come and cure him,” answered Jesus. – Matthew 8:6–7 [↩]
2. When evening fell, the boat was out in the middle of the sea, and Jesus on the shore alone. 48 Seeing them laboring at the oars—for the wind was against them—about three hours after midnight Jesus came towards them, walking on the water, intending to join them. – Mark 6:47–48 [↩]
3. Jesus said to the servants: “Fill the water-jars with water;” 8 And, when they had filled them to the brim, he added: “Now take some out, and carry it to the master of the feast.” The servants did so. 9 And, when the master of the feast had tasted the water which had now become wine, not knowing where it had come from—although the servants who had taken out the water knew—10 He called the bridegroom and said to him: “Everyone puts good wine on the table first, and inferior wine afterwards, when his guests have drunk freely; but you have kept back the good wine till now!” – John 2:6–10 [↩]
4. A man was once going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him of everything, and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 As it chanced, a priest was going down by that road. He saw the man, but passed by on the opposite side. 32 A Levite, too, did the same; he came up to the spot, but, when he saw the man, passed by on the opposite side. 33 But a Samaritan, traveling that way, came upon the man, and, when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, dressing them with oil and wine, and then put him on his own mule, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out four shillings and gave them to the inn-keeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and whatever more you may spend I will myself repay you on my way back.’ – Luke 10: 30–35 [↩]
5. Matthew 6:3–4 [↩]
6. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law found fault. “This man always welcomes sinners, and takes meals with them!” they complained. – Luke 15:2 [↩]
7. And now that the Son of Man has come, eating and drinking, they are saying: ‘Here is a glutton and a wino, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!’ Matthew 11:19 [↩]

Lord’s Prayer: As We Forgive Those Who Trespass

Chapter 9

As we forgive those who

trespass against us…

(Removing Our Hindrances, Part II)

Removing the hindrances that block the coming of Christ involves more than just seeking forgiveness. It means giving forgiveness, too. And that can be pretty tough sometimes. As Christians we often think that unless punishments are meted out swiftly and severely our communities will turn into modern day Sodoms & Gomorrahs.

In America this fear fuels our continuation of the death penalty, world record incarceration rates, and overflowing court dockets. There is not a lot of forgiveness going around—to put it mildly. Christians know (or should know) that these actions run contrary to the teachings of Jesus and our faith. But we justify our behavior by revisiting Old Testament laws.

An “eye for an eye” makes so much better sense, because it is like a balancing of the ledger books. And it feels a lot better, too. Because it satisfies our desire for revenge. But playing tit for tat doesn’t balance our offenses before God. The book of life is not a ledger of rights vs. wrongs; it is a story of forgiveness and hope. And unless we forgive others, the forgiveness we ask of the Father will not be given.¹ For it has, in fact, never been heard.

To better explain this, let’s return to the parable of water. We already know that water follows the path of least resistance. It also has another defining characteristic: it seeks its own level. This means that when water flows into a container (be it a cup, lake, or pool) it rises to a height that is level all around. Likewise, the Holy Spirit seeks its own level within of us. And its height is largely determined by our ability to forgive others, just as God forgives us.²

When we refuse to grant forgiveness, the water of the Holy Spirit dries to dust—the same dust that Jesus writes in when the angry crowd seeks to stone the adulteress.³ The dust we shuffle through daily, when we demand that others pay for their offenses and failures to live up to our expectations.

In our anxiousness for retribution, we forget that ultimately every offender pays for the offense that matters most: trespassing against the Holy Spirit.⁴ And the payment levied by God is that person’s continued separation from his kingdom and a life more abundant.

We must remember that an individual’s spiritual journey is long and hard, and no journey is the same. When we lose patience and are quick to judge others, we should recall how “slow to learn”⁵ the apostles were. Yet slow to learn doesn’t mean can’t learn. Christ’s wisdom is a seed that grows differently in every person. Even God does not know how and when it will grow inside us.⁶ But grow it will if we have the faith to let the will of the Father run its course, and don’t act as hindrances in its way.

It might seem impossible to forgive someone who has wronged us “seventy times seven times”.⁷ Because it feels like we are letting the offender off the hook. But actually we are leaving ourselves of the hook; releasing ourselves from the anger, frustration, disappointment, and superiority that often accompany our judgments.

A few chapters ago, we mentioned that we can take…

The Lord’s Prayer. To continue reading, click on page 2 at the bottom.

1. Whenever you stand up to pray, forgive any grievance that you have against anyone, that your Father who is in heaven also may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” – Mark 11:25–26 [↩]
2. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. – Luke 6:37 [↩]
3. They said to the Master: “This woman was taken in the very act of adultery. 5 Now, the law of Moses says that we must stone her. What do you say?” 6 They asked this to tempt Jesus, so that later they may have something to accuse him with. But Jesus only stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground. 7 When they continued asking, he stood up and said: “He that among you is without sin, let him cast the first stone at her.” 8 And again he stopped down and wrote on the ground. 9 And those which heard it, being stricken by their own conscience, left one by one, beginning with the eldest unto the last. John 8:4–9 [↩]
4. I tell you that all will be forgiven every sin and slander; but slander against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. – Matthew 12:31 [↩]
5. The disciples were utterly amazed, 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, their minds being slow to learn. – Mark 6:51-52 [↩]
6. This is what the kingdom of God is like: like a farmer who has scattered seed on the ground, 27 And then sleeps by night and rises by day, while the seed is shooting up and growing, he knows not how. Mark 4:26-27 [↩]
7. Peter came up, and said to Jesus: “Master, how often am I to forgive others when they wrong me? As many as seven times?” 22 But Jesus answered: “Not seven times, but ‘seventy times seven.’ – Matthew 18:21-22 [↩]

On the Road with Jack Kerouac – God is Pooh Bear

Towards the very end of Jack Kerouac’s classic novel On the Road, he writes several memorable lines, which he read famously on The Steve Allen Show in 1956. One passage is as follows:

“In Iowa I know by now the children must be crying in the land where they let the children cry, and tonight the stars’ll be out, and don’t you know that God is Pooh-Bear?…

The comment that God is Pooh-Bear has caused a lot of confusion over the years, with many people claiming that Kerouac thinks that God is a fiction. But to believe that Jack Kerouac felt that God was a figment of our imaginations is to terribly misread him. The so called “King of the Beats” felt God intensely, within each and every hobo, wino, and hard-luck soul he met.

Kerouac defined being “beat” as being reduced to the essentials. But what does that really mean? And why was Kerouac so attracted to people who were beat? Those who have read Benjamin Hoff’s Tao of Pooh probably have an intimation of the answer. In Hoff’s book we learn how Winnie the Pooh is symbolic of the sage who lives in the immediate moment.

When we are reduced to the essentials (beat) we have no choice but to live inside the immediate moment, and thus are close to God, as is revealed by Jesus’s parables of spontaneity. Close to God, though, does not translate to Being with God. For that to occur we must let charity, patience, and love drive our actions rather than the demands of the ego.

We must throw ourselves into the spontaneity of Christ (our true selves), as so often Pooh does in service to his friends and neighbors, without ever giving it a second thought.

—-

Gain fresh insight into the Lord’s Prayer. Read our free online book The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life. The prayer’s hidden teachings will enrich and inspire you. Click the following link to begin reading the Living Hour book now: The Lord’s Prayer.

To read about William Butler Yeats and Christ’s Second Coming please go to: Jesus’s Second Coming.

Progressive Christian Sermons

The state of Christian sermons (be they Evangelical sermons or Progressive Christian sermons) has remained pretty constant for centuries now. What state is this? Well, in the words of singer and songwriter Joe Jones (circa 1960):

You talk too much, you worry me to death,
You talk too much, you even worry my pet,
You just talk, talk too much.

You talk about people that you don’t know,
You talk about people wherever you go,
You just talk, talk too much.

It is not so much that long-winded sermons cause us to worry (or nod off in the pews). Or that Christianity’s preachers talk too much about people they don’t know, even though they often do, even progressive clergy (who can forget Rev. Michael Pfleger’s comments about Hillary Clinton).

The problem is that excess sermonizing steals the revelation from us. Revelations born from the lips of preachers are will-o’-the-wisps that flicker in our minds briefly but rarely are internalized. For revelations to be transformative we must come to them on our own. That is why Socrates taught with questions, and Jesus taught with parables.

Questions and parables do not steal the “aha” experience from us. They encourage it. Now is the time for Progressive Christian ministers to begin rethinking their approaches to the Sunday sermon–those wordy monologues which all too often are but platforms to show off our erudition. The progressive pulpit should not be confused with the university lectern. Parishioners are not college students.

Let us dial back on the scholarship, the analysis, and the scripture, and increase the storytelling, the laughter, and the wonder. Let us be the river guide who lets the fishers make their own catch.

—

Gain fresh insight into the Lord’s Prayer. Read our free online book The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life. The prayer’s hidden teachings will enrich and inspire you. Click the following link to begin reading the Living Hour book now: The Lord’s Prayer.

Render to Caesar

Gospel of Matthew 22

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables. 2 “The kingdom of heaven,” he said, “may be compared to a king who gave a banquet in honor of his son’s wedding. 3 He sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the banquet, but they were unwilling to come. 4 A second time he sent some servants, with orders to say to those who had been invited: ‘I have prepared my breakfast, my cattle and fat beasts are killed, and everything is ready; come to the banquet.’ 5 They, however, took no notice, but went off, one to his farm, another to his business; 6 While the rest, seizing his servants, ill-treated them and killed them.”

7 “The king, in anger, sent his troops, put those murderers to death, and set their city on fire. 8 Then he said to his servants: ‘The banquet is prepared, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 So go to the cross-roads, and invite everyone you find to the banquet.’ 10 The servants went out into the roads and collected all the people whom they found, whether bad or good; and the bridal-hall was filled with guests.

11 But, when the king went in to see his guests, he noticed there a man who had not put on a wedding-robe. 12 So he said to him ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding-robe?’ The man was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants: ‘Tie him hand and foot, and ‘put him out into the darkness’ outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’14 For many are called, but few chosen.”

15 Then the Pharisees went away and conferred together as to how they might lay a snare for Jesus in the course of conversation. 16 They sent their disciples, with the Herodians, to say to him: “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man, and that you teach the way of God honestly, and are not afraid of anyone; for you pay no regard to a man’s position. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Are we right in paying taxes to the Emperor, or not?”

18 Perceiving their malice, Jesus answered: “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin with which the tax is paid.” And, when they had brought him a florin, 20 He asked: “Whose head and title are these?” 21 “Caesar’s,” they answered; on which he said to them: “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 They wondered at his answer, and left him alone and went away.

Do you know the Lord’s Prayer’s meaning?
To continue reading Chapter 22 of the Gospel of Matthew, please click on page 2 below.

Happiness: Brando & Money

Vanity Fair recently issued a press release on its new interview with actor Johnny Depp. By association Depp aligns himself with the likes of Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan, Hunter S. Thompson, and especially Marlon Brando, who (like Depp) once owned an island.

One thing that celebrities share with regular folks is that we all like to associate ourselves with people whom we admire, and fancy the notion that we’re a little like them. Yet in reality we often are not like our idols. We often display neither the courage nor the insight of those who have become our icons–for if we did, we would turn our attention away from them and turn it inward to listen for the Christ within.

This fact is clearly revealed in Johnny Depp’s recitation of an old adage on happiness that sounds profound but really isn’t.¹ Depp justifies his pursuit of wealth by saying, “Money doesn’t buy you happiness. But it buys you a big enough yacht to sail right up to it.”

One can’t help but feel that Depp’s idols would be shaking their heads at such talk, especially his old colleague Marlon Brando. Among all of the actors of his generation, it was Brando who best personified Kerouac’s recognition that money (and fame) could neither buy happiness nor the yacht to sail up to its banks.

Brando in his later years became the ultimate “fool,” the jester of the celebrity court of Hollywood (who can forget his eccentic barefoot interview with Larry King), and all of his excesses were ways of escape, as well as modern day parables on the trappings of ego and pride. At the same time he held steadfast to his own sense of right and wrong (career be damned): principles that dramatically revealed themselves in 1972 when Brando rejected his Academy Award and sent Sacheen Littlefeather to explain why.

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, said Jesus of Nazareth. Of all the actors of the 20th century, none understood that better than Marlon Brando.

—

The Living Hour’s SBNR motivational series combines history, literature, philosophy, religion, and pop culture to help bring about new perspectives on Progressive Christianity and spirituality. Sign up by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page.

1. Studies have shown that individuals typically get richer during their lifetimes, but not happier. According to happiness studies, it is family, social and community networks that bring joy to one’s life. Once people have enough money to cover the necessities of life, money has little impact on happiness. [↩]

Jesus & Miguel de Unamuno – Solitude & Society

Jesus tells us we cannot enter the kingdom of God unless we are born of both water and spirit¹. Most of us can work out what Jesus means by born of spirit but born of water is a bit trickier. The literalist will just say, “Oh, he must mean baptism,” and leave it at that. But Jesus never wanted us to leave his words just at that. He infused all of his teachings with many levels of meaning, discernible to those who have the ears ready to hear it.²

As well all know, Jesus liked using parables to teach. Sometimes these parables are explicit, such as in the parable of the prodigal son, and other times they are implicit. For Jesus, water is a natural element that is a parable in itself. For example, if we look at Jesus’s life as depicted in the Gospels, we see that it echoes the flowing in and receding back of the ocean’s tides. Jesus would repeatedly flow out into society to teach, spread the gospel of Christ, and share fellowship with his neighbors, only to recede back into himself, into lonely places to pray³.

If we are truly to realize Christ in its fullness, we should remember that both solitude and society are essential. The artist, poet, or musician who spends their life creating great works yet ignores regular fellowship with his community is as spiritually off-kilter as the good hearted soul who dedicates their life to helping others yet ignores that solitary inner dialogue which is essential to self-growth. Solitude and society are like a tidal river, each side continually feeding the other. Or in the eloquent words of the Spanish author and statesman Miguel de Unamuno:

Only in solitude do we find ourselves; and in finding ourselves, we find in ourselves all our brothers [and sisters] in solitude–in solitude and only in solitude can you know yourself as a neighbor, and as long as you do not know yourself as a neighbor, you can never hope to see in your neighbors other I’s–It is solitude that makes [us] really sociable and human.

——

Please subscribe to The Living Hour’s free Daily SBNR Motivationals by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page. This Progressive Christianity series is written for Unitarians, Agnostics, and all who seek a richer life.

To read about Teilhard de Chardin and the inherent goodness of the world, please go to: Having Faith in the World.

1. “In truth I tell you,” exclaimed Jesus, “unless you are reborn, you cannot see the kingdom of God.” “How can someone,” asked Nicodemus, “be born when they are old? Can we be born a second time?” “In truth I tell you,” answered Jesus, “unless you owe your birth to water and spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:3-5 [↩]
2. “Nothing is hidden unless some day it comes to light, nor was anything ever kept hidden but that it should some day come into the light of day. 23 Let all who have ears to hear with hear.” Mark 4:22-23 [↩]
3. The story about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came together to listen to him, and to be cured of their illnesses; But Jesus used to withdraw to lonely places and pray. Luke 5:15-16 [↩]

The Kingdom of God is Like…

Gospel of Mark 4

Jesus again began to teach by the sea; and, as an immense crowd was gathering round him, he got into a boat, and sat in it on the sea, while all the people were on the shore at the water’s edge. 2 Then he taught them many truths in parables; and in the course of his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! The sower went out to sow; 4 And while sowing, some of the seed fell along the path; and the birds came, and ate it up.

5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once; 6 But, when the sun rose, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. 7 Some of the seed fell among brambles; but the brambles shot up and completely choked it, and it yielded no return. 8 Some fell into good soil, and, shooting up and growing, yielded a return, amounting to thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold.” 9 And Jesus said: “Let anyone who has ears to hear with hear.”

10 Afterwards, when he was alone, his followers and the twelve asked him about his parables; 11 And he said: “To you the hidden truth of the kingdom of God has been imparted; but to those on the outside, teaching takes the form of parables, 12 That ‘though they have eyes, they may see without perceiving; and though they have ears, they may hear without understanding; lest some day they should turn and be forgiven.’” 13 He then went on to ask them: “Do you not know the meaning of this parable? Then how will you understand all the other parables? 14 The sower sows the message.”

15 “The people meant by the seed that falls along the path are those where the message is sown, but, as soon as they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and carries away the message that has been sown in them. 16 So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the message, at once accept it joyfully; 17 But, as they have no root, they stand only for a short time; and so, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the message, they fall away at once.”

18 “Those meant by the seed sown among the brambles are different; they are the people who hear the message, 19 But the cares of life, and the glamour of wealth, and cravings for many other things come in and completely choke the message, so that it gives no return. 20 But the people meant by the seed sown on the good ground are those who hear the message, and welcome it, and yield a return, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold.”

Learn the Gospels through the Lord’s Prayer.

To continue reading Chapter 5 of the Gospel of Mark and learn what the Kingdom of God is like, please click on page 2 below.

There is One God

Gospel of Mark 12

And Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man once planted a vineyard, put a fence round it, dug a wine–press, built a tower, and then let it out to tenants and went abroad. 2 At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants, to receive from them a share of the produce of the vintage; 3 But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty– handed.”

4 “A second time the owner sent a servant to them; this man, too, the tenants struck on the head, and insulted. 5 He sent another, but him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed. 6 He had still one son, who was very dear to him; and him he sent to them last of all. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 7 But those tenants said to one another: ‘Here is the heir! Come, let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, and killed him, and threw his body outside the vineyard.”

9 “What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and put the tenants to death, and he will let the vineyard to others. 10 Have you never read this passage of scripture?: ‘The very stone which the builders despised has now itself become the corner– stone; 11 This corner–stone has come from the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes.’“ 12 After this his enemies were eager to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd; for they saw that it was at them that he had aimed the parable. So they let him alone, and went away.

13 Afterwards they sent to Jesus some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to set a trap for him in the course of conversation. 14 These men came to him and said: “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man, and are not afraid of anyone, for you pay no regard to a man’s position, but teach the way of God honestly; are we right in paying taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Should we pay, or should we not pay?”

Knowing their hypocrisy, Jesus said to them: “Why are you testing me? Bring me a florin to look at.” 16 And, when they had brought it, he asked: “Whose head and title are these?” “The Emperor’s,” they said; 17 And Jesus replied: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they wondered at him.

18 Next came some Sadducees, the men who maintain that there is no resurrection. Their question was this: 9 “Teacher, in our scriptures Moses decreed that, should a man’s brother die, leaving a widow but no child, the man should take the widow as his wife, and raise up a family for his brother. 20 There were once seven brothers; of whom the eldest took a wife, but died and left no family; 21 And the second took her, and died without family; and so did the third. 22 All the seven died and left no family. The woman herself died last of all. 23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, all seven brothers having had her as their wife?”

Read a fresh, new take on the Lord’s Prayer.

To continue reading Chapter 12 of the Gospel of Mark and how there is one God, please click on page 2 below.