Mark 8:15

8:15 And Jesus ¹  ordered them, ²  “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees ³  and the yeast of Herod!”

Mark 12:13

Paying Taxes to Caesar

12:13 Then ⁴  they sent some of the Pharisees ⁵  and Herodians ⁶  to trap him with his own words. ⁷ 

Mark 2:16

2:16 When the experts in the law ⁸  and the Pharisees ⁹  saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁰ 

Mark 2:18

The Superiority of the New

2:18 Now ¹¹  John’s ¹²  disciples and the Pharisees ¹³  were fasting. ¹⁴  So ¹⁵  they came to Jesus ¹⁶  and said, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?”

[8:15]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:15]  ² tn Grk “was giving them orders, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[8:15]  ³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[12:13]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:13]  ⁵ sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[12:13]  ⁶ sn Pharisees and Herodians made a very interesting alliance. W. W. Wessel (“Mark,” EBC 8:733) comments: “The Herodians were as obnoxious to the Pharisees on political grounds as the Sadducees were on theological grounds. Yet the two groups united in their opposition to Jesus. Collaboration in wickedness, as well as goodness, has great power. Their purpose was to trip Jesus up in his words so that he would lose the support of the people, leaving the way open for them to destroy him.” See also the note on “Herodians” in Mark 3:6.

[12:13]  ⁷ tn Grk “trap him in word.”

[2:16]  ⁷ tn Or “the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[2:16]  ⁸ sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

[2:16]  ⁹ sn The issue here is inappropriate associations. Jews were very careful about personal associations and contact as a matter of ritual cleanliness. Their question borders on an accusation that Jesus is ritually unclean.

[2:18]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[2:18]  ¹¹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[2:18]  ¹² sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[2:18]  ¹³ sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.

[2:18]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate that in the narrative this question happened as a result of the fasting of John’s disciples and the Pharisees.

[2:18]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.