No one could deny that Jesus was different than anyone who had ever walked the earth. The words He spoke rang true and reamed His opponents. His actions were unmatched—healing, setting people free from possession and disease. His enemies, the Jewish leaders of the day, tried to trip Him up and discredit Him by showing He was a lawbreaker, but none of it stuck. What do you make of a man who says and does such outlandish things? Either you are attracted to Him, as we’ll see in the rest of Chapter 3, or you are repulsed by Him and label Him as crazy or possessed.
In this section we see four groups of people and four different reactions to Jesus. The crowds want something from Him and nearly crush Him to death to get it, His family thinks He’s gone mad, the scribes claim He’s possessed, and His disciples respond to His call and follow Him with a specific mission.
7 – 9
Remember, this takes place in Capernaum. Word of Jesus’ healing power is spreading like wildfire and people are taking to the roads and highways from the entire region. They had to walk so the journey would take a while. But their needs were so compelling that Capernaum swelled with their presence.
Down at the shore so many people crowded around that Jesus was in danger of being crushed. So He had a boat on stand-by for a quick exit if needed.
10 – 12
You can just picture the crowd—pushing and shoving and jostling to get close enough to touch Jesus. It reminds me of what we see sometimes with our present day celebrities or sports heroes—people will do anything just to touch them. In this case they were in the presence of the ultimate hero and finding out that touching Jesus meant healing. That drove them all the more. Even the demon possessed couldn’t stay away and the demons could not help falling down before Him to declare that He was the Son of God. But Jesus wasn’t ready to make that known and certainly didn’t need their endorsement, so He quieted them again.
Contrast this scene of confusion with what Jesus does next:
13 – 15
Out of all the crowds following Him, Jesus called or summoned a select few up on a mountain. Have you been summoned by Jesus to follow Him? This group did and discovered that Jesus’ call held three things: they would be with Him, even as salvation through Jesus gives us access to God anytime; they were sent to preach just as we are commissioned to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth; and they were given authority, even as Jesus has given us all things we need to accomplish His will. Mark next lists the 12:
16 – 19
The twelve were not chosen because of their faith, their backgrounds, or their abilities. They were chosen because they answered the call and would obey their master. Nothing more is required of us. Jesus supplies everything else we need by OJT: On the Job Training.
Twelve is akin to the twelve tribes of Israel, but represents a new work.
Simon (Simeon) was given an additional name: Peter (Cephas) which means “rock.”
James and John were given the moniker: Sons of Thunder because they were a bit judgmental and short-tempered. James would be the first of the Apostles to die, John would be the last. They may have been distant cousins of Jesus.
Andrew was Peter’s brother and a disciple of John the Baptist.
Philip and Bartholomew (Nathaniel) probably knew Peter because they were both from Bethsaida.
Matthew is Levi, the tax collector. Thomas was a tough guy but a skeptic, until he saw the risen Christ. Simon the Zealot was not a member of the Zealot party as that didn’t come about until A.D. 68 but was zealous for God.
Judas Iscariot came from Kerioth in southern Judah and was the only non-Galilean in the group.
Next Jesus returns home, but controversy follows Him.
20 – 21
Jesus probably went back to Peter’s house but they couldn’t even sit down to a meal because so many people demanded His presence. When word got back to Jesus’ family they agreed that He must have gone mad so they attempt an intervention to save Him from Himself. It’s silly as we sit on this side of the cross, but they simply couldn’t accept the fact that their brother could be anything but an ordinary person who was out of his gourd.
What does your family think about your decision to follow Christ? I know some of my family thought it was just a phase I was going through. You may have had much stronger reactions.
Jesus said: I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. (Matt 10:34-36)
His mom knew He was special but at this point was probably overwhelmed with worry about Jesus’ safety. His brothers did not believe Him, yet – that would come after the cross. But His family is not done—they stage their intervention shortly.
Mark then shows the reaction of the scribes, who had lost at discrediting Jesus so now they stoop to smear tactics.
22 – 27
The religious leaders couldn’t deny Jesus’ supernatural power but instead of acknowledging that it came from God (which would mean they would have to give up their power) they claimed it came from another source: Satan. Beelzebul is not a common term and may be a compilation of two words meaning “dwelling place of Ba’al”. The meaning was clear, though.
Jesus starts His response pretty softly, in a parable showing that if Jesus is driving out the forces of Satan, how could He be in league with Him?
The last story Jesus tells reflected current conditions—in which the rich had homes that were virtual fortresses and whose servants were a small army. In the parable earth is Satan’s home, where he can do evil using his possessions, demons. In order to drive out demons (rob his house) Jesus must put Satan’s power on hold.
Satan is allowed to muck about on earth, but only so far. Next, Jesus stops telling stories and solemnly warns those that have made this accusation.
28 – 30
Often times we skip over verse 28 to worry about verse 29 and whether we have committed this everlasting sin. Everything evil you have ever thought, done, or said, is covered by the blood of Christ. That alone should send us to our knees. That forgiveness is past, present, and future, by the way.
Jesus makes it clear that only one sin cannot find forgiveness, something He calls “blaspheming against the Holy Spirit”. He talked about it because they had said “He has an unclean spirit.”
In Matthew Jesus added: Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matt 12:32)
Blaspheme of the Spirit then is not speaking against Jesus but against the power behind Him—the Holy Spirit. It’s not so much a single action but a continual attitude. The religious leaders were close to committing this sin as they were continually rejecting the power of God in Jesus. It is that power that saves. If you reject that power you reject any forgiveness available to you.
You cannot blaspheme against the Holy Spirit by accident. But those who willfully and continually reject the work of Christ will not find forgiveness.
So finally Jesus family comes back to get Him out of there!
31 – 35
Mary joins the family this time to lend credence to the intervention. Jesus is not rejecting His family but He certainly is not going to go along with them so He uses it as a teachable moment. 1) A relationship with Jesus supersedes a family relationship and 2) It isn’t just hanging around Jesus that counts but doing God’s will. What is that will?
John 6:40 “For this is the will of My Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
In the next chapter, 7, Jesus’ brothers tell Him that He needs to declare Himself publically if He really wants to have a movement. Jesus says “My time has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand.” In one the greatest testaments to Jesus, these same brothers became believers after the crucifixion and James even became the leader of the church in Jerusalem.
Conclusions
Jesus’ Power: Let’s review a little bit of where we’ve been. In the first part of Mark Jesus attacked the enemy Lucifer straight on, both in the temptations and also in confronting Satan’s “possessions” his “tools” – demonic forces. Jesus demonstrated that He has the power to overcome Satan any day of the week.
Jesus’ Position: Secondly we saw Jesus attack the religious establishment that was keeping people from God and keeping themselves in power by their silly rules that were traditions of men, not the heart of God. Jesus showed convincingly that He holds the authority over the Law and over approaching God.
Jesus’ Person: Thirdly we see the scribes and even Jesus’ family attack His character by calling Him crazy or demon possessed. Jesus showed that He would not bow to smear tactics and warned people that when they start questioning the power behind Jesus they are putting their own eternal destiny in jeopardy.
In the end each of us must come to grip with how we feel about Jesus’ power, position, and person. Do you recognize that He is the ruler of the universe, capable of restoring your relationship with God by the power working through Him at the cross? This is the most crucial decision of all of our eternities.
For us who already know Him, we too must deal with these three aspects. Do you rely on His power to provide what you need, do you allow Him to have authority in and over your life to make the decisions, and do you take Jesus and what He says at face value or do you spin it to your own ideas?
There is no relationship more powerful and more important. Given the pressures on us from family, jobs, hobbies, and pressures to worship other things—we need to reevaluate—when this age calls, do we jump or focus on what God is doing in and through us?
Liar (he has a demon), lunatic (he’s crazy), or Lord. Which will it be?
