Markus 4:2

4:2 He taught them many things in parables, ¹  and in his teaching said to them:

Markus 4:13

4:13 He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? Then ²  how will you understand any parable?

Markus 4:33

The Use of Parables

4:33 So ³  with many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear.

Markus 12:1

The Parable of the Tenants

12:1 Then ⁴  he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. ⁵  He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then ⁶  he leased it to tenant farmers ⁷  and went on a journey.

Markus 12:12

12:12 Now ⁸  they wanted to arrest him (but they feared the crowd), because they realized that he told this parable against them. So ⁹  they left him and went away. ¹⁰ 

[4:2]  ¹ sn Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. 2:19-22; 3:23-25; 4:3-9, 26-32; 7:15-17; 13:28), many times they are simply stories that attempt to teach spiritual truth (which is unknown to the hearers) by using a comparison with something known to the hearers. In general, parables usually advance a single idea, though there may be many parts and characters in a single parable and subordinate ideas may expand the main idea further. The beauty of using the parable as a teaching device is that it draws the listener into the story, elicits an evaluation, and demands a response.

[4:13]  ² tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[4:33]  ³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[12:1]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:1]  ⁵ sn The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT (Isa 5:1-7). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24.

[12:1]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:1]  ⁷ sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.

[12:12]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to introduce a somewhat parenthetical remark by the author.

[12:12]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[12:12]  ¹⁰ sn The point of the parable in Mark 12:1-12 is that the leaders of the nation have been rejected by God and the vineyard (v. 9, referring to the nation and its privileged status) will be taken from them and given to others (an allusion to the Gentiles).