Mark 2:27

2:27 Then ¹  he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for people, ²  not people for the Sabbath.

Mark 3:23

3:23 So ³  he called them and spoke to them in parables: ⁴  “How can Satan cast out Satan?

Mark 4:26

The Parable of the Growing Seed

4:26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground.

Mark 4:30

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

4:30 He also asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it?

Mark 6:10

6:10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there ⁵  until you leave the area.

Mark 6:18

6:18 For John had repeatedly told ⁶  Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” ⁷ 

Mark 7:9

7:9 He also said to them, “You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up ⁸  your tradition.

Mark 7:14

7:14 Then ⁹  he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand.

Mark 9:24

9:24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Mark 15:14

15:14 Pilate asked them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!”

[2:27]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:27]  ² tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is used twice in this verse in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”

[3:23]  ³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[3:23]  ⁴ 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.

[6:10]  ⁵ sn Jesus telling his disciples to stay there in one house contrasts with the practice of religious philosophers in the ancient world who went from house to house begging.

[6:18]  ⁷ tn The imperfect tense verb is here rendered with an iterative force.

[6:18]  ⁸ sn It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife. This was a violation of OT law (Lev 18:16; 20:21). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left marriages to enter into this union.

[7:9]  ⁹ tc The translation here follows the reading στήσητε (sthshte, “set up”) found in D W Θ Ë¹ 28 565 2542 it sy^s,p Cyp. The majority of mss here read τηρήσητε (thrhsete; א A L ˹³ 33 Ï co) or τηρῆτε (thrhte; B 2427), both translated “keep.” It is hard to know which reading is best: On the one hand, τηρήσητε/τηρῆτε has much stronger external support, but στήσητε is a more difficult reading. What makes “keep” suspect is that it appears in two different forms, suggesting independent alterations of a difficult reading. Further, scribes may have been influenced by the preceding “commandment of God” to change the text toward “keep” (TCGNT 81), a common enough expression (cf. Matt 19:17; John 14:15; 1 Tim 6:1; 1 John 5:3; Rev 14:12). Thus, the more difficult reading is “set up.” Also, the more natural opposite of “reject” (ἀθεῖτε [aqeite], literally “you set aside”) is “set up.” However, the Western reading may have been influenced by Exod 6:4 or Heb 10:9, but this likelihood seems remote. Thus, “set up” is more likely to be the original wording of Mark here.

[7:14]  ¹¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.