Category: The Book Of Mark

Book of Mark – The True Family

And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3: 31-35 ESV

Again and again we can see a pattern in the people around Jesus at that time. There are 2 groups of people, one group is the one who understand or believe in Jesus and they’re inside trying to get close to Jesus. While the other group is the one who do not understand or do not believe in Jesus, they’re always outside this group. In this part of the passage, ironically it’s Jesus’ family who’re outside, they’re not part of the people who sits around Jesus to hear what he’s teaching about.

On top of that we can see from the previous passage that Jesus family (Mary and Jesus’ brothers) didn’t think that Jesus is sane. Therefore it’s obvious that they’re not really here to come and listen to Jesus’ teaching, instead they’re coming to seize him. In contrast the people inside Jesus’s inner circle, are the one who believes and trust in His teaching and willing to do the will of God. That’s why what Jesus said made sense, Jesus’ true family are the people who does the will of God!

Book of Mark – The Unforgivable Sin

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Mark 3:28-30 ESV

By saying that Jesus has unclean spirit and that Jesus is driving satan with the power of the demon the Pharisees are in a danger position for they won’t be able to get forgiveness from God. Not trusting Jesus as God’s way of forgiveness puts them in a position where they won’t be forgiven, therefore they are guilty of eternal sin. :(

Book of Mark – The Kingdom Divided

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

(Mark 3:22-27 ESV)

The Pharisees are back again! And this time they accuse that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul and also that Jesus is using the power of demon prince to cast out demons. Jesus rebuked them saying that it’s not logical, how can someone use the power of satan to cast out satan?
If satan starts attacking satan themselves, they soon will be destroying themselves. Instead Jesus claim that he’s the plunderer, he has come to plunder satan, he is the one who can bind the strong man.

Book of Mark – The Family Concern

Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

Mark 3:20-21 ESV

The crowd gathers around Jesus and this time they can’t even do anything since the crowd’s number is exceedingly great. His popularity makes his family heard about him, but instead of supporting Jesus or approving his action, they actually think that Jesus is out of his mind.

Book of Mark – The Twelve Disciples

Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Mark 3:18-19 ESV

The next set of the disciples that Jesus called (also called the twelve apostles)

Book of Mark – The Twelve Disciples

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);

Gospel of Mark 3:13-17 ESV

Jesus calls 12 followers of him to be his disciples (or also called apostles). Their task is to be with Jesus and to be sent out to preach and cast out demons. On top of that their number twelve is also similar with the number of the twelve tribes that represented God’s people in the Old testament.

Book of Mark – The Great Crowd

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.

Mark 3:7-12

In contrast of the Pharisees wanting to kill Jesus, there are a great crowd who’s following Jesus. However most of them are just following Jesus just to be healed.