Mark 3

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

1Then Jesus left them and went again into the synagogue, where he encountered a man who had an atrophied, paralyzed hand. 2Everyone was watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath, giving them a reason to accuse him of breaking Sabbath rules.

3Jesus said to the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand here in the middle of the room.”

4Then he turned to all those gathered there and said, “Is it against the law to do evil on the Sabbath or to do good? To destroy a life or to save one?” But no one answered him a word.

5Then looking around at everyone, Jesus was moved with indignation and grieved by the hardness of their hearts and said to the man, “Now stretch out your hand!” As he stretched out his hand, it was instantly healed! # 3:5 This miracle is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It contains valuable lessons for us today, for the hand symbolizes holding, giving, receiving, doing. It was his right hand (Luke 6:6), which brings the added significance of power (i.e., God’s right hand, Ex. 15:6), pleasure (Ps. 16:11), approval (Heb. 1:13), and righteousness (Ps. 48:10). A crippled right hand points to the lack of all these things. Human beings are helpless before God, crippled in all our works. But the power of Jesus heals our limitations and brokenness. Religion cannot heal us, but Jesus can.

6After this happened, the Pharisees left abruptly and began to plot together with the friends and supporters of Herod Antipas on how they would kill Jesus.

Massive Crowds Follow Jesus

7Once again Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lakeside, but a massive crowd of people followed him from all around the provinces of Galilee and southern Israel. 8Vast crowds came from Jerusalem, Idumea, # 3:8 Or “Edom.” Idumea was the region south of Beersheba, south and west of the Dead Sea, a territory of ancient Israel. beyond the Jordan, and from Lebanon. # 3:8 Or “Tyre and Sidon,” which are in modern-day Lebanon. Large numbers of people swarmed in from everywhere when they heard of him and his wonderful works.

9The crowd pressed so closely to Jesus that he instructed his disciples to bring him a small boat to get into and keep from being crushed by the crowd. 10For he had healed so many that the sick kept pushing forward # 3:10 Or “falling all over him.” Jesus had power coming through him for healing, and everyone wanted to touch him. What a wonderful Savior who loves and heals people! just so they could touch Jesus. 11And whenever a demon saw him, it would throw the person down at Jesus’ feet, screaming out, “You are the Son of God!” 12But Jesus would silence the demons and sternly order them not to reveal who he was.

Jesus Chooses Twelve Apostles

13Afterward, Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to himself the men he wanted to be his close companions, so they went up with him. 14He appointed # 3:14 This was not simply a passive acknowledgment, but an active setting them in place. The Greek verb poieo is the verb “do” or “make.” Jesus “did” them; that is, he imparted his favor, blessing, and grace to set them in place as apostolic emissaries for the kingdom realm of God. the Twelve, whom he named apostles. # 3:14 The Greek word apostoles means “sent ones.” He wanted them to be continually at his side as his friends, and so that he could send them out to preach 15and have authority to heal the sick and to cast out demons. # 3:15 As translated from the Aramaic and a few Greek manuscripts. This ordination was for a three-fold purpose: (1) that they might continually be at his side, (2) to send them out with love for others, preaching the truth of God’s Word, and (3) to receive power to heal and cast out demons. This is the same for all whom Jesus calls to represent him. See Acts 4:13.

16He appointed his Twelve # 3:16 These twelve disciples became apostles (“sent ones”), serving God’s kingdom. Jesus raised up twelve, and later seventy, whom he sent out to preach the message of God’s kingdom. None of them were fully mature or equipped, for the Holy Spirit had not yet come to empower them. Leaders today need to raise up others and not center their ministry around themselves. The legacy of a spiritual leader is made up of those whom he or she has released and sent forth to proclaim Christ. and gave Simon the nickname Peter the Rock. # 3:16 In the ancient Hebraic mindset, to name something is to give it existence, purpose, and function. (See Gen. 32:27–28.) In the Greek mindset, naming is simply assigning phonetic sounds to an object or a person. When Jesus gave this name to Peter, he was calling his purpose into existence. Peter would be a strong rock of faith and a leader to the other eleven apostles. Peter is always named first in all the listings of the Twelve (Matt. 10:1–4; Luke 6:13–16; Acts 1:13). The name Jesus gave him was Keefa, the Aramaic word for “rock.” The Greek is Petros, which in John 1:42 is explained as the translation from Galilean Aramaic. 17And he gave the brothers, Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee, the nickname Benay-Regah, # 3:17 As translated from Aramaic. The Greek transliteration is “Boanerges.” Benay-Regah can also be translated “sons of loud shouts” (or “passionate sons”) or “sons of commotion” (easily angered) or “sons of thunder.” Jesus, by giving the brothers this nickname, acknowledged that they were two rowdy boys, thunderous and passionate. Jesus chose twelve men who were all different in their personality types. It was no doubt humorous to Jesus to observe how different these twelve men were and how difficult it was to form them into a band of brothers. which means “passionate sons.” 18The others were Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, # 3:18 Or in Aramaic, “the son of Tolmai” (“discipline”). This could be another name for Nathaniel. Matthew, Thomas, Jacob the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, # 3:18 Or “Lebbaeus.” Simon the Nationalist, # 3:18 Or “Simon the Zealot” or “Simon the Cananaean.” 19and Judas Iscariot, # 3:19 Iscariot is taken from an Aramaic derivative for “lock” (or “locksmith”). who betrayed him.

Jesus and the Ruler of Demons

20Then Jesus went home, # 3:20 This was likely the house of Simon and Andrew mentioned in Mark 1:29. but once again a large crowd gathered around him, which prevented him from even eating a meal. 21When his own family heard that he was there, they went out to seize him, for they said, “He’s insane!”

22The religious scholars who arrived from Jerusalem were saying, “Satan # 3:22 Or “Beelzebub,” another name for Satan, the ruler of demons. has possessed him! He casts out demons by the authority of the prince of demons!” 23Jesus called them to himself and spoke to them using parables. “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24No kingdom can endure if it is divided against itself, 25and a fragmented household will not be able to stand, for it is divided. 26And if Satan fights against himself he will not endure, and his end has come.”

27Jesus said to them, # 3:27 This information is given in v. 30 and is positioned here for the sake of clarity of the English narrative. “Listen. No one is able to break into a mighty man’s house and steal his property unless he first overpowers the mighty man and ties him up. # 3:27 Luke adds a phrase here: “The stronger one [Jesus] overpowers him.” The stronger one is Jesus, who first defeated Satan in the wilderness ordeal and then destroyed him by the cross and resurrection (Heb. 2:14). Bruising his head, Jesus now has Satan under his feet and will soon consign him to the lake of fire. Then his entire house can be plundered and his possessions taken. 28I tell you this timeless truth: All sin will be forgiven, even all the blasphemies that are spoken. 29But there can never be forgiveness for the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, for he is guilty of an eternal sin!” 30(This is because they said he was empowered by a demon spirit.) # 3:30 The information found in v. 30 is included in v. 27 for the sake of the English narrative.

Members of Jesus’ True Family

31Then Jesus’ mother and his brothers came and stood outside and sent a message to him, asking that he come out and speak with them. # 3:31 It is likely that Jesus’ family did not follow him, because they feared rejection by their community. This happened in Nazareth, after Jesus publicly stated that he was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah and the townspeople wanted to kill Jesus by throwing him off a cliff. See Luke 4:18–29. 32When the crowd sitting around Jesus heard this, they spoke up, and said to him, “Jesus, your mother and brothers # 3:32 Some manuscripts include the words “and sisters.” are outside looking for you.”

33He answered them, “Who is my true mother and my true brothers?” 34Then looking in the eyes of those who were sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my true family members. 35For whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, and my mother!”

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Mark 3: TPT

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Mark 3

1 And again, he entered into the synagogue. And there was a man there who had a withered hand.

2 And they observed him, to see if he would cure on the Sabbaths, so that they might accuse him.

3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Stand up in the middle."

4 And he said to them: "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbaths, or to do evil, to give health to a life, or to destroy?" But they remained silent.

5 And looking around at them with anger, being very saddened over the blindness of their hearts, he said to the man, "Extend your hand." And he extended it, and his hand was restored to him.

6 Then the Pharisees, going out, immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him, as to how they might destroy him.

7 But Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea. And a great crowd followed him from Galilee and Judea,

8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea and across the Jordan. And those around Tyre and Sidon, upon hearing what he was doing, came to him in a great multitude.

9 And he told his disciples that a small boat would be useful to him, because of the crowd, lest they press upon him.

10 For he healed so many, that as many of them as had wounds would rush toward him in order to touch him.

11 And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell prostrate before him. And they cried out, saying,

12 "You are the Son of God." And he strongly admonished them, lest they make him known.

13 And ascending onto a mountain, he called to himself those whom he willed, and they came to him.

14 And he acted so that the twelve would be with him, and so that he might send them out to preach.

15 And he gave them authority to cure infirmities, and to cast out demons:

16 and he imposed on Simon the name Peter;

17 and also he imposed on James of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, the name 'Boanerges,' that is, 'Sons of Thunder;'

18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

20 And they went to a house, and the crowd gathered together again, so much so that they were not even able to eat bread.

21 And when his own had heard of it, they went out to take hold of him. For they said: "Because he has gone mad."

22 And the scribes who had descended from Jerusalem said, "Because he has Beelzebub, and because by the prince of demons does he cast out demons."

23 And having called them together, he spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan?

24 For if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom is not able to stand.

25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house is not able to stand.

26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, he would be divided, and he would not be able to stand; instead he reaches the end.

27 No one is able to plunder the goods of a strong man, having entered into the house, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he shall plunder his house.

28 Amen I say to you, that all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and the blasphemies by which they will have blasphemed.

29 But he who will have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit shall not have forgiveness in eternity; instead he shall be guilty of an eternal offense."

30 For they said: "He has an unclean spirit."

31 And his mother and brothers arrived. And standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.

32 And the crowd was sitting around him. And they said to him, "Behold, your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you."

33 And responding to them, he said, "Who is my mother and my brothers?"

34 And looking around at those who were sitting all around him, he said: "Behold, my mother and my brothers.

35 For whoever has done the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister and mother."

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