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Mark 3

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Healing on the Sabbath Day 1–6

1
And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there who had his hand withered. ​
2
And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. ​
3
And he saith unto the man that had his hand withered, Stand forth.
4
And 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.
5
And 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. ​
6
And the Pharisees went out, and straightway with the Herodians took counsel against him, how they might destroy him. ​

Jesus Ministered to Great Crowds 7–12

7
And Jesus with his disciples withdrew to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and from Judæa, ​
8
and from Jerusalem, and from Idumæa, and beyond the Jordan, and about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came unto him. ​
9
And he spake to his disciples, that a little boat should wait on him because of the crowd, lest they should throng him:
10
for he had healed many; insomuch that as many as had plagues pressed upon him that they might touch him.
11
And the unclean spirits, whensoever they beheld him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. ​
12
And he charged them much that they should not make him known.

The Appointment of the Twelve Apostles 13–19

13
And he goeth up into the mountain, and calleth unto him whom he himself would; and they went unto him. ​
14
And he appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, ​
15
and to have authority to cast out demons:
16
and Simon he surnamed Peter;
17
and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and them he surnamed Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder: ​
18
and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphæus, and Thaddæus, and Simon the Cananæan,
19
and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. And he cometh into a house. ​

The Beelzebul Accusation 20–30

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And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21
And when his friends heard it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.
22
And the scribes that came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons casteth he out the demons. ​
23
And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24
And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
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And if a house be divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
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And if Satan hath risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
27
But 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.
28
Verily I say unto you, All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
29
but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin: ​
30
because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. ​

Jesus Defines His True Family 31–35

31
And there come his mother and his brethren; and, standing without, they sent unto him, calling him.
32
And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
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And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren?
34
And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren!
35
For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Mark 3

Verse 1

a withered hand — Xeraino is to dry up. Luke 6:6 says it was 'his right hand' and that this was 'on another sabbath', after the cornfield question of Mark 2:23–28. Matt 12:10 gives the question that was put to him in the synagogue: 'Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days?'

Verse 2

they watched him — Paratereo, to watch closely, is the verb used of the same watchers in Luke 6:7 and 14:1, and of the spies in Luke 20:20. The stated aim is to 'accuse' (kategoreo) him, which Luke 6:7 words 'that they might find an accusation against him'. Ps 37:32 says 'The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.'

Verse 5

being grieved for the hardness of their hearts — Orge, 'anger', is said of Christ nowhere else in the Gospels, and syllypeo, 'grieved with', occurs only here. Luke 6:10 has the same look 'round about upon them all'. Porosis, 'hardness', is 'blindness' in Rom 11:25 and Eph 4:18. 'Restored' (apokathistemi) is also the verb of Matt 12:13.

Verse 6

the Herodians — Herodianoi, followers of Herod, are named in the New Testament only here, in Mark 12:13 and in Matt 22:16. Matt 12:14 records the same plot: they 'held a council against him, how they might destroy him'. 'Took counsel' is symboulion, and 'destroy' is apollymi, to cause to perish.

Verse 7

withdrew himself — Anachoreo is to retire, the verb of Matt 12:15, 'when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all'. The plot of v.6 comes first, and the crowd that follows him to the sea comes from Galilee and Judaea, and in v.8 from farther afield.

Verse 8

Idumaea — The Greek form of Edom, the land of Esau, 'who is Edom' (Gen 36:1); Isa 34:5 has 'Idumea' in the KJV, and Idoumaia occurs in the New Testament only here. 'Beyond Jordan' is peran, as in Matt 19:1. Tyre and Sidon are the Gentile cities of Matt 11:21. The crowd had 'heard what great things he did'.

Verse 11

Thou art the Son of God — The unclean spirits (akatharta pneumata) 'fell down before him' and cried the title. Luke 4:41 records the same and adds that he 'suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ'; Mark 3:12 says 'he straitly charged them that they should not make him known'. James 2:19: 'the devils also believe, and tremble.'

Verse 13

calleth unto him whom he would — The choice is his own: 'whom he would' (thelo), and Luke 6:13 says 'of them he chose twelve'. Luke 6:12 places it after a night 'in prayer to God' on a mountain. John 15:16 states the principle, 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you'.

Verse 14

he ordained twelve — The Greek is poieo, to make or appoint. There are two purposes, 'that they should be with him' and 'that he might send them forth' (apostello) to preach (kerysso, to proclaim as a herald). Luke 6:13 adds 'whom also he named apostles', and Matt 19:28 sets the twelve over 'the twelve tribes of Israel'.

Verse 17

Boanerges — Mark alone gives this name, which occurs nowhere else; he supplies its meaning, 'The sons of thunder' (bronte, thunder). It was put on both brothers, who are with Peter at 5:37, 9:2 and 14:33. In Luke 9:54 James and John ask 'wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven'.

Verse 19

which also betrayed him — Paradidomi, to hand over, is the verb of Matt 26:15, 'I will deliver him unto you'. Matt 10:4 also lists him last with 'who also betrayed him'. John 6:64 says Jesus 'knew from the beginning… who should betray him', and John 13:18 applies Ps 41:9, 'He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me'.

Verse 22

He hath Beelzebub — Beelzeboul echoes Baalzebub, the god of Ekron of 2 Kings 1:2, whom Ahaziah sent to enquire of. The scribes call him 'the prince of the devils' (archon), as the Pharisees do in Matt 12:24, and Christ had said they would call 'the master of the house Beelzebub' (Matt 10:25). These scribes 'came down from Jerusalem'.

Verse 29

hath never forgiveness — Enochos, 'in danger of', is liable to; it is the word of 'guilty of death' in Matt 26:66 and 'guilty of the body and blood of the Lord' in 1 Cor 11:27. Matt 12:31–32 gives the saying with 'neither in this world, neither in the world to come'. The reason is stated in v.30.

Verse 30

He hath an unclean spirit — Mark gives the charge that lies behind v.29. Akatharton pneuma is the term used of the spirits that Christ cast out (v.11; 1:23). The same charge is made in John 10:20, 'He hath a devil, and is mad', and Matt 12:24–32 sets the Beelzebub charge directly before the same warning.

Verse 35

do the will of God — Thelema, what God wills. Matt 12:50 has the saying with 'the will of my Father which is in heaven', and Luke 8:21 with 'hear the word of God, and do it'. John 7:17 says 'If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine'. Verse 34 sets the scene: he 'looked round about on them which sat about him'.