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Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest—a Holy Day(A)

Jesus went into a synagogue again. A man who had a paralyzed hand was there. The people were watching Jesus closely. They wanted to see whether he would heal the man on the day of rest—a holy day, so that they could accuse him of doing something wrong.

So he told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand in the center ⌞of the synagogue⌟.” Then he asked them, “Is it right to do good or to do evil on the day of rest—a holy day, to give a person back his health or to let him die?”

But they were silent. Jesus was angry as he looked around at them. He was deeply hurt because their minds were closed. Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held it out, and his hand became normal again.

The Pharisees left, and with Herod’s followers they immediately plotted to kill Jesus.

Many People Are Cured(B)

Jesus left with his disciples for the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and from across the Jordan River, and from around Tyre and Sidon followed him. They came to him because they had heard about everything he was doing. Jesus told his disciples to have a boat ready so that the crowd would not crush him. 10 He had cured so many that everyone with a disease rushed up to him in order to touch him. 11 Whenever people with evil spirits saw him, they would fall down in front of him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” 12 He gave them orders not to tell people who he was.

Jesus Appoints Twelve Apostles(C)

13 Jesus went up a mountain, called those whom he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve whom he called apostles.[a] They were to accompany him and to be sent out by him to spread ⌞the Good News⌟. 15 They also had the authority to force demons out of people.

16 He appointed these twelve: Simon (whom Jesus named Peter), 17 James and his brother John (Zebedee’s sons whom Jesus named Boanerges, which means “Thunderbolts”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Jesus).

Jesus Is Accused of Working with Beelzebul(D)

20 Then Jesus went home. Another crowd gathered so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. 21 When his family heard about it, they went to get him. They said, “He’s out of his mind!”

22 The experts in Moses’ Teachings who had come from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebul is in him,” and “He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons.”

23 Jesus called them together and used this illustration: “How can Satan force out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. 25 And if a household is divided against itself, that household will not last. 26 So if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot last. That will be the end of him.

27 “No one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property. First he must tie up the strong man. Then he can go through the strong man’s house and steal his property.

28 “I can guarantee this truth: People will be forgiven for any sin or curse. 29 But whoever curses the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is guilty of an everlasting sin.” 30 Jesus said this because the experts in Moses’ Teachings had said that he had an evil spirit.

The True Family of Jesus(E)

31 Then his mother and his brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone to ask him to come out. 32 The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.”

33 He replied to them, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 34 Then looking at those who sat in a circle around him, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. 35 Whoever does what God wants is my brother and sister and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. 3:14 Some manuscripts and translations omit “whom he called apostles.”

A Man with a Withered Hand Healed

And he entered into the synagogue again, and a man who had a withered hand was there. And they were watching him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath, in order that they could accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come into the middle.” And he said to them, “Is it permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And looking around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your[a] hand.” And he stretched it[b] out, and his hand was restored. And the Pharisees went out immediately with the Herodians and began to conspire[c] against him with regard to how they could destroy him.

Jesus Heals Crowds by the Sea

And Jesus went away with his disciples to the sea,[d] and a great crowd from Galilee followed him.[e] And from Judea and from Jerusalem and from Idumea and the other side of the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon a great crowd came to him because they[f] heard all that he was doing. And he told his disciples that a small boat should stand ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not press upon him. 10 For he had healed many, so that all those who were suffering from diseases[g] pressed about him in order that they could touch him. 11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, were falling down before him and crying out, saying, “You are the Son of God!” 12 And he warned them strictly that they should not make him known.

The Selection of the Twelve Apostles

13 And he went up on the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve,[h] so that they would be with him and so that he could send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to expel demons. 16 And he appointed the twelve.[i] And to Simon he gave the name Peter, 17 and James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (and he gave to them the name Boanerges, that is, “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 Zealot,[j] 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

A House Divided Cannot Stand

20 And he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they were not even able to eat a meal. 21 And when[k] his family[l] heard this,[m] they went out to restrain him, for they were saying, “He has lost his mind!”

22 And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul!” and “By the ruler of the demons he expels the demons!” 23 And he called them to himself and[n] was speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan expel Satan? 24 And 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 will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand, but is at an end! 27 But no one is able to enter into the house of a strong man and[o] plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man, and then he can thoroughly plunder his house.

28 “Truly I say to you that all the sins and the blasphemies will be forgiven the sons of men, however much they blaspheme. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit does not have forgiveness forever,[p] but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

31 And his mother and his brothers arrived, and standing outside, they sent word to him to summon him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers[q] are outside looking for you.” 33 And he answered them and[r] said, “Who is my mother or[s] my brothers?” 34 And looking around at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, this person is my brother and sister and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 3:5 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  2. Mark 3:5 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  3. Mark 3:6 Literally “began to give counsel”; the imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive (“began to”)
  4. Mark 3:7 That is, the Sea of Galilee
  5. Mark 3:7 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  6. Mark 3:8 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as causal
  7. Mark 3:10 Literally “had suffering”
  8. Mark 3:14 Some manuscripts add “whom he also named apostles”
  9. Mark 3:16 Most Greek manuscripts omit the phrase “and he appointed the twelve”
  10. Mark 3:18 Literally “the Cananean,” but according to BDAG 507 s.v., this term has no relation at all to the geographical terms for Cana or Canaan, but is derived from the Aramaic term for “enthusiast, zealot” (see Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13)
  11. Mark 3:21 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  12. Mark 3:21 Literally those “close to him”
  13. Mark 3:21 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  14. Mark 3:23 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“called”) has been translated as a finite verb
  15. Mark 3:27 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“enter”) has been translated as a finite verb
  16. Mark 3:29 Literally “for the age”
  17. Mark 3:32 Some manuscripts add “and your sisters”
  18. Mark 3:33 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  19. Mark 3:33 Some manuscripts have “and”