which shall not receive a hundred fold now in this life, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers and children, and lands with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life.

"Grant us this," they answered, "to sit, one on your right, and the other on your left, when you come in glory."

But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

And [when they] heard [this], the ten began to be indignant about James and John.

But it is not like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

Then they [i.e., Jesus and the twelve apostles] came to Jericho [Note: This was a town about

And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say 'The Lord has need of it, and will send it here again at once.'"

May the coming kingdom of our forefather David be blessed. Hosanna in the highest [i.e., may this blessing reach to the highest heaven]."

Then he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you after this!" The disciples heard him say it.

This came to the ears of the scribes and high priests, and they tried to get him put to death, for they were afraid of him. But the multitude were all astounded at his teaching.

I tell you truly, whoever says to this hill, 'Take and throw yourself into the sea,' and has not a doubt in his mind but believes that what he says will happen, he will have it done.

For this [reason] I say to you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received [it], and it will be [done] for you.

and asked him, "What authority have you for acting in this way? Who gave you authority to act in this way?"

Jesus said to them, "I am going to ask you a question. Answer this, and I will tell you what authority I have for acting as I do.

And they began to discuss [this] with one another, saying, "What should we say? If we say 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

they therefore gave Jesus this answer, we cannot tell. neither do I, said Jesus, acquaint you by what authority I act thus.

Then Jesus address'd himself to them in this parabolical manner. a certain person planted a vineyard, made a fence about it, clear'd the way for a wine-press, built a tower, and committed it to the care of vine-dressers, while he was travelling abroad.

A second time the owner sent a servant to them; this man, too, the tenants struck on the head, and insulted.

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

But those vine-dressers said one to another, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.

Have you not read this scripture: The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner;

this was from the Lord, and it is wondrous in our eyes?

After this his enemies were eager to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd; for they saw that it was at them that he had aimed the parable. So they let him alone, and went away.

Then the Pharisees sent certain ones of their number [See Matt. 22:15-16] along with the Herodians [Note: This refers to members of a political party favoring King Herod] to attempt to trap Him by what He said.

Should we pay it, or should we not pay it?" But Jesus was aware of their hypocrisy and said to them, "Bring me the coin so I can see it." [Note: The amount of this coin was equivalent to one day of a farm laborer's pay, or about $60-$84 in 1994].

They brought it; and he said to them: Whose image and superscription is this? They said to him: Caesar's.

Next came some Sadducees--the men who maintain that there is no resurrection. Their question was this--

"Teacher," they said, "Moses has written this law for us, that if a man's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother is to take the woman and raise offspring for his brother.

And Jesus answered and said to them: Do you not err for this reason, because you know not the scriptures, nor the power of God?

Then came up one of the Teachers of the Law who had heard their discussions. Knowing that Jesus had answered them wisely, he asked him this question: "What is the first of all the commandments?"

"The chief Commandment," replied Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;

And you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole mind, and with your whole strength. This is the first commandment.

And the second, which is like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as your self. There is no other commandment greater than these.

And Jesus, perceiving that he answered wisely, said to him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And after this no one dared to question him.

So Jesus asked this question as He taught in the temple complex, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the Son of David?

for David himself, who was inspired by the holy spirit, has this expression, "the Lord said to my Lord, sit thou at my right hand till I make thy enemies thy foot-stool."

Then Jesus sat down over near the [Temple] treasury and watched how the crowd was throwing money into the treasury [Note: This "treasury" was a large open-mouthed container used for receiving offerings for meeting expenses of Temple upkeep]. Many rich people were throwing in lots of money.

And he called his disciples to him, and said to them: Verily I say to you, this poor widow has thrown in more than all that have thrown into the treasury.

but Jesus answer'd him, you see this magnificent structure, which shall not be left till it be all demolished, one stone after another.

"Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign when all this is drawing to its close."

And Jesus said to them, "Take care that no one misleads you about this.

And when you hear about wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must happen, but the end [is] not yet.

For 'nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom'; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This will be but the beginning of the birth-pangs.

"But pay attention to yourselves, for people will turn you over to [Jewish] councils [i.e., for judgment] and you will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings for being loyal to me. [This will afford you an opportunity] for witnessing to them.

And, when they lead you away, delivering you up, be not anxious beforehand what ye shall speak; but whatsoever is given you in that hour, this speak: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit.

And you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end--this one will be saved.

As soon, however, as you see 'the Foul Desecration' standing where he ought not" (the reader must consider what this means) "then those of you who are in Judea must take refuge in the mountains;

Also the person who is on a housetop [Note: This was a flat area where people retired for rest, prayer, etc., with its stairway on the outside] should not go down into his house to take anything out [when he flees].

Pray, too, that this may not occur in winter.

For these will be the days of affliction, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created, till this time, and will never be.

But see that you are on your guard! I have told you all this beforehand.

and the stars will be falling from the sky and the forces of the heavens will be shaken. [Note: From the description of these same events in Luke 21:25-26, it is possible that this is figurative language for great calamities happening on earth].

"Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.

so, whenever you see this happen, you may be sure He is at hand, at the very door.

Verily I say to you, this generation shall not pass away, till all these things take place.

Now the Passover Festival and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were held two days later. [Note: This was the annual Jewish Festival week commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage under Moses' leadership. The unleavened bread was specially baked bread containing no yeast, which was eaten for seven days as part of the celebration]. And the leading priests and experts in the law of Moses were looking for a way to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.

because they kept saying, "This must not happen during the festival. Otherwise, there'll be a riot among the people."

And while Jesus was in Bethany [Note: This was a small village fewer than two miles east of Jerusalem], sitting at the dinner table in the house of Simon, the man with an infectious skin disease [Note: This man had probably been healed by now], a woman with an alabaster [i.e., stone] jar of very expensive perfume came to Him, broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head.

But there were some that had indignation among themselves,'saying , To what purpose hath this waste of the ointment been made?

For this ointment might have been sold for above three hundred shillings, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

"Let her alone," said Jesus, as they began to find fault with her, "why are you troubling her? This is a beautiful deed that she has done for me.

She has done what she could. She has applied this aromatic oil to my body in anticipation of my burial.

And verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

After this, Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the Chief Priests, to betray Jesus to them.

And [when] they heard [this], they were delighted, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how he could betray him conveniently.

They were grieved at this, and began to say to him, one after another: "Can it be I?"

And as they were eating, he took bread, and when he had blessed, he brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take ye: this is my body.

And he said unto them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of this fruit of the vine, until that day that I shall drink it new in the kingdom of God."

And Jesus said to them: All of you will find in me an occasion for offense this night; for it is written: I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.

And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that thou to-day, even this night, before the cock crow twice, shalt deny me thrice.

Jesus and His disciples came to a place called Gethsemene [Note: This was an olive orchard on a hillside just east of Jerusalem]. He said to His disciples, "You sit here while I [go away and] pray."

And going a little farther, He prostrated Himself, and prayed, if it were possible, that this hour might pass from Him.

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; remove this cup from me: howbeit not what I will, but what thou wilt.

When he came back for the third time, he said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough of this! The time has come. See! the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of wicked men.

Now he that was betraying Him gave them a signal, saying, "Whomsoever I shall kiss, This is He, take Him, and lead Him away securely."

I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but this is done that the scriptures might be fulfilled.

And a certain young man [Note: Some think this is a reference to Mark himself], who had a linen outer garment thrown over his scantily clad body, was following Jesus until they [i.e., the soldiers and officers] took hold of him. [Note: The wording here does not indicate total nakedness, but rather the wearing of underclothing only]

Presently some men stood up, and gave this false evidence against him--

We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.

And not even in this did their testimony agree.

Then the High Priest stood forward, and questioned Jesus. "Have you no answer to make?" he asked. "What is this evidence which these men are giving against you?"

At this the High Priest tore his vestments. "Why do we want any more witnesses?" he exclaimed.

And seeing Peter warming himself by the fire, she gave him a look, and said, You were with this Nazarene, even Jesus.

And the maid saw him, and began again to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.

But he began to curse, and to swear, I know not this man of whom ye speak.

And in the same minute, the cock gave a second cry. And it came to Peter's mind how Jesus had said to him, Before the cock's second cry, you will say three times that you have no knowledge of me. And at this thought he was overcome with weeping.

and at this time a man named Barabbas was in prison among the insurgents--persons who in the insurrection had committed murder.

[So], Pilate again asked them, "Then what shall I do to this one you call the king of the Jews?"

They placed a purple robe on Him [Note: Matt. 27:28 calls this a "scarlet" robe. In that day, any color with a mixture of "red" in it was often called "purple"], and making a wreath out of thorns, they placed it on His head.

They forced a passerby, named Simon of Cyrene [Note: This was a city in the northern African country of Libya], the father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the countryside, to go with them so he could carry Jesus' cross [i.e., probably only the cross-beam portion].

They offered Him wine, mixed with aromatic spices, but He refused to accept it. [Note: Matt. 27:34 calls this "gall," a bitter drug for the purpose of dulling the pain of crucifixion].

Then they crucified Him. This done, they divided His garments among them, drawing lots to decide what each should take.

It was nine o'clock in the morning and they crucified Him. [Note: John 19:14 indicates that the crucifixion took place about noon. This can be harmonized if we take Mark's account to mean when the entire process began].

so that this passage of scripture was fulfill'd, "and he was numbred with the transgressors."

Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

Some of those standing round heard this, and said: "Listen! He is calling for Elijah!"

And when the captain, who was near, saw how he gave up his spirit, he said, Truly this man was a son of God.

And there were also some women watching all this from a distance. Among them were Mary from Magdala; Mary the mother of the younger James and [his brother] Joseph [i.e., probably the wife of Clopas. See John 19:25]; and Salome [i.e., the mother of James and John and wife of Zebedee. See Matt. 27:56].

By this time it was evening, and as it was the day of Preparation (that is, the day before the sabbath)