Mark 3
3
Doing Good on the Sabbath
1-3Then he went back in the meeting place where he found a man with a crippled hand. The Pharisees had their eyes on Jesus to see if he would heal him, hoping to catch him in a Sabbath violation. He said to the man with the crippled hand, “Stand here where we can see you.”
4Then he spoke to the people: “What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?” No one said a word.
5-6He looked them in the eye, one after another, angry now, furious at their hard-nosed religion. He said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” He held it out—it was as good as new! The Pharisees got out as fast as they could, sputtering about how they would join forces with Herod’s followers and ruin him.
The Twelve Apostles
7-10Jesus went off with his disciples to the sea to get away. But a huge crowd from Galilee trailed after them—also from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, across the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon—swarms of people who had heard the reports and had come to see for themselves. He told his disciples to get a boat ready so he wouldn’t be trampled by the crowd. He had healed many people, and now everyone who had something wrong was pushing and shoving to get near and touch him.
11-12Evil spirits, when they recognized him, fell down and cried out, “You are the Son of God!” But Jesus would have none of it. He shut them up, forbidding them to identify him in public.
13-19He climbed a mountain and invited those he wanted with him. They climbed together. He settled on twelve, and designated them apostles. The plan was that they would be with him, and he would send them out to proclaim the Word and give them authority to banish demons. These are the Twelve:
Simon (Jesus later named him Peter, meaning “Rock”),
James, son of Zebedee,
John, brother of James (Jesus nicknamed the Zebedee brothers Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),
Andrew,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
Matthew,
Thomas,
James, son of Alphaeus,
Thaddaeus,
Simon the Canaanite,
Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him).
Satan Fighting Satan?
20-21Jesus came home and, as usual, a crowd gathered—so many making demands on him that there wasn’t even time to eat. His friends heard what was going on and went to rescue him, by force if necessary. They suspected he was believing his own press.
22-27The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumors that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual power. Jesus confronted their slander with a story: “Does it make sense to send a devil to catch a devil, to use Satan to get rid of Satan? A constantly squabbling family disintegrates. If Satan were fighting Satan, there soon wouldn’t be any Satan left. Do you think it’s possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man, and walk off with his possessions unless you tie him up first? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.
28-30“Listen to this carefully. I’m warning you. There’s nothing done or said that can’t be forgiven. But if you persist in your slanders against God’s Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you’re sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.” He gave this warning because they were accusing him of being in league with Evil.
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
31-32Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed a message that they wanted a word with him. He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, “Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you.”
33-35Jesus responded, “Who do you think are my mother and brothers?” Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, “Right here, right in front of you—my mother and my brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Mark 3
3
1And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was there a man having his hand dried up. 2And they watched him if he would heal him on the sabbath, that they might accuse him. 3And he says to the man who had his hand dried up, Rise up and come into the midst. 4And he says to them, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill? But they were silent. 5And looking round upon them with anger, distressed at the hardening of their heart, he says to the man, Stretch out thy hand. And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6And the Pharisees going out straightway with the Herodians took counsel against him, how they might destroy him. 7And Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea; and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, 8and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea and beyond the Jordan; and they of around Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, having heard what things he did, came to him. 9And he spoke to his disciples, in order that a little ship should wait upon him on account of the crowd, that they might not press upon him. 10For he healed many, so that they beset him that they might touch him, as many as had plagues. 11And the unclean spirits, when they beheld him, fell down before him, and cried saying, Thou art the Son of God. 12And he rebuked them much, that they might not make him manifest.
13And he goes up into the mountain, and calls whom he himself would, and they went to him. 14And he appointed twelve that they might be with him, and that he might send them to preach, 15and to have power to heal diseases, and to cast out demons. 16And he gave to Simon the surname of Peter; 17and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, and he gave them the surname of Boanerges, that is, Sons of thunder; 18and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, 19and Judas Iscariote, who also delivered him up. And they come to the house. 20And again a crowd comes together, so that they cannot even eat bread. 21And his relatives having heard of it went out to lay hold on him, for they said, He is out of his mind.
22And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, He has Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons he casts out demons. 23And having called them to him, he said to them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24And if a kingdom has become divided against itself, that kingdom cannot subsist. 25And if a house has become divided against itself, that house cannot subsist. 26And if Satan rise up against himself, and is divided, he cannot subsist, but has an end. 27But no one can, having entered into his house, plunder the goods of the strong man unless he first bind the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. 28Verily I say unto you, that all sins shall be forgiven to the sons of men, and all the injurious speeches with which they may speak injuriously; 29but whosoever shall speak injuriously against the Holy Spirit, to eternity has no forgiveness; but lies under the guilt of an everlasting sin; 30— because they said, He has an unclean spirit.
31And his brethren and his mother come, and standing without sent to him calling him. 32And a crowd sat around him. And they said to him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren seek thee without. 33And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother or my brethren? 34And looking around in a circuit at those that were sitting around him, he says, Behold my mother and my brethren: 35for whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.