Word Study

Ransom (Mk 10:45)

Lytron (Gk.): a "redemption price" paid for the release of captives. The word occurs only two times in

the NT (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45) but is related to other biblical concepts with a similar meaning (Eph 1:7; 1 Tim 2:5-6). In the OT, kinship relations gave rise to the obligation of protecting one's parents, brothers, sisters, and cousins. Family members thus took responsibility for paying the ransom price for other family members who were taken captive or sold into slavery (Lev 25:47-49). As a divine Father, God became the "Redeemer" of Israel (Is 41:14; 54:5), who ransomed his beloved son from Egypt (Ex 4:2223; Deut 7:8). In the NT, God purchases his people from slavery in sin (Rom 6:16-18) by the price of Christ's own life (1 Pet 1:18-19). His saving death thus ransomed us for freedom and fellowship in the family of God (1 Cor 6:20; Col 1:11-14; Rev 5:9).

11:1-15:47 Mark devotes over one-third of his Gospel to Passion Week, the final days of Jesus' life. His emphasis on these events reflects their importance for the Church, which annually celebrates them from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday. Back to text.

11:1 Jerusalem: Jesus journeys to the Holy City amid thousands of pilgrims arriving for the annual feast of Passover (Ex 12:1-13; CCC 583). It is this OT feast that Jesus transforms at the Last Supper and through his death on the Cross (14:22-25; 1 Cor 5:7). Bethphage: Hebrew for "house of figs". Its exact location is uncertain but presumably near Bethany, about two miles east of Jerusalem (Jn 11:18). Mount of Olives: The mountain directly east of Jerusalem. Its western slope faces the Temple Mount (13:3). Back to text.

11:7 the colt: Recalls the messianic prophecy of Zech 9:9. • The colt in this oracle symbolizes the king's humility as he comes to Israel in "peace", not mounted on a "war horse" to lead a military strike against Rome (Zech 9:10). Jesus' entry into the city also recalls Solomon's procession into Jerusalem at his coronation as the King of Israel (1 Kings 1:32-40; CCC 559-60). See note on Mt 21:1-11. Back to text.

11:8-10 Three details surrounding the triumphal entry recall Psalm 118, a psalm chanted by Passover pilgrims flocking to Jerusalem. • (1) The leafy branches (11:8) echo the "festal procession with branches" in Ps 118:27. (2) The Hebrew acclamation Hosanna (11:9) means "save us" and is taken from Ps 118:25. (3) Blessed . . . in the name of the Lord (11:9) is quoted from Ps 118:26. Jesus later interprets Psalm 118 in the Temple (12:10-11). Back to text.

11:8 spread their garments: A symbolic gesture for honoring a newly crowned king (2 Kings 9:13). • Morally (St. Bede, In Marcum): the garments thrown under the colt signify the flesh of Christian martyrs, who lay down their lives for the gospel and so proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Back to text.

11:13 a fig tree: A traditional symbol of Israel (Jer 8:13; Hos 9:10). not the season for figs: The import of this statement is not immediately clear. It probably underscores what is most evident about Israel: it has yet to bear the fruits of repentance (Lk 13:6-9). When Jesus curses it, the withering and death of the tree become a visible prophecy of the doom that awaits Jerusalem for murdering the Messiah. The same point is made in the following episode, when Jesus topples the commercial stations set up in the Temple. Back to text.

11:15 to drive out: Animals were sold in the outer court of the Temple as a service to Passover pilgrims who traveled to the city to offer sacrifice. Merchants, however, exploited this arrangement for their own financial gain. According to Jesus, they offended God by what they were doing and where they were doing it. The Temple should be a house of worship, not a place where daylight thievery and business traffic make prayer impossible. • Jesus' dramatic demonstration of overturning tables foreshadows the Temple's violent destruction in A.D. 70. Several OT passages resonate in the background. (1) His aggressive cleansing of the outer court recalls Mal 3:1-4, where the Lord forewarned Jerusalem that he would make a divine inspection of the Temple to purify the sanctuary and its priests. (2) His temporary interruption of the Temple liturgy (11:16) is a prelude to a more permanent disruption in the sacrificial cult foretold in Dan 9:26-27. (3) His expulsion of the merchants recalls the vision of Zech 14:21, where the prophet predicts that no trader will be found within the Temple precincts in the messianic age. See note on 13:2 and CCC 584. Back to text.

11:17 house of prayer: A reference to Is 56:7. • Isaiah foresaw Yahweh gathering the Gentiles to share in the covenant worship of Israel. Jesus sees the corruption in the Temple courts as an affront to this oracle (CCC 584). The Temple's outer court—the area reserved for Gentile pilgrims— has become a marketplace where worship is now impossible. Ultimately, Isaiah's vision of a Temple for all nations is fulfilled when Jesus makes a Temple of all nations in the Church (Eph 2:11-22). den of robbers: An excerpt from Jer 7:11. • In context, Jeremiah delivered a sermon in the Temple to warn Israel of God's coming judgment upon Jerusalem. Because Israel failed to repent, Solomon's Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Jesus similarly confronts Israelites who presume that their covenant relationship with God will remain secure despite their sin (Jer 7:8-15). Their impenitence will result in the Temple's second destruction in A.D. 70. Back to text.

11:23 this mountain: Presumably a reference to Mt. Zion, where Jerusalem stands. Its dramatic removal illustrates the power unleashed through prayer (Mt 17:20; 1 Cor 13:2; CCC 2610). • Jesus may allude to Zech 4:7, where the prophet describes a vision of Zerubbabel rebuilding the Temple after its first destruction (586 B.C.). In his way stood a great mountain that Zerubbabel had to clear away in order to begin construction. Here too the mountain of Jerusalem and the Temple must be pushed aside to make room for a new Temple: the true house of prayer built of Christian believers quarried from all nations (Mt 16:18; 1 Pet 2:4-5). See note on Mt 24:1-25:46. Back to text.

11:25 stand praying: A traditional posture for Jewish worship (Ps 134:2; Mt 6:5; Lk 18:11). Back to text.

11:30 the baptism of John: Jesus questions his interrogators to expose their malice (11:18). If they deny that John's ministry is from heaven, they will quickly lose favor with the people (11:32). If they affirm its heavenly authority, they stand condemned for ignoring God's plan for their lives (Mt 21:32; Lk 7:28-30). Back to text.

12:1-9 The parable of the Wicked Tenants narrates the history of Israel. The story stresses that God has been patient with his wayward people throughout the ages. The vineyard represents Israel dwelling in the walled city of Jerusalem (Jer 2:21; Hos 10:1), the tower is the Temple (as in Jewish tradition based on Is 5:1-2), and the tenants are Israel's leaders stationed in the city. The servants are OT prophets repeatedly sent by God to call for repentance. Many prophets were abused and killed (12:5; Lk 13:34). God eventually sent Jesus as the beloved son (12:6), whom they also killed (12:8). By adding the detail that the son is thrust out of the vineyard (12:8), Jesus predicts his Crucifixion outside the city walls of Jerusalem (Jn 19:20). God will avenge his Son when he sends him to destroy (12:9) the unfaithful of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. See note on 13:2. • Morally (St. Bede, In Marcum): the vineyard of Israel signifies every Christian, whose duty it is to cultivate his new life given in Baptism. The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms are sent as messengers one after another, and finally, as recounted in the Gospels, the Father sends his Son. Should we despise these servants in pride, and even spurn the Son of God through sin, the graces we forfeit will be given to others more willing to receive them. Back to text.

12:10-11 A citation from Ps 118:22-23, a psalm chanted by Passover pilgrims flocking to Jerusalem. • Psalm 118 foretells the bitter irony of Holy Week: Jerusalem's leaders (the builders) will reject their Messiah (stone) despite his divine mission (the Lord's doing), while his work will be called marvelous by those who recognize him with the eyes of faith. The psalm is implying that the old Temple will be replaced with another, where the rejected Messiah will serve as the honored cornerstone of the new edifice (Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:4-5; CCC 756). See note on Mk 11:8-10. Back to text.

12:13 Pharisees . . . Herodians: Two opposing groups in NT Palestine. They stand far apart in their political outlook but close together in their opposition to Jesus (3:6). The Pharisees opposed the Roman rule and occupation of Palestine, whereas the Herodians were sympathetic to Rome's government of Israel through the Herodian dynasty. See essay: Who Are the Pharisees? at Mk 2. entrap him: Roman taxation was a sensitive and potentially explosive issue for Jews of the NT period. Jesus' opponents thus confront him on the tax in order to trap and eliminate him once and for all. The dilemma they pose appears inescapable: If Jesus agrees with the tax, he will lose credibility with the majority of Jews embittered by Roman rule; if Jesus rejects the tax, he will be reported to the Roman governor for instigating rebellion. Back to text.

12:16 Whose likeness . . . ? Jesus responds with a riddle that plays on the word "likeness". Because Caesar's likeness is stamped on the coin for the tax, it should be given back to him as his rightful property. God's image and likeness, however, is stamped into every living person, including Caesar (Gen 1:27). Even more important than civil responsibilities is the obligation everyone, including Caesar, has to give himself back to God. In the end, Jesus is able to rise above the controversy over taxation by stressing this higher duty incumbent upon all (CCC 450). See note on Mt 22:19. Back to text.

12:18 Sadducees: Priestly aristocrats who managed the affairs of the Jerusalem Temple. Their denial of a future resurrection was unacceptable to most Jews of the day (Acts 23:8; CCC 992-93). Here they consider a future resurrection only hypothetically; they are really out to prove there is no such thing. See topical essay: Who Are the Sadducees? Back to text.