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.

Healing on the Sabbath Day

1
Yeshua went again into a synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ​
2
Looking for a reason to accuse him of something, people watched him carefully to see if he would heal him on Shabbat. ​
3
He said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Come up where we can see you!"
4
Then to them he said, "What is permitted on Shabbat? Doing good or doing evil? Saving life or killing?" But they said nothing.
5
Then, looking them over and feeling both anger with them and sympathy for them at the stoniness of their hearts, he said to the man, "Hold out your hand." As he held it out, it became restored. ​
6
The P'rushim went out and immediately began plotting with some members of Herod's party how to do away with him. ​

Jesus Ministered to Great Crowds

7
Yeshua went off with his talmidim to the lake, and great numbers followed him from the Galil. ​
8
When they heard what he was doing, great numbers also followed him from Y'hudah, Yerushalayim, Idumea, the territory beyond the Yarden, and the Tzor-Tzidon area. ​
9
He told his talmidim to have a boat ready for him, so that he could escape the crush of the crowd if necessary,
10
for he had healed many people, and all the sick kept pressing forward to touch him.
11
Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they would fall down in front of him and scream, "You are the Son of God!" ​
12
But he warned them strictly not to make him known.

The Appointment of the Twelve Apostles

13
Then he went up into the hill country and summoned to himself those he wanted, and they came to him. ​
14
He appointed twelve to be with him, to be sent out to preach ​
15
and to have authority to expel demons:
16
Shim`on, to whom he gave another name, "Kefa";
17
Ya`akov Ben-Zavdai and Yochanan, Ya`akov's brother -- to them he gave the name "B'nei-Regesh" (that is, "Thunderers"); ​
18
Andrew, Philip, Bar-Talmai, Mattityahu, T'oma, Ya`akov Ben-Halfai, Taddai, Shim`on the Zealot,
19
and Y'hudah from K'riot, the one who betrayed him. Then he entered a house; ​

The Beelzebul Accusation

20
and once more, such a crowd came together that they couldn't even eat.
21
When his family heard about this, they set out to take charge of him; for they said, "He's out of his mind!"
22
The Torah-teachers who came down from Yerushalayim said, "He has Ba`alZibbul in him," and "It is by the ruler of the demons that he expels the demons." ​
23
But he called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan expel Satan?
24
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom can't survive;
25
and if a household is divided against itself, that household can't survive.
26
So if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he can't survive either; and that's the end of him.
27
Furthermore, no one can break into a strong man's house and make off with his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. After that, he can ransack his house.
28
Yes! I tell you that people will be forgiven all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter;
29
however, someone who blasphemes against the Ruach HaKodesh never has forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin." ​
30
For they had been saying, "He has an unclean spirit in him." ​

Jesus Defines His True Family

31
Then his mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent a message asking for him.
32
A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you."
33
He replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?"
34
Looking at those seated in a circle around him, he said, "See! Here are my mother and my brothers!
35
Whoever does what God wants is my brother, 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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