The KJV Holy Bible

 

Mark Chapter Twelve

 

1 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.

2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.

3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.

4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.

5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.

6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.

7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.'

8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:

11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.

13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.

16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.

17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,

19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.

21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.

22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.

23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?

36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,

39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:

40 Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

 

 

Esoteric Interpretation & Commentary

 

The Hermetic Blueprint of Mark Chapter Twelve: The Final Test of the Intellect and the Law of Unity 

"Mark Chapter Twelve details the final Intellectual battles within the Mental temple. As the Sovereign Will Asserts Absolute Authority, the unawakened lower Faculties launch their final attempts to trap the Divine Mind using earthly logic. The Christos systematically Dismantles these traps, establishes the Highest Spiritual Law of Cosmic Unity, and Demonstrates that Ultimate Liberation requires the Complete Surrender of All Internal Vitality to the Universal Source."

 

 

Verses 1-12: The Parable of the Vineyard and the Rejected Cornerstone - "And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard... and let it out to husbandmen... And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant... and they caught him, and beat him... Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him... The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:" 

The vineyard Esoterically represents the Microcosm—the human body and Psyche—prepared by the Creator for Spiritual Evolution. The husbandmen are the lower animal ego and the unrefined Intellectual Faculties left to tend the garden. The servants sent to collect the fruit represent the Higher Intuitional impulses and Mystical Insights, which the ego repeatedly beats and rejects to maintain its earthly dominance. Finally, The ALL Sends the beloved Son, the Awakened Christ Consciousness. The lower ego attempts to kill this Divine Light to preserve its material Authority. However, the Sovereign Will Prophesies that this rejected Son—the True Spiritual Will—Must Become the Fundamental cornerstone of the new, Alchemically Purified Mental temple.

 

 

Verses 13-17: The Law of Polarity and Rendering unto Caesar - "And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words... Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?... But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them... bring me a penny, that I may see it... And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him." 

The lower Intellect (Pharisees) and the earthly ego (Herodians) attempt to force the Christos into a Polarized trap between material Law and Spiritual Law. The coin of Caesar represents the material world, physical currency, and lower earthly Energy. The Sovereign Will Perceives their Mental hypocrisy and Establishes the perfect Law of balance. To "Render to Caesar" means to fulfill necessary physical obligations and maintain the earthly vessel. However, the Higher Vitality, the Immortal Soul, and the Pure Consciousness bear the image of the Creator. The Initiate must give their Ultimate Devotion and Spiritual Energy Entirely to The ALL. The lower Faculties marvel because the Divine Mind transcends their binary earthly logic.

 

 

Verses 18-27: The Illusion of the Sadducees and the Eternal Life - "Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection... Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him... his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed... In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? ...Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?... he is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living..." 

The Sadducees represent the most strictly materialistic aspect of the Intellect—the purely analytical Thinking that denies Higher Spiritual Evolution, the Subconscious, and the afterlife. They present a convoluted hypothetical regarding Seven brothers to mock the concept of Eternal Life. The Christos Rebukes their Spiritual blindness, Stating they understand neither the Esoteric Truth nor the Absolute Power of the Source. In the Awakened Superconscious state (the resurrection), the Soul is no longer bound by earthly generation, physical gender, or mortal laws; it exists as Pure, Luminous Energy, like the angels. The Divine Principle Declares, "he is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living," Confirming that True Life is a state of Awakened Consciousness, while Spiritual ignorance is the only real death.

 

 

Verses 28-34: The Greatest Commandment and the Absolute Unity - "And one of the scribes came... and asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength... And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God... And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." 

This is the Ultimate philosophical climax of the Mental trials. The Sovereign Will Reveals the Highest Law of the Cosmos: Absolute Unity. "The Lord our God is one Lord" is the Esoteric Realization that The ALL is singular, All-Pervading, and Indivisible. To Love the Creator with All the Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength means the Initiate must perfectly Align and Unify their Emotional Feelings, Spiritual Vitality, Intellectual Faculties, and physical Energy toward the Divine Source. When the scribe Mentally Comprehends that this Internal Alchemical Harmony transcends all outer, mechanical rituals and sacrifices, the Christos Affirms that he is nearing True Superconscious Realization.

 

 

Verses 35-44: The Surrender of the Widow and the Complete Sacrifice - "And Jesus answered and taught in the temple... How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?... And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing... And Jesus sat over against the treasury... and there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites... And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury... she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living." 

The Divine Mind Warns against the vanity and egotism of the unawakened Intellect (scribes) that seeks outer glory while Internally devouring the Pure, vulnerable aspects of the Psyche (widows' houses). Observing the treasury, the Christos Points out the poor widow. The wealthy casting in large amounts represent those who offer only their surplus, earthly Energy to the Great Work while holding back their True Will. The widow represents the completely Purified and Humbled Subconscious. She throws in Two mites—symbolizing the surrender of Total Polarity. The Sovereign Will Declares she has given the most, because she voluntarily surrendered all her Vitality and "all her living" to the Absolute. This is the Final Initiation: the Adept must Empty Themselves Completely to be filled with the Eternal Light.