Mark Chapter Three

Teachings and Miracles

Mark Chapter three reflects significant episodes in the life of Jesus, showcasing his teachings and miracles. One significant narrative illustrates Jesus entering the synagogue, where he encounters a man with a withered hand. Observers scrutinize him, questioning whether he would heal on the Sabbath—a day traditionally reserved for rest. Jesus challenges them, asking if it's lawful to do good and save a life or to do evil and harm. When the onlookers remain silent, Jesus, affected by their hardened hearts, tells the man to stretch out his hand, and it is miraculously restored.

Following this miracle, the Pharisees plot with the Herodians to destroy Jesus, alarmed by his growing influence. To avoid conflict, Jesus withdraws to the sea with his disciples, followed by large crowds from various regions, drawn by his wondrous deeds. As his reputation grows, people afflicted by plagues seek to touch him for healing. Even unclean spirits recognize his divine authority, proclaiming him the Son of God, though Jesus commands them to remain silent about his identity.

Calling of the Disciples

Later, Jesus ascends a mountain, calling those he desires to join him. He appoints twelve disciples to accompany him and to carry out the mission of preaching, healing sicknesses, and casting out devils. The selected ones include Simon, named Peter; James and John, called the sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who would later betray him. Pressing crowds continue to seek Jesus, even to the point where he and his disciples cannot eat.

The narrative takes a turn with the scribes accusing Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub's power. Jesus responds with parables, explaining that Satan cannot cast out Satan and that division leads to downfall. He warns of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost as an unforgivable act, explaining that all other sins can be forgiven, but attributing his work to evil exposes one to eternal peril.

Family and Identity

The chapter concludes with a significant teaching on family and identity. As Jesus speaks to the gathered crowd, his mother and brothers arrive, seeking to speak with him. In response, Jesus expands the concept of family, declaring that those who do God's will are his true family—his brother, sister, and mother.

Reflection

Finally, the chapter returns to reiterating the initial encounter in the synagogue. Jesus again enters a synagogue where he performs healing on the Sabbath, provoking onlookers. The emphasis here is on recognizing true authority and understanding the primacy of doing good, overriding traditional constraints where needed.

The Actions and Journey of Yeshua

5And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts,

And he said to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

6And the Pharisees went forth, and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

7But Yeshua withdrew himself 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 Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came to him. 9And he spoke to his disciples, that a small boat should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. 10For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had afflictions.

Recognition and Instruction

11And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of YHWH. 12And he directly charged them that they should not make him known.

13And he went up into a mountain, and called those He chose: and they came to him. 14And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

16And Simon he surnamed Peter; 17And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: 18And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

20And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21And when his friends heard it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

22And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23And he called them, and said to them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

28Assuredly I say to you, All sins will be forgiven to the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they will blaspheme: 29But he that will blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

Family and Followers

31There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent to him, calling him. 32And the multitude sat about him, and they said to him, Behold, your mother and your brethren without seek for you. 33And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?

34And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 35For whosoever will do the will of YHWH, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

The stories in the Bible serve as types and pictures for us. In a very real sense, every human being possesses some sort of disability in need of healing by God. Healing on the Sabbath was another charge constantly laid against Yeshua. (see The Gospel of John chapters 5,7 and 9) To see a need and not to fix it was an evil in the Nation; they had allowed the Law to overwhelm the higher purpose of mercy. Yeshua was showing that this ought never be the case in a Child of God. CLA: (see the Law) (see also Hosea 6:6)

I believe that in many cases there is a two-lane street in the works between God and Man – and for this reason Jesus didn’t secretly heal this man and leave. He had Him, or asked him to stand forth and be seen. Be willing.

This silence key to knowing the hearts of the onlookers. Seekers, to their own embarrassment, will speak up – even if they are wrong. These guys

The Interplay Between Anger and Faith

There is nothing wrong with anger in the human world of the faith. Just anger wrongly applied or inappropriately lingering. Its a characteristic assigned to both human being and God. The permissibility is supported by scripture but with limitations (like Ephesians 4:26-27) which says:

Be ye angry, and sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.

The interplay between God and human beings is often a two-way street as God invites us to act and we either choose to act (in faith) or to not. Such is the case with the man with the withered hand as Yeshua tells him to stretch forth his disfigured hand (which to him may have seemed impossible) but it was in his taking action that Yeshua made the hand whole (healed it).

The man could have said, if I could stretch it out I would. But again, Jesus engages the man in the process, to exhibit faith, to take action of some part of the healing. This is what Jesus came to do – as illustrated in this healing. To make us whole and save us from the ravages of the Fall – whatever they may be. This healing is an outward example of what He does in everyone's life – I would add – as we allow Him. Today I believe that the primary healing He does is of the heart and not so much on the physical deformities of old.

Sowing Discord and Blasphemy

The Herodians were a pack of Jewish people who sided with the Herodian leaders over them and were essentially pro-Roman Empire Jews. Here the Pharisees teamed up to devise a plan to destroy Jesus – with the Pharisees representing the Jews and the Herodians the Roman Empire. (Verse 7)

KJV reads ships but here I switched to boat as the Sea of Tiberias could not hold ships as we think of them today. KJV Plagues – switched to afflictions as the Greek means scourge and plague, while a scourge, connotes something different to us today. Think of how many over the course of the world have come to Jesus to be healed and the innumerable souls who He has touched. Mindblowing.

This is yet another occurrence where the demons speak of Yeshua as “the Son of YHWH” and not “YHWH the Son” – because that is who he was, the Son of the living God. The interesting thing is they knew Him spiritually, they could identify Him, as spirits, in a spirit realm – because that is how we know Jesus – spiritually. This shows that what was in Jesus had incomparable power that even the devils obeyed his will.

The Role of Chosen Disciples

PO: The term translated ordained in the KJV simply means “appointed” which has no bearing on the modern definition of ordination. There was no priestly system set-up by Yeshua or His Apostles on earth. Yeshua and His Apostles merely appointed certain people to do certain things.

Eleven of Yeshua chosen disciples would serve to take the Good News out to that area as He commanded. Their importance to the establishment of His Kingdom on earth cannot be overstated. And at verse 16-19 we read their names:

Judas was prophesied to betray Yeshua. (see Psalm 109:8; Acts 1:16; John 13:18) CLA: (see Judas Iscariot)

From David, John the Baptist and on out to Paul, those who devote themselves to the things of God are frequently considered mad (or beside themselves) as they said of Jesus. Here he teaches his chosen twelve some principles beginning at verse 22

Verses 24-25, 27 are principles as true today as in that day. CLA (see Unity in the Body)

It is at this point that Jesus says something in relation to blasphemy that has confounded people for ages and cause some to really interpret this teaching badly. He says at verse 28

Many people suggest that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to say that Jesus did things by the power of Satan. And it makes come sense as this appears to be the context. They had criticized him and said that he had a devil, Jesus teaches that a devil cannot divide His own house so the accusation is illogical, and then he speaks of blasphemy to the point that Mark add that He said this because they said he had an unclean spirit. And people do the mathematics and conclude this definition.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

I suggest differently. In other words, I don’t think them saying anything negative about Jesus was blasphemy. Even Jesus said in Matthew 12:32

“And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”

But what I think he was saying is that the Holy Spirit comes to draw all men to Him, to have faith. To reject this invitation from the Holy Spirit here or there, is the definition of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Contextually this makes the most sense to me.

Yeshua's Eternal Purpose

Verse 31: Here Yeshua was speaking in terms of his eternal purpose and not his earthly relationships. Where the Mormons call Jesus their elder brother from a spiritual connection through a fictional pre-existence, Jesus means that people on earth can become His brothers and siblings and family by faith! Not be some eternal spiritual connection.

Becoming Part of YHWH's Family

Those who come to YHWH by faith in Yeshua – His life, deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. and resurrection – are His true family both here and more importantly, into the eternities. PO: Note Yeshua’s words – he teaches that all are his brothers, sisters and mothers who have allegiance to Him.

He was and is the Son of God. We are invited to become such. Joint heirs with Christ. This would make us family by adoption – so nothing wrong with the titles in this light.

Questions/Comments/Prayer