Mark 12:12 (ASV)

Passage

And they sought to lay hold on him; and they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spake the parable against them: and they left him, and went away.

Nearby Context

Mark 12:10 Have ye not read even this scripture: The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner;

Mark 12:11 This was from the Lord, And it is marvellous in our eyes?

Mark 12:12 And they sought to lay hold on him; and they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spake the parable against them: and they left him, and went away.

Mark 12:13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they might catch him in talk.

Mark 12:14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and carest not for any one; for thou regardest not the person of men, but of a truth teachest the way of God: Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sought", "hold", "feared", "multitude", "perceived", "spake", "parable", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sought" and "hold", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "This was from the Lord And it..." into verse 13's "And they send unto him certain of...", so "sought" and "hold" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sought" and "hold" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.