Healing on the Sabbath(A)

And (B)He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they (C)watched Him closely, whether He would (D)heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might [a]accuse Him. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, [b]“Step forward.” Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the (E)hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored [c]as whole as the other. (F)Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with (G)the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

A Great Multitude Follows Jesus(H)

But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, (I)and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how (J)many things He was doing, came to Him. So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. 10 For He healed (K)many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to (L)touch Him. 11 (M)And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, (N)“You are the Son of God.” 12 But (O)He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

The Twelve Apostles(P)

13 (Q)And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, [d]that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have [e]power [f]to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16 [g]Simon, (R)to whom He gave the name Peter; 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

A House Divided Cannot Stand(S)

20 Then the multitude came together again, (T)so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His (U)own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, (V)for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, (W)“He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the (X)ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”

23 (Y)So He called them to Himself 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 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 (Z)No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.

The Unpardonable Sin(AA)

28 (AB)“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” 30 because they (AC)said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him(AD)

31 (AE)Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers [h]are outside seeking You.”

33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the (AF)will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 3:2 bring charges against
  2. Mark 3:3 Lit. Arise into the midst
  3. Mark 3:5 NU omits as whole as the other
  4. Mark 3:14 NU adds whom He also named apostles
  5. Mark 3:15 authority
  6. Mark 3:15 NU omits to heal sicknesses and
  7. Mark 3:16 NU and He appointed the twelve: Simon . . .
  8. Mark 3:32 NU, M add and Your sisters

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Again Jesus went into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was [a]withered.(A) The Pharisees were watching Jesus closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him [in the Jewish high court]. He said to the man whose hand was withered, “Get up and come forward!” He asked them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness and arrogance of their hearts, He told the man, “Hold out your hand.” And he held it out, and his hand was [completely] restored. Then the Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the [b]Herodians [to plot] against Him, as to how [c]they might [fabricate some legal grounds to] put Him to death.

Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a large crowd from Galilee followed Him; and also people from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and [from the region] beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon; a vast number of people came to Him because they were hearing about all [the things] that He was doing. And He told His disciples to have a small boat stand ready for Him because of the many people, so that they would not crowd Him; 10 for He had healed many, and as a result all who had diseases pressed around Him to touch Him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and screamed out, “You are the Son of God!” 12 Jesus sternly warned them [again and again] not to tell who He was.

The Twelve Are Chosen

13 He went up on the hillside and called those whom He Himself wanted and chose; and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed [d]twelve [disciples], so that they would be with Him [for instruction] and so that He could send them out to preach [the gospel as apostles—that is, as His special messengers, personally chosen representatives], 15 and to have authority and power to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter),(B) 17 and James, the son of [e]Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”); 18 and [He also appointed] Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew (Nathanael), and Matthew (Levi the tax collector), and Thomas, and [f]James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus (Judas the son of James), and Simon the Zealot; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

20 Then He came to a [g]house [in Capernaum], and a crowd formed again, so [many people] that Jesus and His disciples could not even eat a meal [together]. 21 When His own family heard this they went to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He is out of His mind.” 22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by [h]Beelzebul (Satan),” and “He is driving out the demons by the [power of the] ruler of the demons.”(C) 23 So He called them to Himself and spoke to them in [i]parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided [split into factions and rebelling] against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property unless he first overpowers and ties up the strong man, and then he will ransack and rob his house.(D)

28 “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and all the abusive and blasphemous things they say; 29 but whoever [j]blasphemes against the Holy Spirit and His power [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin [a sin which is unforgivable in this present age as well as in the age to come]”—(E) 30 [Jesus said this] because the scribes and Pharisees were [attributing His miracles to Satan by] saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called for Him.(F) 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Look! Your mother and Your brothers are outside asking for You.” 33 And He replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking at those who were sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For [k]whoever does the will of God [by believing in Me, and following Me], he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 3:1 The Greek word also means “to dry out” and may indicate that the condition resulted from disease or an accident.
  2. Mark 3:6 A secular political party of Jews that strongly supported Herod Antipas and Rome, and opposed the Pharisees on most issues.
  3. Mark 3:6 The Pharisees and Herodians set aside their religious and political differences to form a conspiracy.
  4. Mark 3:14 See notes Matt 10:2-4.
  5. Mark 3:17 It is believed that Salome, Zebedee’s wife and the mother of James and John, was a sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
  6. Mark 3:18 Also called James the Less or James the Younger. It is believed that his mother, Mary (Gr Maria), was a sister or sister-in-law of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
  7. Mark 3:20 Probably Simon Peter’s house; cf 2:1, 2.
  8. Mark 3:22 I.e. an idol worshiped in the Philistine city of Ekron: Baal Zebul, lord of the high places or Baal Zebub, lord of the flies.
  9. Mark 3:23 Parables ordinarily were used for clarification, but Jesus often used them to hide sacred truths from unbelievers (see 4:11, 12).
  10. Mark 3:29 Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is denying all the work of the Holy Spirit. This leads ultimately to rejecting the deity of Christ.
  11. Mark 3:35 A universal offer.

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.

Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.

He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.

Crowds Follow Jesus

Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.

Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him. 10 He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him. 11 And whenever those possessed by evil[a] spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!” 12 But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was.

Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles

13 Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. 14 Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles.[b] They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, 15 giving them authority to cast out demons. 16 These are the twelve he chose:

Simon (whom he named Peter),
17 James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”[c]),
18 Andrew,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
Matthew,
Thomas,
James (son of Alphaeus),
Thaddaeus,
Simon (the zealot[d]),
19 Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

Jesus and the Prince of Demons

20 One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. 21 When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

22 But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan,[e] the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”

23 Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. 24 “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. 25 Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. 27 Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

28 “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, 29 but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” 30 He told them this because they were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”

The True Family of Jesus

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. 32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers[f] are outside asking for you.”

33 Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 35 Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. 3:11 Greek unclean; also in 3:30.
  2. 3:14 Some manuscripts do not include and called them his apostles.
  3. 3:17 Greek whom he named Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder.
  4. 3:18 Greek the Cananean, an Aramaic term for Jewish nationalists.
  5. 3:22 Greek Beelzeboul; other manuscripts read Beezeboul; Latin version reads Beelzebub.
  6. 3:32 Some manuscripts add and sisters.

A Mitzvah on Shabbat

Yeshua entered the synagogue again, and a man with a withered hand was there. Now some were carefully watching Him, to see if He would heal him on Shabbat, so that they might accuse Him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand up here in the center.” Then He said to them, “Is it permitted on Shabbat to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?”[a] But they kept silent.

After looking around at them with anger, grieved by their hardness of heart, He says to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out right away with the Herodians and began plotting against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Crowds Clamor for Yeshua

Yeshua withdrew to the sea with His disciples, and a large crowd from the Galilee followed. From Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon, a great number, hearing all He was doing, came to Him. He told His disciples to have a small boat ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they wouldn’t mob Him.

10 For He had healed many, so that all those afflicted fell down before Him in order to touch Him. 11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, would fall down before Him and cry out, “You are Ben-Elohim!” 12 But Yeshua strictly ordered them not to make Him known.

Appointing the Twelve

13 Now He climbs up on the mountain and calls those He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14 He appointed twelve (whom He also named emissaries), so that they might be with Him and He might send them to proclaim the Good News, 15 and to have power to drive out demons. 16 And He appointed the Twelve: to Simon He gave the name Peter; 17 to Jacob and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, He gave the name Boanerges, which is Sons of Thunder; 18 and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, Jacob the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot; [b] 19 and Judah from Kriot, who also betrayed Him.

Binding the Strong Man

20 Then He comes into a house, and again a crowd gathers so they couldn’t even eat. 21 When His family heard about this, they went out to take hold of Him; for they were saying, “He’s out of His mind!”

22 The Torah scholars who came down from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by beelzebul,” and, “By the ruler of demons He drives out demons.”

23 He called them and began speaking to them in parables: “How can satan drive out satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but his end has come.

27 “But no one can enter a strong man’s house to ransack his property, unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he will thoroughly plunder his house. 28 Amen, I tell you, all things will be forgiven the sons of men, the sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever slanders[c] the Ruach ha-Kodesh never has release, but is guilty of an eternal sin!” 30 For they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

A Spiritual Family Begins

31 Then His mother and brothers come. Standing outside, they sent word to Him, summoning Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they tell Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” 33 Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking at those sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 3:4 cf. Exod. 20:10; Lev. 23:12; Deut. 5:14.
  2. Mark 3:19 Lit. Cananean, Aramaic for zealot, enthusiast; perhaps formerly affiliated with the Jewish nationalistic Zealot party.
  3. Mark 3:29 Lit. blasphemes; cf. Mt. 12:31-32.