TRV
See on the biblical-era map
Study This Verse
Commentary on Mark 3 verses 13–21
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.
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)
In the gospel we read that even his kinsfolk desired to bind him as one of weak mind. His opponents also reviled him saying, “You are a Samaritan and have a devil.”
(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 when his own people heard of it, they went out to seize him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." Truly, as he himself says elsewhere, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." For those whom others desire to approach, see, and hear as the author of life and the wisdom of God, his relatives decide that he must be bound as if he were out of his mind. Since they could not grasp the depth of the wisdom they heard, they believed that he spoke with an alien mind: akin to the example of those who could not bear the sacrament of eating his flesh and drinking his blood, and said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" And consequently, they went away, and no longer walked with him. Allegorically, however, in that the crowd frequently convenes to him, and he is scorned by his own as if he were mad, the salvation of the believing from the Gentiles is approved, and the envy and treachery of the Jews is noted. Of whom John says, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John 1:11) There is indeed a great difference between those who do not understand the word of God because of the dullness of their minds and those who deliberately blaspheme and persecute what they understand. For there still remains a hope of salvation for these if perhaps they understand; but for those who are unwilling to understand to act well, and devise iniquity on their bed, what hope of salvation remains any longer, when they strive to reject by detesting and persecuting what they have rightly understood for the salvation of their souls? For consider what 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.
Continue studying Mark 3:21 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
CNTR CollationThe earliest Greek manuscripts of this verse, collated letter by letter.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Mark 3:21 captures a pivotal moment in Jesus' early ministry where His intense dedication to His divine mission evokes a deeply concerned, yet profoundly misguided, reaction from His own family. Upon hearing of His relentless activity—healing, teaching, and casting out demons to the point of neglecting basic necessities like food—they conclude He has lost His mind and set out to physically restrain Him, illustrating the profound chasm between human understanding and divine purpose.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices. Irony is prominent, as those closest to Jesus, who should have understood Him best, are the ones who most profoundly misunderstand His divine nature and mission, perceiving His selfless dedication as madness. This stands in stark contrast to the demons, who consistently recognize and confess His identity (e.g., Mark 3:11). There is also an element of foreshadowing, as this internal family opposition hints at the broader rejection and hostility Jesus would face from religious authorities and, ultimately, the world. The accusation of being "beside himself" also serves as a form of hyperbole, an exaggerated statement used to convey the depth of their alarm and the perceived extremity of Jesus' behavior, highlighting the radical nature of His kingdom work compared to conventional human expectations.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Mark 3:21 powerfully illustrates the profound chasm between human understanding and divine purpose, a theme central to the Gospels. Jesus' family, driven by genuine concern and societal norms, could not comprehend a Messiah whose dedication transcended earthly comforts and expectations. Their accusation of madness underscores the radical, counter-cultural nature of Jesus' ministry, which prioritized God's will above all else, even familial ties or personal reputation. This incident serves as a poignant reminder that following Christ wholeheartedly often involves being misunderstood, even by those we love, and that true spiritual insight requires a paradigm shift beyond purely human wisdom.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Mark 3:21 offers a profound mirror for contemporary believers, challenging us to examine our own perceptions of Christ and the demands of discipleship. It reminds us that authentic commitment to God's calling can often appear irrational or extreme to those who operate solely on human wisdom or worldly values. Just as Jesus' family struggled to reconcile His divine mission with their earthly expectations, we too may encounter misunderstanding, criticism, or even attempts to dissuade us from our spiritual path, particularly from well-meaning loved ones. This verse calls us to prioritize God's will above all human opinions, to cultivate a deep spiritual understanding that transcends superficial judgments, and to remain steadfast in our devotion even when it means being "beside ourselves" for the sake of the Kingdom. It encourages us to ask whether our faith is truly radical enough to be misunderstood by the world, or if we have conformed it to societal norms for comfort and acceptance.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Jesus' family think He was "beside himself"?
Answer: Jesus' family believed He was "beside himself" (meaning "out of His mind" or "insane") because of His relentless and unconventional ministry. He was drawing massive crowds, healing many, casting out demons, and teaching with unprecedented authority. This activity was so intense that He and His disciples didn't even have time to eat (Mark 3:20). From a human perspective, this level of self-neglect and disregard for social norms, coupled with His radical claims and actions, seemed irrational and dangerous. In their cultural context, such behavior could bring shame upon the family, leading them to believe He needed to be physically restrained for His own good and the family's honor.
Who are "his friends" mentioned in Mark 3:21?
Answer: While the King James Version translates the Greek phrase hoi par' autou as "his friends," the more accurate and widely accepted interpretation is that it refers to Jesus' family members, specifically His mother and brothers. The literal meaning of the Greek phrase is "those from beside him" or "those belonging to him," which in context strongly implies His immediate household. This interpretation is supported by the fact that His mother and brothers explicitly appear later in the same chapter, coming to seek Him (see Mark 3:31), seemingly in continuation of this very concern.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Mark 3:21, though seemingly a moment of human misunderstanding, profoundly points to the Christ-centered fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. Jesus' "madness" in the eyes of His family was, in fact, His perfect obedience to the Father's will, a testament to His divine identity and singular focus on His mission. Unlike fallen humanity, whose minds are often "beside themselves" due to sin and worldly distractions, Jesus was perfectly sane, perfectly aligned with God's purpose. This rejection by His own foreshadows the ultimate rejection He would face from His own people, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:3 and lamented in John 1:11. His unwavering commitment, even to the point of appearing insane or neglecting basic needs, reveals the depth of His love and self-sacrifice. He came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Thus, this moment of profound human misunderstanding highlights the divine wisdom of Christ's mission, a wisdom that is foolishness to the world but the very power and wisdom of God for those who are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). His "beside himself" was the very essence of His being "for us," utterly devoted to accomplishing the salvation of humanity.