Jesus' True Family (Mark 3)

Was it lawful for Jesus to do good on the Sabbath? How did Jesus answer the scribes’ false accusation about healing via demons? How were they dangerously close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit? Who is Jesus’ brother and sister and mother? Let’s find out in Mark 3.

Did Jesus have another confrontation over the Sabbath? What was that about?

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 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. (Mark 3:1-4 NKJV)

Did the Pharisees plot to kill Him? Do people in our churches still sometimes plot evil?

He 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! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus. (Mark 3:5-6 NLT)

Did Jesus leave? Did great crowds follow Him?

Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples; and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon. A great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came to him. (Mark 3:7-8 WEB)

Did Jesus seek a boat? How did evil spirits react?

Jesus told his disciples to get a small boat ready for him so the crowd wouldn’t crush him. He had healed so many people that everyone who was sick pushed forward so that they could touch him. Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down at his feet and shouted, “You are God’s Son!” But he strictly ordered them not to reveal who he was. (Mark 3:9-12 CEB)

Did Jesus choose twelve? Did He choose one ethnic group and one gender or a mix?

Jesus decided to ask some of his disciples to go up on a mountain with him, and they went. Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles, so they could be with him. He also wanted to send them out to preach and to force out demons. (Mark 3:13-15 CEV)

Who were these chosen twelve? What were their names?

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); 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 3:16-19 ESV)

Did Jesus go home? What did His family think? Was Mary also involved in this?

Then He went home, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. When His family heard this, they set out to restrain Him, because they said, “He’s out of His mind.” (Mark 3:20-21 HCSB)

What false accusation did the scribes keep repeating? Ought we to expect false accusations?

The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem kept repeating, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of demons.” (Mark 3:22 ISB)

How did Jesus defeat their bad logic? What did He say?

And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. No 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. (Mark 3:23-27 KJV)

Did Jesus go to the root of the scribes’ problem? Were they very close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit?

“Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” (Mark 3:28-30 NASB)

Did Jesus’ family try to intervene again? Do Christians sometimes have families that think they are nuts?

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” (Mark 3:31-32 NIV)