Mark 3

Chapter context

What is happening in Mark 3?

discipleshipthe crosssecrecyauthority

Mark 3 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as opening and Galilean ministry. Mark is the swiftest and starkest Gospel, presenting Jesus as the mighty Son of God whose mission reaches its center in suffering, abandonment, and resurrection. Read this chapter with the wider themes of discipleship, the cross, and secrecy in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. ² And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. ³ And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. ⁴ And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. ⁵ And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. ⁶ And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. ⁷ But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, ⁸ And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. ⁹ And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. ¹¹ And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. ¹² And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known. ¹³ And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. ¹⁴ And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, ¹⁵ And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: ¹⁶ And Simon he surnamed Peter; ¹⁷ And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: ¹⁸ And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, ¹⁹ And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house. ²⁰ And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. ²¹ And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. ²² And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. ²³ And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. ²⁷ No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. ²⁸ Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: ²⁹ But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: ³⁰ Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. ³¹ There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. ³² And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. ³³ And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? ³⁴ And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! ³⁵ For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

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Glossary

Galilee Place v. 7: Biblical region. Modern identification: Galilee.
Judea Place v. 7: Biblical region. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Idumea Place v. 8: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Rumeida.
Jerusalem Place v. 8, 22: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Jordan Place v. 8: Biblical river. Modern identification: Jordan River.
Sidon Place v. 8: A fishery, a town on the Mediterranean coast, about 25 miles north of Tyre. It received its name from the “first-born” of Canaan, the grandson of Noah ( Gen. 10:15 , 19). Modern identification: Sandikli archaeological site in Sidon.
Tyre Place v. 8: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tyre.
Peter Person v. 16: Originally called Simon (=Simeon, i. e., “hearing”), a very common Jewish name in the New Testament. He was the son of Jona ( Matt. 16:17 ). His mother is nowhere named in Scripture.
James Person v. 17-18: (1. ) The son of Zebedee and Salome; an elder brother of John the apostle. He was one of the twelve. He was by trade a fisherman, in partnership with Peter ( Matt. 20:20 ; 27:56 ).
John Person v. 17: (1. ) One who, with Annas and Caiaphas, sat in judgment on the apostles Peter and John ( Acts 4:6 ). He was of the kindred of the high priest; otherwise unknown. (2. ) The Hebrew name of Mark (q. v. ).
Zebedee Person v. 17: A Galilean fisherman, the husband of Salome (q. v. ), and the father of James and John, two of our Lord’s disciples ( Matt. 4:21 ; 27:56 ; Mark 15:40 ).
Andrew Person v. 18: Manliness, a Greek name; one of the apostles of our Lord. He was of Bethsaida in Galilee ( John 1:44 ), and was the brother of Simon Peter ( Matt. 4:18 ; 10:2 ).
Bartholomew Person v. 18: Son of Tolmai, one of the twelve apostles ( Matt. 10:3 ; Acts 1:13 ); generally supposed to have been the same as Nathanael.
Matthew Person v. 18: Gift of God, a common Jewish name after the Exile. He was the son of Alphaeus, and was a publican or tax-gatherer at Capernaum.
Judas Person v. 19: The Graecized form of Judah. (1. ) The patriarch ( Matt. 1:2 , 3). (2. ) Son of Simon ( John 6:71 ; 13:2 , 26), surnamed Iscariot, i. e., a man of Kerioth ( Josh. 15:25 ).