Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

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Mark 3

• Prelude: Mark 2:¹ And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.
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Healing on the Sabbath

Mark 3:¹ And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.

Mark 3:² So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse (bring charges against) Him.

Mark 3:³ And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” (Lit. Arise into the midst)

Mark 3:⁴ 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.

• There are still people today who hold the Sabbath higher than doing good and saving lives.

Mark 3:⁵ And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

• The number ten is symbolic of being a whole. Having ten fingers which work are a whole. Five fingers which work are half of the ten. The other half are “withered”.
• When Jesus healed his hand he made it “whole” both literally and symbolically.
  • Likewise; The parable of ten virgins are a “whole” ten. Five virgins ran out of oil (needed healing). Five virgins had oil (healed). Their lamps are the Word of God. All of them had the Word of God and the ability with the oil (the Spirit) to be healed. However; five “ran out”(departed).

Mark 3:⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

• A collusion against Jesus: The Pharisees and the Herodians. They hated him because He did not tremble and bow to their position and power. They were like Haman who plotted against Mordecai who did not tremble and bow to him.

A Great Multitude Follows Jesus

Mark 3:⁷ But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea.

• Jesus is in the midst of a “sea” of people.

Mark 3:⁸ and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.

Mark 3:⁹ So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.

• Jesus left the house (Mark 2:1) went down to the boat (Mark 3:9, 4:1) (an ark of deliverance) in the water (of people) (the tossing and turning sea: Satan causes the sea of people to storm and boil (Job 41:31).

Mark 3:¹⁰ For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.

Mark 3:¹¹ And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.”

Mark 3:¹² But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

• Jesus is avoiding the presence of the Herodians and Pharisees who are plotting to kill him.

The Twelve Apostles

Mark 3:¹³ And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.

• He called to Him those He wanted to be his disciples and then He appointed (anointed) them.

Mark 3:¹⁴ Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,

Mark 3:¹⁵ and to have power (authority) to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:

Mark 3:¹⁶ (and He appointed the twelve:) Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter;

Mark 3:¹⁷ James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;

Mark 3:¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;

Mark 3:¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

A House Divided Cannot Stand

Mark 3:²⁰ Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

Mark 3:²¹ But when His own people (the Jews who support the leaders and the leaders) heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

Mark 3:²² And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”

• the scribes are part of the Jewish leaders and members of the Sanhedrein.
• Beelzzebub is Satan, a demon called a “god” “el” which literally means “Lord (god) of the flies) coming from the concept of “He who pisses against the wall”.

Mark 3:²³ So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?

• Jesus is calling Satan “Beelzebub”.

Mark 3:²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

Mark 3:²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Mark 3:²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.

Mark 3:²⁷ 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

Mark 3:²⁸ “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;

Mark 3:²⁹ but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—

Mark 3:³⁰ because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

• See Topic: The Unforgivable Sin
  • A Critical Read

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him

Mark 3:³¹ Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.

Mark 3:³² And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.”

Mark 3:³³ But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?”

• Remember, His brothers did not believe in Him (John chapter 7). If they did not believe in Jesus, then what did they believe about their mother? Mary must have suffered terribly.

Mark 3:³⁴ And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!

Mark 3:³⁵ For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”