Mark 1:2

1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ¹ 

“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way, ² 

Mark 3:29

3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin” ³ 

Mark 4:31

4:31 It is like a mustard seed ⁴  that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground –

Mark 9:41

9:41 For I tell you the truth, ⁵  whoever gives you a cup of water because ⁶  you bear Christ’s ⁷  name will never lose his reward.

Mark 10:15

10:15 I tell you the truth, ⁸  whoever does not receive ⁹  the kingdom of God like a child ¹⁰  will never ¹¹  enter it.”

Mark 13:2

13:2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. ¹²  All will be torn down!” ¹³ 

[1:2]  ¹ tc Instead of “in Isaiah the prophet” the majority of mss read “in the prophets” (A W ˹³ Ï Ir^lat). Except for Irenaeus (2nd century), the earliest evidence for this is thus from the 5th (or possibly late 4th) century (W A). The difficulty of Irenaeus is that he wrote in Greek but has been preserved largely in Latin. His Greek remains have “in Isaiah the prophet.” Only the later Latin translation has “in the prophets.” The KJV reading is thus in harmony with the majority of late mss. On the other hand, the witnesses for “in Isaiah the prophet” (either with the article before Isaiah or not) are early and geographically widespread: א B D L Δ Θ Ë¹ 33 565 700 892 1241 2427 al sy^p co Ir. This evidence runs deep into the 2nd century, is widespread, and is found in the most important Alexandrian, Western, and Caesarean witnesses. The “Isaiah” reading has a better external pedigree in every way. It has the support of the earliest and best witnesses from all the texttypes that matter. Moreover it is the harder reading, since the quotation in the first part of the verse appears to be from Exod 23:20 and Mal 3:1, with the quotation from Isa 40:3 coming in the next verse. The reading of the later mss seems motivated by a desire to resolve this difficulty.

[1:2]  ² sn The opening lines of the quotation are from Exod 23:20; Mal 3:1. Here is the forerunner who points the way to the arrival of God’s salvation. His job is to prepare and guide the people, as the cloud did for Israel in the desert.

[3:29]  ³ sn Is guilty of an eternal sin. This passage has troubled many people, who have wondered whether or not they have committed this eternal sin. Three things must be kept in mind: (1) the nature of the sin is to ascribe what is the obvious work of the Holy Spirit (e.g., releasing people from Satan’s power) to Satan himself; (2) it is not simply a momentary doubt or sinful attitude, but is indeed a settled condition which opposes the Spirit’s work, as typified by the religious leaders who opposed Jesus; and (3) a person who is concerned about it has probably never committed this sin, for those who commit it here (i.e., the religious leaders) are not in the least concerned about Jesus’ warning. On this last point see W. W. Wessel, “Mark,” EBC 8:645-46.

[4:31]  ⁵ sn Mustard seeds are known for their tiny size.

[9:41]  ⁷ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[9:41]  ⁸ tn Grk “in [the] name that of Christ you are.”

[9:41]  ⁹ tn Or “bear the Messiah’s”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[10:15]  ⁹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[10:15]  ¹⁰ sn On receive see John 1:12.

[10:15]  ¹¹ sn The point of the comparison receive the kingdom of God like a child has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit and willingness to be dependent and receive from others than any inherent humility the child might possess.

[10:15]  ¹² tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

[13:2]  ¹¹ sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

[13:2]  ¹² tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”