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The Man with a Paralyzed Hand(A)

Then Jesus went back to the synagogue, where there was a man who had a paralyzed hand. Some people were there who wanted to accuse Jesus of doing wrong; so they watched him closely to see whether he would cure the man on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man, “Come up here to the front.” Then he asked the people, “What does our Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To help or to harm? To save someone's life or to destroy it?”

But they did not say a thing. Jesus was angry as he looked around at them, but at the same time he felt sorry for them, because they were so stubborn and wrong. Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it became well again. So the Pharisees left the synagogue and met at once with some members of Herod's party, and they made plans to kill Jesus.

A Crowd by the Lake

Jesus and his disciples went away to Lake Galilee, and a large crowd followed him. They had come from Galilee, from Judea, from Jerusalem, from the territory of Idumea, from the territory on the east side of the Jordan, and from the region around the cities of Tyre and Sidon. All these people came to Jesus because they had heard of the things he was doing. (B)The crowd was so large that Jesus told his disciples to get a boat ready for him, so that the people would not crush him. 10 He had healed many people, and all the sick kept pushing their way to him in order to touch him. 11 And whenever the people who had evil spirits in them saw him, they would fall down before him and scream, “You are the Son of God!”

12 Jesus sternly ordered the evil spirits not to tell anyone who he was.

Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles(C)

13 Then Jesus went up a hill and called to himself the men he wanted. They came to him, 14 and he chose twelve, whom he named apostles. “I have chosen you to be with me,” he told them. “I will also send you out to preach, 15 and you will have authority to drive out demons.”

16 These are the twelve he chose: Simon (Jesus gave him the name Peter); 17 James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee (Jesus gave them the name Boanerges, which means “Men of Thunder”); 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Patriot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

Jesus and Beelzebul(D)

20 Then Jesus went home. Again such a large crowd gathered that Jesus and his disciples had no time to eat. 21 When his family heard about it, they set out to take charge of him, because people were saying, “He's gone mad!”

22 (E)Some teachers of the Law who had come from Jerusalem were saying, “He has Beelzebul in him! It is the chief of the demons who gives him the power to drive them out.”

23 So Jesus called them to him and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a country divides itself into groups which fight each other, that country will fall apart. 25 If a family divides itself into groups which fight each other, that family will fall apart. 26 So if Satan's kingdom divides into groups, it cannot last, but will fall apart and come to an end.

27 “No one can break into a strong man's house and take away his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his house.

28 “I assure you that people can be forgiven all their sins and all the evil things they may say.[a] 29 (F)But whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, because he has committed an eternal sin.” (30 Jesus said this because some people were saying, “He has an evil spirit in him.”)

Jesus' Mother and Brothers(G)

31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside the house and sent in a message, asking for him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Jesus, and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, and they want you.”

33 Jesus answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 He looked at the people sitting around him and said, “Look! Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does what God wants is my brother, my sister, my mother.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 3:28 evil things they may say; or evil things they may say against God.

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”