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
He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had his hand withered. ​
2
They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him. ​
3
He said to the man who had his hand withered, “Stand up.”
4
He 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.
5
When 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. ​
6
The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. ​

Jesus Ministered to Great Crowds

7
Yeshua withdrew to the sea with his disciples, and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea, ​
8
from 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. ​
9
He spoke to his disciples that a little boat should stay near him because of the crowd, so that they wouldn’t press on him.
10
For he had healed many, so that as many as had diseases pressed on him that they might touch him.
11
The unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, “You are the Son of God!” ​
12
He sternly warned them that they should not make him known.

The Appointment of the Twelve Apostles

13
He went up into the mountain, and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him. ​
14
He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to proclaim, ​
15
and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:
16
Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter;
17
Jacob the son of Zebedee; Yochanan, the brother of Jacob, and he called them Benei-Regesh, which means, Sons of Thunder; ​
18
Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; Jacob, the son of Halfai; Taddai; Simon the Zealot;
19
and Judah Iscariot, who also betrayed him. He came into a house. ​

The Beelzebul Accusation

20
The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21
When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him: for they said, “He is insane.”
22
The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.” ​
23
He summoned them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25
If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26
If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end.
27
But 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.
28
Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme;
29
but 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.” ​

Jesus Defines His True Family

31
His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.
32
A multitude was sitting around him, and they told him, “Behold, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside looking for you.”
33
He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
34
Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers!
35
For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my 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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