Mark3

Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, provoking the Pharisees and Herodians to plot against him. He then withdraws, gathers a great multitude, and appoints twelve apostles to preach and cast out devils. Later, Jesus refutes accusations of casting out devils by Beelzebub, warning against blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, and declares that his true family consists of those who do God's will.
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Healing on the Sabbath Day

1
Once again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man with a withered hand was there. ​
2
In order to accuse Jesus, they were watching to see if He would heal on the Sabbath. ​
3
Then Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand up among us.”
4
And He asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” But they were silent.
5
Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored. ​
6
At this, the Pharisees went out and began plotting with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. ​

Jesus Ministered to Great Crowds

7
So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea, ​
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Jerusalem, Idumea, the region beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to Him when they heard what great things He was doing. ​
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Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him.
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For He had healed so many that all who had diseases were pressing forward to touch Him.
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And when the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!” ​
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But He warned them sternly not to make Him known.

The Appointment of the Twelve Apostles

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Then Jesus went up on the mountain and called for those He wanted, and they came to Him. ​
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He appointed twelve of them, whom He designated as apostles, to accompany Him, to be sent out to preach, ​
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and to have authority to drive out demons.
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These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (whom He named Peter),
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James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”), ​
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Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,
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and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. ​

The Beelzebul Accusation

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Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.
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When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
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And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.” ​
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So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?
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If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand.
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If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand.
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And if Satan is divided and rises against himself, he cannot stand; his end has come.
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Indeed, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.
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Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter.
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But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.” ​
30
Jesus made this statement because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” ​

Jesus Defines His True Family

31
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him,
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and a crowd was sitting around Him. “Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking for You.”
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But Jesus replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”
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Looking at those seated in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
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For whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother.” ​

Study Notes for Mark 3

Verse 1

This incident continues the conflict motif established in Mark 2, where Jesus deliberately challenges the legalistic interpretations of Sabbath observance held by the Pharisees.

Verse 2

The religious leaders are not present to seek healing or truth, but to act as witnesses for a legal accusation, prioritizing strict law over human need.

Verse 5

Mark uniquely emphasizes Jesus’ emotional reaction: anger (orge) directed at their spiritual stubbornness, combined with grief (synlypomenos) over the hardness of their hearts. This shows the divine judgment and human compassion of Christ.

Verse 6

This verse marks a major escalation: the Pharisees (religious legalists) ally with the Herodians (political supporters of Rome) to plot Jesus’ destruction, indicating that Jesus is now a serious political and religious threat.

Verse 7

Jesus strategically withdraws from Galilee after the threat of execution, moving his ministry to the seashore to avoid immediate confrontation while continuing to teach.

Verse 8

The list of geographical locations (including Idumea, Tyre, and Sidon) emphasizes that Jesus’ fame had spread throughout both Jewish and surrounding Gentile territories, demonstrating the universal appeal of his power.

Verse 11

The demons consistently acknowledge Jesus’ true identity ('Son of God'), contrasting their immediate faith with the slowness of human belief and the hostility of the religious leaders.

Verse 13

The mountain setting often symbolizes a place of divine encounter and covenant making (cf. Sinai). Jesus formally establishes a new leadership structure for his burgeoning movement.

Verse 14

The selection had two primary purposes: first, that they should 'be with him' (discipleship and training), and second, that he might 'send them forth' (mission and apostleship).

Verse 17

Boanerges, meaning 'Sons of Thunder,' likely refers to the fiery zeal, intensity, and ambition of James and John, traits that would later be tempered and channeled by Christ.

Verse 19

Judas Iscariot is listed last and is immediately identified as the one who would betray Jesus, a tragic inclusion that foreshadows the failure and treachery within the inner circle.

Verse 22

The scribes from Jerusalem, representing the highest religious authority, accuse Jesus of being possessed by Beelzebul (a name for Satan), thereby attributing the power of God to the power of evil.

Verse 29

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is understood here as the final, willful rejection of God’s saving work—seeing the manifest power of the Spirit in Jesus’ deeds and deliberately declaring it to be demonic.

Verse 30

Mark clarifies that the unforgivable sin is not a rash word, but the profound, stubborn attribution of Christ's divine works to Satan, hardening the heart against the only source of forgiveness.

Verse 35

Jesus radically redefines kinship, asserting that spiritual obedience to God's will creates a bond stronger and more significant than biological ties, establishing the church as a new spiritual family.

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