A.T. Robertson Commentary Mark 12

He began to speak unto them in parables (ηρξατο αυτοις εν παραβολαις λαλειν). Mark's common idiom again. He does not mean that this was the beginning of Christ's use of parables , but simply that his teaching on this occasion took the parabolic turn. "The circumstances called forth the parabolic mood, that of one whose heart is chilled, and whose spirit is saddened by a sense of loneliness, and who, retiring within himself, by a process of reflection, frames for his thoughts forms which half conceal, half reveal them" (Bruce). Mark does not give the Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28–32) nor that of the Marriage Feast of the King's Son (Matthew 22:1–14). He gives here the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen. Also in Mt 21:33-46 and Lu 20:9-19. See discussion in Matthew. Matthew 21:33 calls the man "a householder" (οικοδεσποτης).

A pit for the winepress (υποληνιον). Only here in the N.T. Common in the LXX and in late Greek. Matthew had ληνον, winepress. This is the vessel or trough under the winepress on the hillside to catch the juice when the grapes were trodden. The Romans called it lacus (lake) and Wycliff dalf (lake), like delved. See on Matthew for details just alike.

Husbandmen (γεωργοις). Workers in the ground, tillers of the soil (εργον, γη).

At the season (τω καιρω). For fruits as in the end of the sentence.

A servant (δουλον). Bondslave. Matthew has plural.

That he might receive (ινα λαβη). Purpose clause with second aorist subjunctive. Matthew has infinitive λαβειν, purpose also.

Wounded in the head (εκεφαλιωσαν). An old verb (κεφαλαιω), to bring under heads (κεφαλη), to summarize. Then to hit on the head. Only here in the N.T.

Beating some and killing some (ους μεν δεροντεσ, ους δε αποκτεννυντες). This distributive use of the demonstrative appears also in Mt 21:35 in the singular (ον μεν, ον δε, ον δε). Originally δερω in Homer meant to skin, flay, then to smite, to beat. Αποκτεννυντες is a μ form of the verb (αποκτεννυμ) and means to kill off.

A beloved son (υιον αγαπητον). Luke 20:13 has τον υιον τον αγαπητον. Jesus evidently has in mind the language of the Father to him at his baptism (Matthew 3:17; Luke 3:22).

Last (εσχατον). Only in Mark. See on Mt 21:37 for discussion of "reverence."

Among themselves (προς εαυτους). This phrase alone in Mark. Luke 20:14 has "with one another" (προς αλληλους), reciprocal instead of reflexive, pronoun.