Mark 3:23

3:23 So 1  he called them and spoke to them in parables: 2  “How can Satan cast out Satan?

Mark 5:12

5:12 And the demonic spirits 3  begged him, “Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them.”

Mark 6:19

6:19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But 4  she could not

Mark 10:13

Jesus and Little Children

10:13 Now 5  people were bringing little children to him for him to touch, 6  but the disciples scolded those who brought them. 7 

Mark 11:4

11:4 So 8  they went and found a colt tied at a door, outside in the street, and untied it.

Mark 12:5

12:5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed.

1 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

2 sn Jesus spoke two parables to demonstrate the absurdity of the thinking of the religious leaders who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. The first parable (vv. 23-26) teaches that if Jesus cast out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. The second parable (v. 28) about tying up a strong man proves that Jesus does not need to align himself with the devil because Jesus is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation (1:12-13) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (a position for which they will be held accountable, 3:29-30). For an explanation of what a parable is, see the note on parables in 4:2.

3 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

5 tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

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

8 tn Grk “so that he would touch them.” Here the touch is connected with (or conveys) a blessing (cf. v. 16; also BDAG 126 s.v. ἅπτω 2.c).

9 tc “Those who brought them” (ἐπετιμῶν τοῖς προσφέρουσιν, epetimwn toi" prosferousin) is the reading of most mss (A D W [Θ Ë1,13] Ï lat sy), but it is probably a motivated reading. Since the subject is not explicit in the earliest and best witnesses as well as several others (א B C L Δ Ψ 579 892 2427), scribes would be prone to add “those who brought them” here to clarify that the children were not the ones being scolded. It could be argued that the masculine pronoun αὐτοῖς (autois, “them”) only rarely was used with the neuter antecedent παιδία (paidia, “children”), and thus the longer reading was not motivated by scribal clarification. However, such rare usage is found in Mark (cf. 5:41; 9:24-26); further, scribes routinely added clarifications when such were not necessary. Thus, both on external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is strongly preferred. Similar motivations are behind the translation here, namely, “those who brought them” has been supplied to ensure that the parents who brought the children are in view, not the children themselves.

9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.