Mark 1:15

1:15 He ¹  said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God ²  is near. Repent and believe the gospel!”

Mark 1:24

1:24 “Leave us alone, ³  Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One ⁴  of God!”

Mark 7:13

7:13 Thus you nullify ⁵  the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this.”

Mark 10:24-25

10:24 The disciples were astonished at these words. But again Jesus said to them, ⁶  “Children, how hard it is ⁷  to enter the kingdom of God! 10:25 It is easier for a camel ⁸  to go through the eye of a needle ⁹  than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Mark 12:24

12:24 Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you deceived ¹⁰  for this reason, because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God?

Mark 13:19

13:19 For in those days there will be suffering ¹¹  unlike anything that has happened ¹²  from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, or ever will happen.

Mark 14:25

14:25 I tell you the truth, ¹³  I will no longer drink of the fruit ¹⁴  of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Mark 15:39

15:39 Now when the centurion, ¹⁵  who stood in front of him, saw how he died, ¹⁶  he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

[1:15]  ¹ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:15]  ² sn The kingdom of God is a reference to the sovereign activity of God as he rules over his creation and brings his plans to realization.

[1:24]  ³ tn Grk “What to us and to you?” This is an idiom meaning, “We have nothing to do with one another,” or “Why bother us!” The phrase τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί (ti Jhmin kai soi) is Semitic in origin, though it made its way into colloquial Greek (BDAG 275 s.v. ἐγώ). The equivalent Hebrew expression in the OT had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his own, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) merely implies disengagement. BDAG suggests the following as glosses for this expression: What have I to do with you? What have we in common? Leave me alone! Never mind! Hostility between Jesus and the demons is certainly to be understood in this context, hence the translation: “Leave me alone….” For a very similar expression see Lk 8:28 and (in a different context) John 2:4.

[1:24]  ⁴ sn The confession of Jesus as the Holy One here is significant, coming from an unclean spirit. Jesus, as the Holy One of God, who bears God’s Spirit and is the expression of holiness, comes to deal with uncleanness and unholiness.

[7:13]  ⁵ tn Grk “nullifying.” This participle shows the results of the Pharisees’ command.

[10:24]  ⁷ tn Grk “But answering, Jesus again said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.

[10:24]  ⁸ tc Most mss (A C D Θ Ë^1,13 28 565 2427 Ï lat sy) have here “for those who trust in riches” (τοὺς πεποιθότας ἐπὶ [τοῖς] χρήμασιν, tou" pepoiqota" epi [toi"] crhmasin); W has πλούσιον (plousion) later in the verse, producing the same general modification on the dominical saying (“how hard it is for the rich to enter…”). But such qualifications on the Lord’s otherwise harsh and absolute statements are natural scribal expansions, intended to soften the dictum. Further, the earliest and best witnesses, along with a few others (א B Δ Ψ sa), lack any such qualifications. That W lacks the longer expansion and only has πλούσιον suggests that its archetype agreed with א B here; its voice should be heard with theirs. Thus, both on external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is preferred.

[10:25]  ⁹ tc A few witnesses (˹³ 28 579 pc) read κάμιλον (kamilon, “rope”) for κάμηλον (kamhlon, “camel”), either through accidental misreading of the text or intentionally so as to soften Jesus’ words.

[10:25]  ¹⁰ sn The referent of the eye of a needle is a sewing needle. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus was speaking rhetorically to point out that apart from God’s intervention, salvation is impossible (v. 27).

[12:24]  ¹¹ tn Or “mistaken” (cf. BDAG 822 s.v. πλανάω 2.c.γ).

[13:19]  ¹³ tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”

[13:19]  ¹⁴ sn Suffering unlike anything that has happened. Some refer this event to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. While the events of a.d. 70 may reflect somewhat the comments Jesus makes here, the reference to the scope and severity of this judgment strongly suggest that much more is in view. Most likely Jesus is referring to the great end-time judgment on Jerusalem in the great tribulation.

[14:25]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[14:25]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “the produce” (“the produce of the vine” is a figurative expression for wine).

[15:39]  ¹⁷ sn A centurion was a noncommissioned officer in the Roman army or one of the auxiliary territorial armies, commanding a centuria of (nominally) 100 men. The responsibilities of centurions were broadly similar to modern junior officers, but there was a wide gap in social status between them and officers, and relatively few were promoted beyond the rank of senior centurion. The Roman troops stationed in Judea were auxiliaries, who would normally be rewarded with Roman citizenship after 25 years of service. Some of the centurions may have served originally in the Roman legions (regular army) and thus gained their citizenship at enlistment. Others may have inherited it, like Paul.

[15:39]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “the way he breathed his last”; or “the way he expired”; or “that he thus breathed no more.”