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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Mark 3:13–21. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
In these verses, we have,
I.The choice Christ made of the twelve apostles to be his constant followers and attendants, and to be sent abroad as there was occasion, to preach the gospel. Observe,
1.The introduction to this call or promotion of disciples; He goes up into a mountain, and his errand thither was to pray. Ministers must be set apart with solemn prayer for the pouring out of the Spirit upon them; though Christ had authority to confer the gifts of the Holy Ghost, yet, to set us an example, he prayed for them.
2.The rule he went by in his choice, and that was his own good pleasure; He called unto him whom he would. Not such as we should have thought fittest to be called, looking upon the countenance, and the height of the stature; but such as he thought fit to call, and determined to make fit for the service to which he called them: even so, blessed Jesus, because it seemed good in thine eyes. Christ calls whom he will; for he is a free Agent, and his grace is his own.
3.The efficacy of the call; He called them to separate themselves from the crowd, and stand by him, and they came unto him. Christ calls those who were given him (Joh 17:6); and all that the Father gave him, shall come to him, Joh 6:37. Those whom it was his will to call, he made willing to come; his people shall be willing in the day of his power. Perhaps they came to him readily enough, because they were in expectation of reigning with him in temporal pomp and power; but when afterward they were undeceived in that matter, yet they had such a prospect given them of better things, that they would not say they were deceived in their Master, nor repented their leaving all to be with him.
4.The end and intention of this call; He ordained them (probably by the imposition of hands, which was a ceremony used among the Jews), that they should be with him constantly, to be witnesses of his doctrine, manner of life, and patience, that they might fully know it, and be able to give an account of it; and especially that they might attest the truth of his miracles; they must be with him to receive instructions from him, that they might be qualified to give instructions to others. It would require time to fit them for that which he designed them for; for they must be sent forth to preach; not to preach till they were sent, and not to be sent till by a long and intimate acquaintance with Christ they were fitted. Note, Christ's ministers must be much with him.
5.The power he gave them to work miracles; and hereby he put a very great honour upon them, beyond that of the great men of the earth. He ordained them to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils. This showed that the power which Christ had to work these miracles was an original power; that he had it not as a Servant, but as a Son in his own house, in that he could confer it upon others, and invest them with it: they have a rule in the law, Deputatus non potest deputare - He that is only deputed himself, cannot depute another; but our Lord Jesus had life in himself, and the Spirit without measure; for he could give this power even to the weak and foolish things of the world.
6.Their number and names; He ordained twelve, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. They are here named not just in the same order as they were in Matthew, nor by couples, as they were there; but as there, so here, Peter is put first and Judas last. Here Matthew is put before Thomas, probably being called in that order; but in that catalogue which Matthew himself drew up, he puts himself after Thomas; so far was he from insisting upon the precedency of his consecration. But that which Mark only takes notice of in this list of the apostles, is, that Christ called James and John Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder; perhaps they were remarkable for a loud commanding voice, they were thundering preachers; or, rather, it denotes the zeal and fervency of their spirits, which would make them active for God above their brethren. These two (saith Dr. Hammond) were to be special eminent ministers of the gospel, which is called a voice shaking the earth, Heb 12:26. Yet John, one of those sons of thunder, was full of love and tenderness, as appears by his epistles, and was the beloved disciple.
7.Their retirement with their Master, and close adherence to him; They went into a house. Now that this jury was impanelled, they stood together, to hearken to their evidence. They went together into the house, to settle the orders of their infant college; and now, it is likely, the bag was given to Judas, which pleased him, and made him easy.
II.The continual crowds that attended Christ's motions (Mar 3:20); The multitude cometh together again, unsent for, and unseasonably pressing upon him, some with one errand and some with another; so that he and his disciples could not get time so much as to eat bread, much less for a set and full meal. Yet he did not shut his doors against the petitioners, but bade them welcome, and gave to each of them an answer of peace. Note, They whose hearts are enlarged in the work of God, can easily bear with great inconveniences to themselves, in the prosecution of it, and will rather lose a meal's meat at any time than slip an opportunity of doing good. It is happy when zealous hearers and zealous preachers thus meet, and encourage one another. Now the kingdom of God was preached, and men pressed into it, Luk 16:16. This was a gale of opportunity worth improving; and the disciples might well afford to adjourn their meals, to lay hold on it. It is good striking while the iron is hot.
III.The care of his relations concerning him (Mar 3:21); When his friends in Capernaum heard how he was followed, and what pains he took, they went out, to lay hold on him, and fetch him home, for they said, He is beside himself.
1.Some understand it of an absurd preposterous care, which had more in it of reproach to him than of respect; and so we must take it as we read it, He is beside himself; either they suspected it themselves, or it was suggested to them, and they gave credit to the suggestion, that he was gone distracted, and therefore his friends ought to bind him, and put him in a dark room, to bring him to his right mind again. His kindred, many of them, had mean thoughts of him (Joh 7:5), and were willing to hearken to this ill construction which some put upon his great zeal, and to conclude him crazed in his intellects, and under that pretence to take him off from his work. The prophets were called mad fellows, Kg2 9:11.
2.Others understand it of a well-meaning care; and then they read exestē - "He fainteth, he has no time to eat bread, and therefore his strength will fail him; he will be stifled with the crowd of people, and will have his spirits quite exhausted with constant speaking, and the virtue that goes out of him in his miracles; and therefore let us use a friendly violence with him, and get him a little breathing-time." In his preaching-work, as well as his suffering-work, he was attacked with, Master, spare thyself. Note, They who go on with vigour and zeal in the work of God, must expect to meet with hindrances, both from the groundless disaffection of their enemies, and the mistaken affections of their friends, and they have need to stand upon their guard against both.
Historical interpretation
Six Centuries of Reception
6 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
But Simon is interpreted, 'laying aside sorrow;' for blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matt. 5:4) And he is called Canaanite, that is, Zealot, because the zeal of the Lord ate him up. But Judas Iscariot is one who does not do away his sins by repentance. For Judas means 'boaster,' or vain-glorious. And Iscariot, 'the memory of death.' But many are the proud and vain-glorious confessors in the Church, as Simon Magus, and Arius, and other heretics, whose deathlike memory is celebrated in the Church, that it may be avoided.
But mystically, the house to which they came, is the early Church. The crowds which prevent their eating bread are sins and vices; for he who eateth unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself. (1 Cor. 11:29)
(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Ungrateful indeed were the multitudes of princes, whom their pride hinders from knowledge, but the grateful multitude of the people came to Jesus.
And they come to the house. For He led the apostles chosen on the mountain back to the house, as if silently admonishing them that after receiving the rank of apostleship, they should return to their conscience, and that the greater care they have taken on of teaching the people, the more diligently they should consider and penetrate the dwelling places of their own minds, and lest anything be found there that might offend the eyes of the hidden inspector, they should seek it out with diligent examination. For thus, each one rightly governs his neighbor if he first thoroughly explores and purges from his own heart whatever wickedness was within.
And again the crowd gathered, so much so that they could not even eat bread. Oh, how happy is the occupation of the Savior, how blessed is the multitude of the gathering crowd, to whom there was so much eagerness to hear the word of God, so much care to obtain salvation, that to the author of salvation and to those who were with Him, not even the hour of eating remained free from the solace of imparting life to the needy! Would that, Lord Jesus, in our times as well, you might grant as much grace to your faithful, who, by their studiousness in learning, hinder their teachers not only from the desire for carnal pleasures but sometimes also from the very reception of daily bread. But let us see how much the external crowd esteems the presence of their relatives. It follows,
(ubi sup.) The Lord leads the Apostles, when they were elected, into a house, as if admonishing them, that after having received the Apostleship, they should retire to look on their own consciences. Wherefore it is said, And they came into a house, and the multitude came together again, so that they could not eat bread.
(ubi sup.) And blessed indeed the concourse of the crowd, flocking together, whose anxiety to obtain salvation was so great, that they left not the Author of salvation even an hour free to take food. But Him, whom a crowd of strangers loves to follow, his relations hold in little esteem: for it goes on: And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold upon him. For since they could not take in the depth of wisdom, which they heard, they thought that He was speaking in a senseless way, wherefore it continues, for they said, He is beside himself.
(ubi sup.) Now there is a great difference between those who do not understand the word of God from slowness of intellect, such as those, who are here spoken of, and those who purposely blaspheme, of whom it is added, And the Scribes which came down from Jerusalem, &c. For what they could not deny, they endeavour to pervert by a malicious interpretation, as if they were not the works of God, but of a most unclean spirit, that is, of Beelzebub, who was the God of Ekron. For 'Beel' means Baal himself, and 'zebub' a fly; the meaning of Beelzebub therefore is the man of flies, on account of the filth of the blood which was offered, from which most unclean rite, they call him prince of the devils, adding, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
(ubi sup.) The Scribes also coming down from Jerusalem blaspheme. But the multitude from Jerusalem, and from other regions of Judæa, or of the Gentiles, followed the Lord, because so it was to be at the time of His Passion, that a crowd of the people of the Jews should lead Him to Jerusalem with palms and praises, and the Gentiles should desire to see Him; but the Scribes and Pharisees should plot together for His death.
That is, He has a devil and is mad, and therefore they wished to lay hold upon Him, that they might shut Him up as one who had a devil. And even His friends wished to do this, that is, His relations, perchance His countrymen, or His brethren. 1But it was a silly insanity in them, to conceive that the Worker of such great miracles of Divine Wisdom had become mad.
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Summary
Mark 3:20 profoundly illustrates the relentless demands placed upon Jesus and His disciples during His early ministry, depicting a scene where the sheer volume of the gathered crowds was so overwhelming that it prevented them from even partaking in a basic meal. This verse succinctly captures the intense popularity and the profound personal sacrifice inherent in Jesus' mission, highlighting the immediate and pressing needs of the people that superseded the fundamental human requirement for sustenance and rest.
Context
Literary Context
This verse immediately follows Jesus' pivotal act of selecting and appointing the twelve apostles. Having chosen this inner circle to be with Him, to preach, and to cast out demons, Jesus returns to a house, likely in Capernaum, a central hub for His Galilean ministry. The narrative flow in Mark consistently emphasizes the burgeoning crowds drawn to Jesus, a theme established earlier in Mark 1 with His authoritative teaching and miraculous healings, and amplified by the spread of His fame throughout Galilee and beyond, drawing people from diverse regions as noted in Mark 3:7-8. The inability to eat bread in verse 20 serves as a powerful testament to the escalating intensity of His public ministry and the immediate consequence of His growing renown.
Historical & Cultural Context
In first-century Galilee, communal meals were not merely about physical nourishment but were significant social and cultural events, often symbolizing fellowship, hospitality, and status. To be unable to eat bread implied a profound disruption of daily life and social custom. Houses, particularly in villages like Capernaum, were typically modest, often with a central courtyard, and could easily become overcrowded when a popular figure like Jesus attracted large throngs. The "multitude" would have consisted of a diverse cross-section of society: the sick, the demon-possessed, the curious, the devout, and even those with skeptical or hostile intentions (as seen in the following verses, Mark 3:21-22). This constant press of people, seeking healing, teaching, or simply a glimpse of the Nazarene, was a common feature of Jesus' public life, reflecting a society deeply in need and drawn to extraordinary claims of divine power.
Key Themes
Mark 3:20 contributes significantly to several overarching themes in the Gospel of Mark. Firstly, it underscores the overwhelming demand for Jesus, portraying Him as a figure of immense magnetic appeal whose teachings and miracles drew insatiable crowds, creating an environment of constant activity and little respite. This relentless public engagement highlights the sacrificial nature of Jesus' ministry, where His commitment to God's mission and the spiritual needs of the people consistently outweighed personal comfort and basic human necessities. The inability to "eat bread" is a stark illustration of the intense dedication and self-denial required. Furthermore, the verse implicitly touches upon the cost of following Christ, demonstrating that active discipleship, exemplified by Jesus and His nascent group of apostles, often entails personal sacrifice and a willingness to forgo worldly comforts for the sake of the Kingdom of God, a theme Jesus would later elaborate on for His followers in Mark 8:34-37.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
Derived from a word meaning "to hold" or "a vehicle," this term refers to a throng, a crowd, or a rabble. It emphasizes the sheer volume and often unorganized nature of the people pressing in on Jesus. It denotes a large, undifferentiated mass of common people, highlighting the popular appeal of Jesus among the general populace.
This verb means "to convene," "to come together," "to assemble," or "to resort." It conveys the active and deliberate gathering of the crowd, indicating their persistent effort to reach Jesus. The use of "again" (G3825, pálin) with this verb suggests a recurring pattern of large gatherings, emphasizing the continuous pressure on Jesus and His disciples.
Meaning "to be able" or "to be possible," this verb, when combined with the negative particle "not" (G3361, mḗ), expresses an inability or impossibility. In this context, it signifies a practical impossibility for Jesus and His disciples to eat, not necessarily a physical incapacity, but a situation where the overwhelming circumstances (the crowd) rendered the act of eating impossible.
Verse Breakdown
"And the multitude cometh together again,"
This opening clause immediately establishes the scene, highlighting the persistent and growing public interest in Jesus. The term "multitude" (Greek: ochlos) emphasizes the large, undifferentiated mass of people, signaling a popular movement. The word "again" (Greek: pálin) suggests that this was not an isolated incident but a recurring phenomenon, indicating the relentless nature of the demands placed upon Jesus. The verb "cometh together" (Greek: synérchomai) vividly portrays the active convergence of these crowds, pressing in on Jesus and His disciples.
"so that they could not so much as eat bread."
This clause reveals the profound consequence of the overwhelming crowd. The phrase "so that" (Greek: hṓste) indicates a direct result. The inability "to eat bread" (Greek: phágō ártos) is an idiomatic expression for having a meal or taking sustenance. It signifies a complete disruption of their basic human needs for rest and nourishment. The addition of "so much as" (Greek: mḗte) intensifies the negation, underscoring the absolute degree to which their fundamental needs were neglected due to the demands of ministry. This paints a picture of extreme dedication and sacrifice.
Literary Devices
Mark employs several literary devices to convey the intensity of the scene. The description of the crowd as a "multitude" and their relentless gathering uses hyperbole to emphasize the sheer scale and overwhelming nature of the popular response to Jesus; while not literally preventing them from physically putting food in their mouths, the circumstances made it practically impossible to have a proper meal. The phrase "eat bread" functions as synecdoche or metonymy, where a part (bread) stands for the whole (a meal, sustenance, rest, and personal time). This simple, everyday act represents the totality of basic human needs that were being neglected. Furthermore, there is an element of irony present: Jesus, who would later declare Himself to be the "Bread of Life" (John 6:35), is depicted as being unable to consume physical bread due to the very people He came to nourish spiritually.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Mark 3:20 serves as a powerful testament to the unyielding commitment of Jesus to His divine mission, even at the cost of personal comfort and basic human necessities. It underscores the profound self-sacrifice inherent in His ministry, where the spiritual and physical needs of the "multitude" took precedence over His own. This verse highlights the demanding nature of true service to God, demonstrating that the pursuit of the Kingdom often requires a radical reordering of priorities, placing the needs of others and the will of the Father above personal sustenance. It is a vivid portrayal of Jesus' complete devotion, setting a precedent for all who would follow Him in ministry, illustrating that genuine compassion and dedication can lead to significant personal cost.
Reflection and Application
Mark 3:20 offers a profound mirror for contemporary believers, challenging us to examine the depth of our own commitment to God's calling and the needs of those around us. Jesus' inability to eat bread due to the pressing crowds is a stark reminder that genuine ministry often demands significant personal sacrifice and a willingness to forgo comfort for the sake of the Gospel. It calls us to cultivate a heart of radical availability, prioritizing the spiritual and physical needs of others, much as Christ did. While we are not called to neglect our health, this verse encourages us to assess where our true priorities lie and to be prepared for the demanding, often exhausting, nature of selfless service. It prompts us to consider if our lives reflect a similar dedication to God's mission, even when it requires inconvenience or personal cost.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was Jesus literally unable to eat, or is this an exaggeration?
While the verse "they could not so much as eat bread" might employ a degree of hyperbole to emphasize the extreme nature of the situation, it certainly indicates a practical impossibility. The crowds were so dense and demanding that there was no opportunity, time, or space for Jesus and His disciples to sit down and have a proper meal. It speaks to the overwhelming pressure and constant activity that prevented them from attending to this basic human need, rather than a literal physical inability to ingest food. It highlights the relentless nature of their ministry.
What does "eat bread" signify in this context?
"Eat bread" (Greek: phágō ártos) is an idiomatic expression that signifies having a meal or taking sustenance. More broadly, it represents the fundamental human needs for physical nourishment, rest, and personal space. In this context, it underscores that the demands of the ministry were so intense that even these most basic requirements were being neglected. It's a powerful symbol of the personal sacrifice Jesus and His disciples were making for the sake of the crowds and the Kingdom of God.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Mark 3:20, depicting Jesus' inability to eat due to the pressing crowds, powerfully foreshadows His ultimate self-sacrificial mission. The physical hunger and lack of rest He experienced here are but glimpses of the deeper spiritual hunger He came to satisfy and the ultimate rest He would provide. As the true Bread of Life, Jesus willingly denied Himself physical sustenance and comfort, not only in this instance but supremely on the cross, where He became the ultimate provision for humanity's deepest need. His willingness to be consumed by the needs of the multitude, to the point of foregoing even a meal, points to His greater purpose: to lay down His life so that others might truly eat and live. He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. This verse, therefore, is a poignant early indicator of Jesus' complete self-giving, culminating in His body being broken and His blood shed, inviting all to partake of the spiritual nourishment He offers, echoing His words, “My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink”.