Day 31 – Wednesday, February 12, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Mark 3

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

Controversy Over Sabbath-Healing

Matt 12:9–13; Luke 6:6–10

1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. ² So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. ³ And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” ⁴ Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. ⁵ And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 3:1–5.

Points to Ponder:

• Once again, the Pharisees were watching Jesus, hoping to catch Him in some transgression of the law for which to accuse Him. In this case, He had gone from the field to the synagogue, where He encountered a man with a deformed hand.
• He told the man to step forward from the crowd. Jesus then asked if it was lawful to do good or evil on the Sabbath. He got no answer.
• Jesus then instructed the man to stretch His hand forward. The man was healed. Jesus was not limited by His detractors.
• How will you defy the naysayers and bring healing to your world?

Pharisees Counsel to Destroy Jesus

Matt. 12:14–16; Luke 6:11

⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.⁷ But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea ⁸ and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. ⁹ So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. ¹⁰ For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. ¹¹ And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” ¹² But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 3:6–12.

Points to Ponder:

• The Pharisees had seen enough. They could not stand this Jesus who flaunted His authority and defied their traditions. They sought to destroy Him.
• Jesus and His disciples took off on a boat and eventually traveled to Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and beyond the Jordan River. Crowds followed Him everywhere He went.
• He healed the sick and cast out unclean spirits.
• They called Him the Son of God and He warned them not to reveal His identity.
• Jesus was setting the example of humility and compassion that we should follow today.

Selection of the Twelve

Luke 6:12–16

¹³ And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. ¹⁴ Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, ¹⁵ and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: ¹⁶ Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; ¹⁷ James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 3:13–19.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus retreated to the mountain and called His disciples to Him. This is a much less detailed account of calling the twelve.
• He gave them authority to preach and heal and deliver. All twelve are named here.
• Then all twelve went into a house.

Opposition of His Friends

²⁰ Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. ²¹ But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 3:20–21.

Points to Ponder:

• While they were trying to eat, the multitude found Him and began to crowd around Him again.
• His own people (some believe His actual immediate family) came to get Him, thinking He was having some type of emotional inbalance.
• Believe Jesus for who He is. Do not compare Him to anyone else. He is unique and marvelous.

Scribes Commit the Unpardonable Sin

Matt. 12:24–32; Luke 11:17–23

²² And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”²³ So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. ²⁷ No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.²⁸ “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; ²⁹ but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—³⁰ because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 3:22–30.

Points to Ponder:

• This passage parallels an account in Matthew very closely.
• Jesus was here accused of casting out demons by the power of their ruler. Jesus shares the same rational that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.
• He uses the strong man analogy and then announces that those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit are subject to eternal condemnation.
• The one distinction in this account is that it is said that they accused Jesus of having “an unclean spirit.”

New Relationships are Defined

Matt. 12:46–50; Luke 8:19–21

³¹ Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. ³² And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.”³³ But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” ³⁴ And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 3:31–35.

Points to Ponder:

• When Jesus’ family actually showed up where He was ministering, they wanted to have audience with Him.
• He, as in Matthew’s gospel, answers with the contention that those who do the will of God are actually His family.
• Are you part of the family of God? Are you doing the will of the Father? Commit yourself to His plan and purpose and live in the family of God!

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page.