Mark3
New American Standard
1He entered a synagogue again; and a man was there whose hand was withered.
2And they were watching Him closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
3He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!”
4And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent.
5After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
6The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might put Him to death.
7Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a large multitude from Galilee followed, and also from Judea,
8and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard about everything that He was doing and came to Him.
9And He told His disciples to see that a boat would be ready for Him because of the masses, so that they would not crowd Him;
10for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had diseases pushed in around Him in order to touch Him.
11And whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!”
12And He strongly warned them not to reveal who He was.
13And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him.
14And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach,
15and to have authority to cast out the demons.
16And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter),
17James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”);
18and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot;
19and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
20And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal.
21And when His own people heard about this, they came out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”
22The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
23And so He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!
27But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
28“Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit;
29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—
30because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31Then His mother and His brothers came, and while standing outside they sent word to Him, calling for Him.
32And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”
33Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”
34And looking around at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
35For whoever does the will of God, this is My brother, and sister, and mother.”
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Mark 3.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The withered hand healed. (1–5). The people resort to Christ. (6–12). The apostles called. (13–21). The blasphemy of the scribes. (22–30). Christ's relatives. (31–35).
vv1-5
This man's case was piteous; he had a withered hand, which disabled him from working for his living; and those that are so, are the most proper objects of charity. Let those be helped that cannot help themselves. But stubborn infidels, when they can say nothing against the truth, yet will not yield. We hear what is said amiss, and see what is done amiss; but Christ looks at the root of bitterness in the heart, the blindness and hardness of that, and is grieved. Let hard-hearted sinners tremble to think of the anger with which he will look upon them shortly, when the day of his wrath comes. The great healing day now is the sabbath, and the healing place the house of prayer; but the healing power is of Christ. The gospel command is like that recorded here: though our hands are withered, yet, if we will not stretch them out, it is our own fault that we are not healed. But if we are healed, Christ, his power and grace, must have all the glory.
vv6-12
All our sicknesses and calamities spring from the anger of God against our sins. Their removal, or the making them blessings to us, was purchased to us by the blood of Christ. But the plagues and diseases of our souls, of our hearts, are chiefly to be dreaded; and He can heal them also by a word. May more and more press to Christ to be healed of these plagues, and to be delivered from the enemies of their souls.
vv13-21
Christ calls whom he will; for his grace is his own. He had called the apostles to separate themselves from the crowd, and they came unto him. He now gave them power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. May the Lord send forth more and more of those who have been with him, and have learned of him to preach his gospel, to be instruments in his blessed work. Those whose hearts are enlarged in the work of God, can easily bear with what is inconvenient to themselves, and will rather lose a meal than an opportunity of doing good. Those who go on with zeal in the work of God, must expect hinderances, both from the hatred of enemies, and mistaken affections of friends, and need to guard against both.
Key Words
πάλιν (pálin): (adverbially) anew, i.e. (of place) back, (of time) once more, or (conjunctionally) furthermore or on the other hand
συναγωγή (synagōgḗ): an assemblage of persons; specially, a Jewish "synagogue" (the meeting or the place); by analogy, a Christian church
καί (kaí): and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos): from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)); man-faced, i.e. a human being
ἦν (ēn): I (thou, etc.) was (wast or were)
ἐκεῖ (ekeî): there; by extension, thither
ἔχω (échō): to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possession; ability, contiuity, relation, or condition)
ξηραίνω (xēraínō): to desiccate; by implication, to shrivel, to mature
χείρ (cheír): the hand (literally or figuratively (power); especially (by Hebraism) a means or instrument)
παρατηρέω (paratēréō): to inspect alongside, i.e. note insidiously or scrupulously
Cross References
Mark 3Matthew's parallel account of the healing of the withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Luke's parallel record of the withered hand miracle and the scribes watching him.
Supported by JFB
Matthew's parallel of Jesus' response to the Beelzebub charge and the divided house analogy.
Supported by JFB
Parallel text on the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and its eternal consequences.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Matthew's parallel where Jesus' mother and brethren stand without seeking to speak to him.
Supported by JFB
Matthew's parallel commissioning of the twelve disciples with power to heal and cast out devils.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Luke's parallel noting Jesus went to the mountain to pray before choosing the twelve.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel account of Jesus withdrawing with his disciples and healing the crowds that followed.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the command of silence to the demons, refusing testimony from unclean spirits.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels the accusation that Jesus is 'beside himself' with charges of madness and demon possession.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallel passage defining spiritual kinship based on doing the will of the Father.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Historical Old Testament precedent of Jeroboam's hand withering, contrasting with Jesus' restoration.
Prophetic description of the prey taken from the mighty, illustrating binding the strong man.
Levi's disregard of earthly mother and brethren to keep God's word, mirroring Jesus' spiritual family priority.