Mark 3
(1) Jesus Heals on Sabbath
Jesus went back into the church, where there was a man with a withered hand. The Bible scholars were watching closely to see if Jesus would heal someone on the Sabbath. That would give them a reason to accuse Him. Jesus told the man,
“Stand up and come up on stage.”
Then Jesus asked the Bible scholars,
“Do God’s instructions allow us to produce good or harm on the Sabbath? To save a soul or to kill?”
They didn’t say anything.
You could tell Jesus was mad when he looked at them, but then He was grieved by how calloused their hearts were. He told the man,
“Stretch out your hand.”
When he stretched it out, his hand was restored. The Pharisees left and started conspiring against him with the Herodians about how they could end Him.
(7) Jesus Escapes to the Sea; Crowd Follows
Wanting to avoid any trouble, Jesus and His apprentices left and went to the sea, but a large crowd from Galilee followed them there. And even more crowds showed up from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region of Tyre and Sidon. Everyone was hearing about the things He was doing and wanted to to see Him.
So Jesus told his apprentices to get a boat ready for Him so He wouldn’t get crowded out. He was doing so many healings that people with diseases would push their way towards Him just trying to touch Him. And whenever impure spirits saw Him, they would fall at His feet and scream,
“You’re God’s Son!!”
But Jesus would always strongly warn them not to expose Him.
(13) Jesus Selects 12 Apprentices
Then Jesus selected a few people and hiked up the mountain with them. He appointed 12 of them to accompany Him, intending to send them out so they could spread the message. Those 12 were appointed to have the authority to expel demons, and here are their names:
Simon (who Jesus nicknamed “Peter”)
James (Zebedee’s son)
John (James’s brother; Jesus called them the “Sons of Thunder”)
Andrew
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
James (Alphaeus’s son)
Thaddeus
Simon (the Canaanite)
Judas Iscariot (who would later betray Jesus)
(20) Rejecting Jesus has Eternal Consequences
When Jesus went home, there was such a big crowd around Him that they couldn’t even eat a proper meal. When Jesus’s family heard about that, they tried to take Him with them, telling everyone,
“He’s lost His senses!”
The Bible scholars there from Jerusalem were saying,
“That guy is possessed by Satan! The reason He can get demons to leave is because He’s actually their leader!”
So Jesus called them over and started talking to them in the form of analogies.
“How can Satan throw out Satan? If an empire is divided against itself, then that empire won’t last. And if a household is divided against itself, it won’t survive. If Satan is taking a stand against his own self and is divided, then he won’t last—he’s done! You can’t break into a strong person’s house [Satan’s house] and steal his things unless you tie him up first!
“All the mistakes and bad choices people make can be forgiven—and so can all the times they disregarded God. But if you disregard the Different Spirit, then you won’t ever be forgiven—you’ll be guilty of an eternal crime!”
He was saying that about the Bible scholars since they we accusing Him of operating with an impure spirit.
(31) Jesus Calls God-Pleasers His Family
Then Jesus’s mom and brothers arrived. They didn’t go inside, but they sent Him a message, asking Him to come with them. The crowd was surrounding Him and told Him,
“Your mom and brothers are outside looking for You.”
Jesus replied,
“Who are My mother and brothers anyways? Whoever does the things God wants are who My mother and brothers are!”
