Mark 12:27 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as angels in heaven.

Mark 12:26 But as touching the dead, that they are raised; have ye not read in the book of Moses, in [the place concerning] the Bush, how God spake unto him, saying, I [am] the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living: ye do greatly err.

Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, What commandment is the first of all?

Mark 12:29 Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "dead", "living", and "greatly". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "dead" and "living", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "But as touching the dead that they..." into verse 28's "And one of the scribes came and...", so "dead" and "living" 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 "dead" and "living" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.