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Mark chapter 3

English Standard Version

1Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3And he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come here." 4And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. 5And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8and 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. 9And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
13And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15and have authority to cast out demons. 16He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
20Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, "He is out of his mind."
22And 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." 23And he called them to him and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27But 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.
28"Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" — 30for they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
31And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you." 33And he answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother."
New International Version

1Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."
4Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.
5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
13Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons. 16These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means "sons of thunder"), 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
20Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
22And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."
23So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin."
30He said this because they were saying, "He has an impure spirit."
31Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
33"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
34Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother."
New American Standard Bible

1He entered a synagogue again; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2And they were watching Him closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3He *said to the man with the withered hand, 'Get up and come forward!' 4And He *said to them, 'Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?' But they kept silent. 5After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He *said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might put Him to death.
7Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a large multitude from Galilee followed, and also from Judea, 8and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard about everything that He was doing and came to Him. 9And He told His disciples to see that a boat would be ready for Him because of the masses, so that they would not crowd Him; 10for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had diseases pushed in around Him in order to touch Him. 11And whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, 'You are the Son of God!' 12And He strongly warned them not to reveal who He was.
13And He *went up on the mountain and *summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15and to have authority to cast out the demons. 16And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), 17James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, 'Sons of Thunder'); 18and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; 19and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
20And He *came home, and the crowd *gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21And when His own people heard about this, they came out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, 'He has lost His senses.' 22The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, 'He is possessed by Beelzebul,' and 'He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.' 23And so He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables: 'How can Satan cast out Satan? 24And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! 27But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
28Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin'— 30because they were saying, 'He has an unclean spirit.'
31Then His mother and His brothers *came, and while standing outside they sent word to Him, calling for Him. 32And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, 'Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.' 33Answering them, He *said, 'Who are My mother and My brothers?' 34And looking around at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, 'Here are My mother and My brothers! 35For whoever does the will of God, this is My brother, and sister, and mother.'
Christian Standard Bible

1Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a shriveled hand. 2In order to accuse him, they were watching him closely to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3He told the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand before us." 4Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. 5After looking around at them with anger, he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts and told the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6Immediately the Pharisees went out and started plotting with the Herodians against him, how they might kill him.
7Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee, and a large crowd followed from Judea, 8Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to him because they heard about everything he was doing. 9Then he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, so that the crowd wouldn’t crush him. 10Since he had healed many, all who had diseases were pressing toward him to touch him. 11Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God!" 12And he would strongly warn them not to make him known.
13Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those he wanted, and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, to send them out to preach, 15and to have authority to drive out demons. 16He appointed the Twelve: To Simon, he gave the name Peter; 17and to James the son of Zebedee, and to his brother John, he gave the name "Boanerges" (that is, "Sons of Thunder" ); 18Andrew; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, 19and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
20Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. 21When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, "He’s out of his mind."
22The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and, "He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons."
23So he summoned them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. 27But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.
28"Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. 29But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" — 30because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
31His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him. 32A crowd was sitting around him and told him, "Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you."
33He replied to them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34Looking at those sitting in a circle around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
New Living Translation

1Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. 2Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.
3Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, 'Come and stand in front of everyone.' 4Then he turned to his critics and asked, 'Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?' But they wouldn’t answer him.
5He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, 'Hold out your hand.' So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! 6At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.
7Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea, 8Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.
9Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him. 10He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him. 11And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, 'You are the Son of God!' 12But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was.
13Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. 14Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, 15giving them authority to cast out demons.
16These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter), 17James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them 'Sons of Thunder' ), 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot ), 19Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
20One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. 21When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. 'He’s out of his mind,' they said.
22But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, 'He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.'
23Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. 'How can Satan cast out Satan?' he asked. 24A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. 25Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. 27Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger — someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.
28I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, 29but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.' 30He told them this because they were saying, 'He’s possessed by an evil spirit.'
31Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. 32There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, 'Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.'
33Jesus replied, 'Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?' 34Then he looked at those around him and said, 'Look, these are my mother and brothers. 35Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.'
King James Version

1And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. 3And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil to save life, or to kill But they held their peace. 5And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto 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 straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
7But Jesus 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 from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. 9And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship 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 plagues. 11And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. 12And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
13And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto 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 of 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 unto him, and said unto 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. 28Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
31There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 32And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 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 shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
New King James Version

1And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 4Then 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. 5And 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. 6Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
7But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea 8and 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. 9So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. 10For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. 11And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” 12But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
13And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; 17James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; 19and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.
20Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”
22And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”
23So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27No 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; 29but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.”
33But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” 34And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

What does Mark chapter 3 mean?

In Mark chapters 1 and 2, Jesus established His authority over disease, injury, demons, and the Sabbath. In Mark chapter 3, He faces people's reactions as His ministry and influence continue to grow. Pharisees plot His death. His family thinks He's insane. Demons are compelled to worship Him. The mob wants to pilfer His healing power. And a small but growing core begin to understand He is the Messiah they have waited for.

Thus far, the Pharisees have been somewhat passive, observing and questioning Jesus but not taking direct action. In Mark 3, on a Sabbath in the synagogue, the Pharisees point out a man with a withered hand and ask Jesus if healing on the Sabbath is consistent with the Mosaic Law (see also Matthew 12:10). Jesus tries to explain that the Sabbath is for doing good as well as resting. The Pharisees' hard hearts don't accept this interpretation, which angers and grieves Jesus. He heals the man. Instead of confronting Him outright, the Pharisees draw in the Herodians, supporters of the king, to plot Jesus' destruction.

The crowds looking for healing from Jesus continue to grow. People come from all over Galilee, Judea, and Phoenicia, grasping for physical healing and release from demonic possession. Jesus goes to the shore of the Sea of Galilee to both give room and arrange for a boat to rescue Him if the press of the crowd turns dangerous. The mob pushes and shoves, trying to get a hand on Jesus, to draw out His power. Only the demons show respect and fear for the Son of God, although Jesus will not let them speak.

Out of this crowd, Jesus calls a total of twelve men to follow Him to a mountain. He appoints this group, referred to as "the twelve," as apostles, separating them from the mob for special training to heal (Matthew 10:1), cast out demons, and spread the gospel. Peter, James, and John begin to be identified as Jesus' close friends. In total, eleven of these men will be foundational to the early church. One, Judas Iscariot, will betray Jesus. Jesus' family, meanwhile, hears of the commotion in Capernaum. In fear for Jesus' sanity, they resolve to speak with Him, possibly intending to bring Him back to Nazareth (Mark 3:21).

When Jesus heals a blind and mute man from demon oppression, the people start to wonder if He is the prophetic figure referred to as the Son of David (Matthew 12:22–23). In response, Pharisees from Jerusalem arrive and counter that Jesus casts out demons by the power of Satan. Jesus first points out how illogical their arguments are: why would Satan work against his own purposes? Then He explains that the Pharisees' hardened hearts leave them in danger of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—the one sin that God won't forgive.

Finally, Jesus compares the reactions of His family to those who follow Him. His mother and brothers have come to take Him back to Nazareth. Some of these family members might think Jesus has lost His mind. Jesus looks over the group that has once again filled the house to listen to Him teach. He points out that those who do God's will are His true family. This extends to those of us who accept Jesus as Lord and follow God's Word, the Bible.

Mark 3 shows how taking Jesus at His word leads to truth while interpreting His words and actions through our own pride and prejudice leads us to destruction. We can't judge God or Jesus through our narrow lenses. We need to trust Him and allow Him to change our perspective to align with His.
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