Mark — Chapter 3

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1And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

2And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

3And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

4And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

5And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

6And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

7But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,

8And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

9And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.

10For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.

11And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

12And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.

13And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

14And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

15And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

16And Simon he surnamed Peter;

17And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:

18And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

19And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

20And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

21And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

22And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

23And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?

24And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

26And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

27No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

28Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:

29But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:

30Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

31There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.

32And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.

33And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?

34And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

35For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

1And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there who had his hand withered.

2And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

3And he saith unto the man that had his hand withered, Stand forth.

4And he saith unto them, Is it lawful on the sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? to save a life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

5And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their heart, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and his hand was restored.

6And the Pharisees went out, and straightway with the Herodians took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.

7And Jesus with his disciples withdrew to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and from Judaea,

8and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and beyond the Jordan, and about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came unto him.

9And he spake to his disciples, that a little boat should wait on him because of the crowd, lest they should throng him:

10for he had healed many; insomuch that as many as had plagues pressed upon him that they might touch him.

11And the unclean spirits, whensoever they beheld him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

12And he charged them much that they should not make him known.

13And he goeth up into the mountain, and calleth unto him whom he himself would; and they went unto him.

14And he appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

15and to have authority to cast out demons:

16and Simon he surnamed Peter;

17and James the [son] of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and them he surnamed Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder:

18and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean,

19and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. And he cometh into a house.

20And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

21And when his friends heard it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

22And the scribes that came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons casteth he out the demons.

23And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?

24And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25And if a house be divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

26And if Satan hath rise up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

27But no one can enter into the house of the strong [man], and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong [man]; and then he will spoil his house.

28Verily I say unto you, All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:

29but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin:

30because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

31And there come his mother and his brethren; and, standing without, they sent unto him, calling him.

32And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.

33And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren?

34And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren!

35For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

1Then Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.

2They watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they could accuse him.

3So he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Stand up among all these people.”

4Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or evil, to save a life or destroy it?” But they were silent.

5After looking around at them in anger, grieved by the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

6So the Pharisees went out immediately and began plotting with the Herodians, as to how they could assassinate him.

7Then Jesus went away with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him. And from Judea,

8Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan River, and around Tyre and Sidon a great multitude came to him when they heard about the things he had done.

9Because of the crowd, he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him so the crowd would not press toward him.

10For he had healed many, so that all who were afflicted with diseases pressed toward him in order to touch him.

11And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”

12But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

13Now Jesus went up the mountain and called for those he wanted, and they came to him.

14He appointed 12 so that they would be with him and he could send them to preach

15and to have authority to cast out demons.

16To Simon he gave the name Peter;

17to James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, he gave the name Boanerges (that is, “sons of thunder”);

18and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,

19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

20Now Jesus went home, and a crowd gathered so that they were not able to eat.

21When his family heard this they went out to restrain him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

22The experts in the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the ruler of demons he casts out demons!”

23So he called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?

24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom will not be able to stand.

25If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

26And if Satan rises against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand and his end has come.

27But no one is able to enter a strong man’s house and steal his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can thoroughly plunder his house.

28I tell you the truth, people will be forgiven for all sins, even all the blasphemies they utter.

29But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin”

30(because they said, “He has an unclean spirit”).

31Then Jesus’ mother and his brothers came. Standing outside, they sent word to him, to summon him.

32A crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.”

33He answered them and said, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”

34And looking at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

35For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

1He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had his hand withered.

2They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him.

3He said to the man who had his hand withered, “Stand up.”

4He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” But they were silent.

5When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other.

6The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

7Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples, and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea,

8from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon. A great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came to him.

9He spoke to his disciples that a little boat should stay near him because of the crowd, so that they wouldn’t press on him.

10For he had healed many, so that as many as had diseases pressed on him that they might touch him.

11The unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, “You are the Son of God!”

12He sternly warned them that they should not make him known.

13He went up into the mountain, and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him.

14He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach,

15and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:

16Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);

17James the son of Zebedee; and John, the brother of James, (whom he called Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder);

18Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot;

19and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. Then he came into a house.

20The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

21When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him: for they said, “He is insane.”

22The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”

23He summoned them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?

24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

26If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end.

27But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder, unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house.

28Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme;

29but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”

30—because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

31His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.

32A multitude was sitting around him, and they told him, “Behold, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside looking for you.”

33He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”

34Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers!

35For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Jesus heals on the Sabbath despite Pharisaic opposition, appoints the twelve apostles, and warns that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is an eternal sin — declaring that whoever does God's will is His true family.

Authorship & Background

Author: John Mark (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 3 records the escalation of conflict with the Pharisees (vv.1-6), Jesus' growing popularity (vv.7-12), the appointment of the twelve apostles (vv.13-19), the Beelzebub controversy (vv.20-30), and Jesus' true family (vv.31-35).
The Pharisees and Herodians (v.6): After Jesus heals on the Sabbath, the Pharisees immediately conspire with the Herodians to destroy Him. These two groups were normally enemies — the Pharisees were religious purists, the Herodians were political collaborators with Rome. Their alliance against Jesus shows how threatening He was to both religious and political establishments.
The Twelve Appointed (vv.13-19): Jesus chose twelve men "that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach" (v.14). The order is significant: first BE with Him, then GO for Him. Relationship precedes mission. The twelve include fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, and a betrayer — a diverse, unlikely group.
The Unforgivable Sin (vv.28-30): Jesus says all sins and blasphemies can be forgiven — except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. In context, this refers to the scribes' deliberate attribution of the Spirit's work to Satan (v.30). It is not a single careless word but a settled, willful rejection of the Spirit's testimony about Christ.

Map & Geography

  • The synagogue (v.1): A synagogue in Capernaum where Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath.
  • The Sea of Galilee (v.7): Great multitudes followed Jesus from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and Tyre and Sidon — showing the geographic reach of His fame.
  • A mountain (v.13): Jesus went up on a mountain near the Sea of Galilee to appoint the twelve apostles.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines Jesus' anger at hard hearts, the appointment of the twelve, the Beelzebub controversy, the unforgivable sin, and Jesus' true family.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "The Unpardonable Sin" on vv.28-30 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 587) "All sins shall be forgiven — ALL. Murder, adultery, theft, blasphemy — all forgiven. But blasphemy against the Holy Ghost — the deliberate, persistent, willful attribution of God's work to Satan — that has no forgiveness. Not because God cannot forgive it, but because the person who commits it has so hardened themselves that they will never seek forgiveness." Sermon: "Christ's Family" on v.35 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1321) "Whosoever shall do the will of God — that is Christ's family. Not blood relation, not church membership, not denominational affiliation — but obedience to God's will. That makes you His brother, His sister, His mother. That is the family that matters for eternity."

Reflection

  • 1. Jesus was angry AND grieved at the hardness of their hearts (v.5). Righteous anger is appropriate when people use religion to harm others. But it must be accompanied by grief, not hatred. How do you handle situations where religious people are hard-hearted toward the hurting?
  • 2. Jesus appointed the twelve first "to be with him" and then "to send them forth" (v.14). Being with Jesus precedes doing for Jesus. Is your ministry flowing from intimacy with Christ, or are you serving without spending time with Him?
  • 3. The unforgivable sin (v.29) is not a single moment of doubt or a careless word — it is a settled, willful rejection of the Spirit's testimony about Christ. If you're worried you've committed it, you almost certainly haven't — because concern about it shows your heart is still responsive to God.
  • 4. Jesus said His true family is "whosoever shall do the will of God" (v.35). Spiritual family is defined by obedience, not biology. How connected are you to your spiritual family — the community of believers who do God's will together?
  • 5. The Pharisees watched Jesus to accuse Him (v.2) — they came to the synagogue not to worship but to find fault. Is there anyone you're watching with a critical eye rather than a compassionate one? What would change if you looked for what God is doing rather than what's wrong?
  • 6. Jesus chose twelve very different men — fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot. He didn't choose the qualified; He qualified the chosen. How does knowing that God chooses unlikely people encourage you about your own calling?
  • 7. Jesus' family thought He was crazy (v.21). Following God's call sometimes looks insane to those closest to you. Have you ever been misunderstood by family because of your faith? How did you handle it?
  • 8. "No man can enter into a strong man's house, except he will first bind the strong man" (v.27). Jesus has bound Satan — his power is broken. How does knowing that Christ has already defeated the enemy change how you face spiritual battles?
  • 9. Jesus redefined family around obedience to God's will (v.35). Who is your spiritual family? Are you investing in those relationships with the same priority you give biological family?