Mark 12-13 lecture and discussion

The last Mark class of the semester, we had time only to survey Mark 12-13 briefly, and then to mention some points in chapters 14-16! In ch. 12, Jesus hints at his mission in the parable of the vineyard, challenging and fending off challenges from the local elites, whom he has characterized as the vineyard’s caretakers. In ch. 13, Jesus announces the way of suffering ahead: the current course of the caretakers will lead to the holy temple’s desolation as well as the suffering of God’s servants until the complete vindication of the Son of Man.