Mark 3
Summary. Here, in Chapter 3, we see six main points on the power and mercy of God. 1) The Lord Jesus shows mercy to the man with the withered hand and heals him on the Sabbath, teaching that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 2) The Lord Jesus shows to the scribes, Pharisees, and people that He is the Lord of the Sabbath by healing the man with the withered hand. This act shows the Lord Jesus’ power to the rulers of men because He has healed on the Sabbath. 3) The name of the Lord Jesus has spread widely, and crowds followed Him everywhere. Here, we see a large multitude that came to Him by sea. The Lord Jesus healed many, and many pressed around Him to touch Him and be healed, and the unclean spirits fell before Him. These acts show the power of the Lord Jesus over sicknesses and the dark side. 4) The Lord Jesus, by the will of the Father, appoints twelve disciples to be with Him. He gives them authority to preach the Gospel and to heal and cast out demons. This act shows that the Lord Jesus rules over everything, the seen and unseen world. 5) The Lord Jesus responds to people’s accusations about His power over the darkness. a) The Lord Jesus gives parables about unity; the Bible teaches the unity of the Lord as One, Three Gods but One; the unity of people who believe in the Bible should be as one as well. b) The Lord Jesus gives the parable that points out the way of attacking the faith; all believers should watch out; in order to collapse the unity of the kingdom of God on earth, the faith will be attacked. c) The Lord Jesus says that whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is guilty of an eternal sin. 6) The Lord Jesus tells us who His relatives on earth are; not those that are blood-related, but those that do the will of God are His brothers and sisters and mother. This saying shows the mercy of God: don’t use your eyes to look at people; use your heart to look at them.
[1]
And He entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there having the hand withered.
[2]
And they watched Him , whether He would heal him on the Sabbath; in order that they might accuse Him .
[3]
And He says to the man who had the hand withered, Arise into the midst.
[4]
And He says to them, Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil? To save life, or to kill? But they were silent.
[5]
And having looked around on them with anger, being grieved at the blindness of their heart, He says to the man, Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
[6]
And the Pharisees having gone out, straightaway, with the Herodians took counsel against Him , how they might destroy Him .
Comments Mark 3:1-6
For verses 1 to 6, see also Comments Matthew 12:9-14 and Comments Luke 6:6-11.
The stories in these sections of Scripture are the same story, but presented in different ways. In each Gospel, the Lord has shown all humans that one story can be told in many ways, but we need to combine all the details from all the Gospels to understand the events in their completeness. Here, we analyze the story of the man with the withered hand by examining the details in all three Gospels: Matthew 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6, and Luke 6:6-11.
Comparison analysis:
Part 1: (See Mark 3:1, Matthew 12:9-10, and Luke 6:6). In Mark, notice the word “again,” in Matthew 12:9 notice the words “departed from there,” and in Luke 6:6 notice the words “on another Sabbath.” Combining the events so far from all three Gospels, it shows that the Lord Jesus was traveling and, on a Sabbath, again entered their synagogue, where He taught the people. And a man with a right hand that was withered was in the synagogue. Here, we need to remember that the name of the Lord Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, so the Lord will always be in synagogue on Sabbath. All three Gospels in this part have one thing in common: the Lord Jesus enters the synagogue on the Sabbath as a regular duty.
Part 2: (See Mark 3:2, Matthew 12:10, and Luke 6:7). Combining the events from all three Gospels, we understand that the scribes and the Pharisees asked the Lord Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” and watched Him to see if He would heal on the Sabbath so they might accuse Him. However, all three Gospels say one common thing: that people do not know the true meaning of the Sabbath. That is why the Lord Jesus teaches on Sabbaths, to give them the true meaning of the Sabbath. The real meaning of the Sabbath is to keep the rules given by God, not to bring men rules and impose them as the meaning of the Sabbath. The purpose of the Sabbath is to do good in the name of the Lord: helping and comforting, which is the way to show the love of the Lord.
Part 3: (See Matthew 12:11-12). Here in Matthew, we see that the Lord Jesus answers the question that the scribes and Pharisees asked in Matthew 12:10 by confronting them and showing their hypocrisy.
Part 4: (See Mark 3:3-4, Luke 6:8-9). These verses show that the Lord asks them a direct question. Really, the Lord asks them if it is lawful to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath.
Part 5: (See Mark 3:5, Matthew 12:13, Luke 6:10). Combining the events from all three Gospels, we see that the Lord was angry and grieved at their ignorant hearts, and He healed the man’s hand by simply asking him to stretch out his hand. However, none of them acknowledged that on the Sabbath it is lawful to do good, yet the Lord Jesus clearly tells them in Matthew 12:12 that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
Part 6: (See Mark 3:6, Matthew 12:14, Luke 6:11). Combining the events from all three Gospels, we understand that the scribes and Pharisees were furious and discussed among themselves and with the Herodians how they might destroy the Lord Jesus. Notice that the Herodians (see Matthew 22:16 for comments on Herodians) were not in the synagogue, but the Pharisees and the scribes went out to look for them.
The stories in these sections of Scripture are the same story, but presented in different ways. In each Gospel, the Lord has shown all humans that one story can be told in many ways, but we need to combine all the details from all the Gospels to understand the events in their completeness. Here, we analyze the story of the man with the withered hand by examining the details in all three Gospels: Matthew 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6, and Luke 6:6-11.
Comparison analysis:
Part 1: (See Mark 3:1, Matthew 12:9-10, and Luke 6:6). In Mark, notice the word “again,” in Matthew 12:9 notice the words “departed from there,” and in Luke 6:6 notice the words “on another Sabbath.” Combining the events so far from all three Gospels, it shows that the Lord Jesus was traveling and, on a Sabbath, again entered their synagogue, where He taught the people. And a man with a right hand that was withered was in the synagogue. Here, we need to remember that the name of the Lord Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, so the Lord will always be in synagogue on Sabbath. All three Gospels in this part have one thing in common: the Lord Jesus enters the synagogue on the Sabbath as a regular duty.
Part 2: (See Mark 3:2, Matthew 12:10, and Luke 6:7). Combining the events from all three Gospels, we understand that the scribes and the Pharisees asked the Lord Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” and watched Him to see if He would heal on the Sabbath so they might accuse Him. However, all three Gospels say one common thing: that people do not know the true meaning of the Sabbath. That is why the Lord Jesus teaches on Sabbaths, to give them the true meaning of the Sabbath. The real meaning of the Sabbath is to keep the rules given by God, not to bring men rules and impose them as the meaning of the Sabbath. The purpose of the Sabbath is to do good in the name of the Lord: helping and comforting, which is the way to show the love of the Lord.
Part 3: (See Matthew 12:11-12). Here in Matthew, we see that the Lord Jesus answers the question that the scribes and Pharisees asked in Matthew 12:10 by confronting them and showing their hypocrisy.
Part 4: (See Mark 3:3-4, Luke 6:8-9). These verses show that the Lord asks them a direct question. Really, the Lord asks them if it is lawful to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath.
Part 5: (See Mark 3:5, Matthew 12:13, Luke 6:10). Combining the events from all three Gospels, we see that the Lord was angry and grieved at their ignorant hearts, and He healed the man’s hand by simply asking him to stretch out his hand. However, none of them acknowledged that on the Sabbath it is lawful to do good, yet the Lord Jesus clearly tells them in Matthew 12:12 that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
Part 6: (See Mark 3:6, Matthew 12:14, Luke 6:11). Combining the events from all three Gospels, we understand that the scribes and Pharisees were furious and discussed among themselves and with the Herodians how they might destroy the Lord Jesus. Notice that the Herodians (see Matthew 22:16 for comments on Herodians) were not in the synagogue, but the Pharisees and the scribes went out to look for them.
[7]
And Jesus with His disciples withdrew to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and from Judea,
[8]
and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing what great things He did, came to Him .
Comments Mark 3:7-8
For verses 7 to 8, see also Comments Matthew 4:23-25, Comments Matthew 13:1-3, and Comments Luke 6:17-19.
These passages describe similar events, but the people are not all the same, and the day of the event is different. The Lord Jesus’ name had already been spread before He traveled there. His name had already been known, and that is why in all of the events, multitudes will be there.
These passages describe similar events, but the people are not all the same, and the day of the event is different. The Lord Jesus’ name had already been spread before He traveled there. His name had already been known, and that is why in all of the events, multitudes will be there.
[9]
And He spoke to His disciples, that a little boat might wait upon Him because of the crowd, in order that they might not throng Him :
[10]
for He had healed many; insomuch that as many as had diseases pressed upon Him that they might touch Him .
[11]
And the unclean spirits, whenever they beheld Him , fell down before Him , and cried out, saying, Thou are the Son of God .
Comments Mark 3:7-12
Looking at Mark 3:7-12 and Mark 4:1-3, we can say that, here in these verses of Scripture, it is the same event, but because it is a large area, there are different groups of people and different days; a similar area, different days, and different groups of people. They are completely different days in these passages. The things that happened today could happen tomorrow, but they are not linked together; separate them out. When there is a large crowd of people listening to the Lord, this group hears and speaks, but the group behind does not even know what the people ahead are saying. Same day, same event, but not the same; that is why each Gospel tells the story from a different angle, a different point of view, different people. Each Gospel has its own portion to write, but no one copied from another. The Lord gives to each individual a different part of the event, a different time that happened, no copy, but each one writes down accordingly as the Lord sees fit.
Mark 3:1-6 describes the same event as Luke 6:6-11 (the healing of the paralytic); Mark 3:13-20 is the same event as Luke 6:12-16, and in between these events, we have Mark 3:7-12. This event by the sea in Mark 3:7-12 on this particular day is described only here in the Gospel of Mark. The common point of these events in Mark 3:7-12, Matthew 4:23-25, Matthew 13:1-3, and Luke 6:17-19 is that the Lord Jesus’ name spread widely, and there were always crowds following Him to hear Him teach, and many came to be healed. However, some came to look for food that He would provide for them, because it had been told that He gives food. Here in Mark, it shows that people were crowding around the Lord Jesus, so much so that He needed to get a boat and get away from the crowd so they would not crush Him.
Mark 3:1-6 describes the same event as Luke 6:6-11 (the healing of the paralytic); Mark 3:13-20 is the same event as Luke 6:12-16, and in between these events, we have Mark 3:7-12. This event by the sea in Mark 3:7-12 on this particular day is described only here in the Gospel of Mark. The common point of these events in Mark 3:7-12, Matthew 4:23-25, Matthew 13:1-3, and Luke 6:17-19 is that the Lord Jesus’ name spread widely, and there were always crowds following Him to hear Him teach, and many came to be healed. However, some came to look for food that He would provide for them, because it had been told that He gives food. Here in Mark, it shows that people were crowding around the Lord Jesus, so much so that He needed to get a boat and get away from the crowd so they would not crush Him.
[14]
And He appointed twelve, which also He called apostles, that they might be with Him , and that He might send them to preach,
[15]
and to have authority to cast out demons:
[16]
and Simon He surnamed Peter;
[17]
and James of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and them He surnamed Boanerges, which is, Sons of Thunder;
[18]
and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean,
Comments Mark 3:13-19
For verses 13 to 19, see also Comments Matthew 10:1-4 and Comments Luke 6:12-16.
The events in Mark 3:13-19, Matthew 10:1-4, and Luke 6:12-16 are the same events presented in different ways. Combining these events from all three Gospels, we can get a more complete picture of what had happened. The events of this telling: the Lord Jesus has chosen from among all that followed Him; from so many that followed, He chose these twelve out. Many are struggling with why the Lord Jesus chose Judas; it was not that He didn’t have enough people to choose from, but Judas had to be involved in the Lord Jesus’ ministry.
Comparison analysis:
Part 1: (See Mark 3:13, Matthew 10:1, Luke 6:12-13). Combining the events from all three Gospels, we see that the Lord Jesus went up on the mountain to pray, and after praying all night, He called to Him the disciples He desired. The Bible clearly shows all humans the length of time the Son of God prayed, and humans complain that they pray for too long. If the Son of God spends that much time praying, humans need to take it as an example and follow what the Lord teaches and does. As an example, when you go and pray, forget about yourself and think of the One to whom you pray; let your soul, not your mind, be the lead to the Lord. The human mouth speaks too many useless words, but the soul that goes presents the pure words of worship to the Lord.
Q: What is the purpose of the Lord Jesus’ prayer here? A: There are two purposes in this prayer: one is the conversation between the Father and the Son, and the other is about choosing the disciples. The Lord Jesus will choose the ones that the Father wants.
Part 2: (See Mark 3:14-15, Matthew 10:1, Luke 6:13). Combining the events from all three Gospels, we see that the Lord Jesus chose twelve disciples whom He also named apostles.
Q: What does it mean to be an apostle? A: The follower of the Lord Jesus, the one who will go to tell about the love of God for all humans, that is the apostle’s duty. These twelve were chosen to be with the Lord Jesus, and go out and preach and have authority to cast out demons and heal every disease and affliction. Judas was one of the apostles, but the Bible never mentions that he did anything because he had no faith. Judas did not have faith; he would always be with someone else, be part of someone doing something, but he would never be himself doing it. He would be there close by, but never do anything. The Lord always sent them in pairs (see Mark 6:7, Luke 10:1).
Part 3: (See Mark 3:16-19, Matthew 10:2-4, Luke 6:14-16). From these verses of Scripture, we find the names of the twelve apostles. For some, we find the names that the Lord Jesus gave as a name for the duty of their work. Some were called for special purposes, and the names the Lord gave would tell the duty of that person, not just duty alone, but also the character told in that name.
The events in Mark 3:13-19, Matthew 10:1-4, and Luke 6:12-16 are the same events presented in different ways. Combining these events from all three Gospels, we can get a more complete picture of what had happened. The events of this telling: the Lord Jesus has chosen from among all that followed Him; from so many that followed, He chose these twelve out. Many are struggling with why the Lord Jesus chose Judas; it was not that He didn’t have enough people to choose from, but Judas had to be involved in the Lord Jesus’ ministry.
Comparison analysis:
Part 1: (See Mark 3:13, Matthew 10:1, Luke 6:12-13). Combining the events from all three Gospels, we see that the Lord Jesus went up on the mountain to pray, and after praying all night, He called to Him the disciples He desired. The Bible clearly shows all humans the length of time the Son of God prayed, and humans complain that they pray for too long. If the Son of God spends that much time praying, humans need to take it as an example and follow what the Lord teaches and does. As an example, when you go and pray, forget about yourself and think of the One to whom you pray; let your soul, not your mind, be the lead to the Lord. The human mouth speaks too many useless words, but the soul that goes presents the pure words of worship to the Lord.
Q: What is the purpose of the Lord Jesus’ prayer here? A: There are two purposes in this prayer: one is the conversation between the Father and the Son, and the other is about choosing the disciples. The Lord Jesus will choose the ones that the Father wants.
Part 2: (See Mark 3:14-15, Matthew 10:1, Luke 6:13). Combining the events from all three Gospels, we see that the Lord Jesus chose twelve disciples whom He also named apostles.
Q: What does it mean to be an apostle? A: The follower of the Lord Jesus, the one who will go to tell about the love of God for all humans, that is the apostle’s duty. These twelve were chosen to be with the Lord Jesus, and go out and preach and have authority to cast out demons and heal every disease and affliction. Judas was one of the apostles, but the Bible never mentions that he did anything because he had no faith. Judas did not have faith; he would always be with someone else, be part of someone doing something, but he would never be himself doing it. He would be there close by, but never do anything. The Lord always sent them in pairs (see Mark 6:7, Luke 10:1).
Part 3: (See Mark 3:16-19, Matthew 10:2-4, Luke 6:14-16). From these verses of Scripture, we find the names of the twelve apostles. For some, we find the names that the Lord Jesus gave as a name for the duty of their work. Some were called for special purposes, and the names the Lord gave would tell the duty of that person, not just duty alone, but also the character told in that name.
[20]
And a multitude comes together again, so that they are not able even to eat bread.
Comments Mark 3:20
This house in this verse is a house where some people were willing to invite the Lord Jesus to stay for a while. This house is not His parents’ home in Nazareth or His home in some city.
[21]
And when His family heard it, they went out to lay hold on Him : for they said, He is overwhelmed.
[22]
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, He has Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons He casts out the demons.
[23]
And having called them, He said to them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
[24]
And 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]
But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder his goods, if not he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house.
[28]
Truly I say to you, All the sins and the blasphemies will be forgiven to the sons of men, as many as if they shall have blasphemed;
[29]
but whoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit has not forgiveness to the age, but is guilty of eternal sin;
[30]
because they said, He has an unclean spirit.
Comments Mark 3:22-30
See also Comments Matthew 12:22-32 and Comments Luke 11:14-23.
Q: Are the parables that are told in these sections of Scripture spoken to the same group of people in the same place and time? Are the events in Matthew 12:22-32, Mark 3:22-30, and Luke 11:14-23 the same events happening at the same place and time? A: They are not the same events; all three Gospels tell different events. Separate out the events between the Gospels. The group of people is not all the same. In some portions of the Gospels, people come in around the Lord Jesus and then go out; new people come in and go out; always, people come in and go out; that way, the word spreads faster. Many thousands have come to see and hear how the work of the Lord has been done. Because the Lord Jesus has a short time on earth, His purpose is to give the majority of people a chance to witness the Lord’s work for humans; God has come to them.
Q: Can we say that the Lord Jesus repeated the same teachings in the parables to different groups of people as they came around Him to listen? A: The Lord Jesus will tell when He will be asked; each group of people comes and asks. Sometimes one parable was told many, many times, and that is why, in the Bible, it is told from different angles on the question, but the answer always has the same central point in all the Gospels. Here, we need to find the central point of the Lord’s answer across all these parables.
Comparison analysis: Part 1: (See Matthew 12:22-23 and Luke 11:14). As we see in these Bible passages, the Lord Jesus performed miraculous healings before the people came to accuse Him, and He healed many people oppressed by demons. In Matthew, the Lord Jesus heals a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and in Luke, the Lord Jesus casts out a mute demon; these are two separate healings. It is clear from this setting that the Lord Jesus addresses the accusation to different groups of people and tells the parables more than once.
Part 2: (See Mark 3:22, Matthew 12:24, and Luke 11:15). In Mark, we see that scribes come down from Jerusalem to accuse the Lord Jesus. In Matthew, we see that as the Pharisees hear people talking about the Lord Jesus being the Son of God and performing miraculous healings by the power of God, they reason with each other and bring the blasphemous accusation to the people. In Luke, we see that some people accused the Lord Jesus, while others tried to test Him by asking for a sign from heaven. Again, it is evident from the three Gospels that the Lord tells these parables and addresses accusations to different groups of people at various times and places.
Part 3: (See Mark 3:23-26, Matthew 12:25-28, and Luke 11:17-20). In these portions of Scripture, the Lord Jesus speaks to them in parables in response to their accusations. All these parables speak about unity. In the parables themselves, the Lord Jesus speaks about unity as one. The parables conclude that the unity of people who believe in the Bible should be as one as the unity of the Lord is One: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. If the One who gives the Bible is One, the ones who believe in it should be as one. If you are with the Lord, you all must be united. The Bible teaches that all who believe in the Bible as the true Word of God will have in their hearts the faith to receive the Bible as the Living Word. They, the dark, are between the dark, and you don’t need to know about them; you just need to know about the light.
Part 4: (See Mark 3:27, Matthew 12:29, and Luke 11:21-22). This parable in these verses of Scripture points out the way of attacking the faith: watch out! How to collapse the kingdom? The faith of the believers must be attacked to collapse the unity of the kingdom of God on earth. How to attack the believer? There’s only one way to do it: the faith has to be attacked first. The faith in the Lord is the foundation for all humans to stand firm against the dark side, and the dark knows that. The Bible clearly tells us that if you have no faith, you would not invite the Lord into your heart and soul. Therefore, if you don’t invite the Lord into your heart, it is easy to be attacked, and the only way to attack is straight to the faith. The dark does not need your body; all they need is your soul. Attacking the faith is the fight for the soul; this flesh is nothing. The faith must be attacked first to take the human soul; without faith in the Lord, the soul is lost. Look out in the world; even the Christians who lose faith go deeper than the rest of the world in doing evil deeds against God. When the soul that belongs to God turns back against their Creator, those souls are the ones who attack the kingdom to collapse it. The way to destroy unity is to attack the faith; once the faith is attacked, the unity among believers can collapse.
Explaining the parable of Mark 3:27. In this verse, “no one” represents the dark side; “the house” represents the soul of a person, and “the strong man” represents the believer in the Lord; “binds the strong man” means attacks on his faith. The dark has to attack the ones who are leaders in the church, to whom human eyes look. If one of them fails, so many little ones will fail, because humans love to worship humans. However, we have the One who never fails, and they don’t come to Him; instead, they go and put their trust in men. No man on earth is strong enough. The Man who fights against the dark has been crucified; keep your mind on that Man, as the Bible tells us He has won the battle, look to that Man.
Q: How does the dark attack the soul of humans? A: Only one way they do it: attack the person’s faith, then they can enter the soul. The soul of humans is the bridge between the earth and the kingdom of heaven. There is only one way to go to the Kingdom of God, and that is through the human soul, and the dark knows that. And that is why there is always a fight for the souls of humans. The dark knows very well that the Lord loves human souls because, when He created them, He gave the soul freedom to choose. You choose to be for the world, or you choose to be with the Lord; that is what the soul does, it is a big fight in the soul. The dark knows they can’t fight God, but the only way they can fight is to take the souls of humans. The dark knows full well that the Lord loves humans. That is why He sent His Son to be a human on earth, to show humans that we have meaning for the Lord, not our flesh, but our souls; this is the war of the unseen world, for the human souls.
Part 5: (See Mark 3:28-30, Matthew 12:30-32, and Luke 11:23). These verses refer to the whole world (“the sons of men”), for whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit is guilty of an eternal sin.
Q: Are the parables that are told in these sections of Scripture spoken to the same group of people in the same place and time? Are the events in Matthew 12:22-32, Mark 3:22-30, and Luke 11:14-23 the same events happening at the same place and time? A: They are not the same events; all three Gospels tell different events. Separate out the events between the Gospels. The group of people is not all the same. In some portions of the Gospels, people come in around the Lord Jesus and then go out; new people come in and go out; always, people come in and go out; that way, the word spreads faster. Many thousands have come to see and hear how the work of the Lord has been done. Because the Lord Jesus has a short time on earth, His purpose is to give the majority of people a chance to witness the Lord’s work for humans; God has come to them.
Q: Can we say that the Lord Jesus repeated the same teachings in the parables to different groups of people as they came around Him to listen? A: The Lord Jesus will tell when He will be asked; each group of people comes and asks. Sometimes one parable was told many, many times, and that is why, in the Bible, it is told from different angles on the question, but the answer always has the same central point in all the Gospels. Here, we need to find the central point of the Lord’s answer across all these parables.
Comparison analysis: Part 1: (See Matthew 12:22-23 and Luke 11:14). As we see in these Bible passages, the Lord Jesus performed miraculous healings before the people came to accuse Him, and He healed many people oppressed by demons. In Matthew, the Lord Jesus heals a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and in Luke, the Lord Jesus casts out a mute demon; these are two separate healings. It is clear from this setting that the Lord Jesus addresses the accusation to different groups of people and tells the parables more than once.
Part 2: (See Mark 3:22, Matthew 12:24, and Luke 11:15). In Mark, we see that scribes come down from Jerusalem to accuse the Lord Jesus. In Matthew, we see that as the Pharisees hear people talking about the Lord Jesus being the Son of God and performing miraculous healings by the power of God, they reason with each other and bring the blasphemous accusation to the people. In Luke, we see that some people accused the Lord Jesus, while others tried to test Him by asking for a sign from heaven. Again, it is evident from the three Gospels that the Lord tells these parables and addresses accusations to different groups of people at various times and places.
Part 3: (See Mark 3:23-26, Matthew 12:25-28, and Luke 11:17-20). In these portions of Scripture, the Lord Jesus speaks to them in parables in response to their accusations. All these parables speak about unity. In the parables themselves, the Lord Jesus speaks about unity as one. The parables conclude that the unity of people who believe in the Bible should be as one as the unity of the Lord is One: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. If the One who gives the Bible is One, the ones who believe in it should be as one. If you are with the Lord, you all must be united. The Bible teaches that all who believe in the Bible as the true Word of God will have in their hearts the faith to receive the Bible as the Living Word. They, the dark, are between the dark, and you don’t need to know about them; you just need to know about the light.
Part 4: (See Mark 3:27, Matthew 12:29, and Luke 11:21-22). This parable in these verses of Scripture points out the way of attacking the faith: watch out! How to collapse the kingdom? The faith of the believers must be attacked to collapse the unity of the kingdom of God on earth. How to attack the believer? There’s only one way to do it: the faith has to be attacked first. The faith in the Lord is the foundation for all humans to stand firm against the dark side, and the dark knows that. The Bible clearly tells us that if you have no faith, you would not invite the Lord into your heart and soul. Therefore, if you don’t invite the Lord into your heart, it is easy to be attacked, and the only way to attack is straight to the faith. The dark does not need your body; all they need is your soul. Attacking the faith is the fight for the soul; this flesh is nothing. The faith must be attacked first to take the human soul; without faith in the Lord, the soul is lost. Look out in the world; even the Christians who lose faith go deeper than the rest of the world in doing evil deeds against God. When the soul that belongs to God turns back against their Creator, those souls are the ones who attack the kingdom to collapse it. The way to destroy unity is to attack the faith; once the faith is attacked, the unity among believers can collapse.
Explaining the parable of Mark 3:27. In this verse, “no one” represents the dark side; “the house” represents the soul of a person, and “the strong man” represents the believer in the Lord; “binds the strong man” means attacks on his faith. The dark has to attack the ones who are leaders in the church, to whom human eyes look. If one of them fails, so many little ones will fail, because humans love to worship humans. However, we have the One who never fails, and they don’t come to Him; instead, they go and put their trust in men. No man on earth is strong enough. The Man who fights against the dark has been crucified; keep your mind on that Man, as the Bible tells us He has won the battle, look to that Man.
Q: How does the dark attack the soul of humans? A: Only one way they do it: attack the person’s faith, then they can enter the soul. The soul of humans is the bridge between the earth and the kingdom of heaven. There is only one way to go to the Kingdom of God, and that is through the human soul, and the dark knows that. And that is why there is always a fight for the souls of humans. The dark knows very well that the Lord loves human souls because, when He created them, He gave the soul freedom to choose. You choose to be for the world, or you choose to be with the Lord; that is what the soul does, it is a big fight in the soul. The dark knows they can’t fight God, but the only way they can fight is to take the souls of humans. The dark knows full well that the Lord loves humans. That is why He sent His Son to be a human on earth, to show humans that we have meaning for the Lord, not our flesh, but our souls; this is the war of the unseen world, for the human souls.
Part 5: (See Mark 3:28-30, Matthew 12:30-32, and Luke 11:23). These verses refer to the whole world (“the sons of men”), for whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit is guilty of an eternal sin.
[31]
And there come His mother and His brothers; and, standing outside, they sent to Him , calling Him .
Comments Mark 3:31
(See also Mark 3:21). Verses Mark 3:31 and Mark 3:21 are tangled together. Humans try to confuse humans between the human family and the kingdom family of the Lord Jesus, as He comes down to be a human. Here, it clearly shows when the Lord will answer, pay attention to the way: for the Lord Himself, the earthly family does not play a role in lifting Him up or pulling Him down. The Lord Jesus is one hundred percent man and one hundred percent God, but He is not just another man; He is the Son of Man; that is the way the Lord was born to be a human. This way, when they come, because of the position He is in (as a teacher), some will go and claim I am involved in some way with the Lord Jesus.
“Son of Man.” When you say the Son of Man, it specifically says He is a Man, but He never says or claims He is the Son of Joseph; He is always the Son of Man. For the rest of humans, He is the foundation of the race: all humans come from Him, He is the Son of Man.
“Son of Man.” When you say the Son of Man, it specifically says He is a Man, but He never says or claims He is the Son of Joseph; He is always the Son of Man. For the rest of humans, He is the foundation of the race: all humans come from Him, He is the Son of Man.
[32]
And a multitude was sitting around Him ; and they say to Him , Behold, Thy mother and Thy brothers outside are seeking Thee .
Comments Mark 3:31-35
See also Comments Matthew 12:46-50 and Comments Luke 8:19-21.
This event happened once, and all three Gospels give this account. Combining the details from all three Gospels, we find out that:
1. The Lord Jesus was speaking to the people when His earthly family came.
2. A crowd was around Him, and His earthly family could not reach Him.
3. His earthly family stood outside, asking people to speak with the Lord Jesus.
4. People told the Lord Jesus that “Thy mother and Thy brothers outside are seeking for Thee.”
5. The Lord Jesus answered and asked the people listening, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”
6. The Lord Jesus’ answer is the key point in all three Gospels: the Lord Jesus has only one Father who is in heaven, and His relatives on earth are only those who glorify the Father and the Lord Jesus as God.
This event happened once, and all three Gospels give this account. Combining the details from all three Gospels, we find out that:
1. The Lord Jesus was speaking to the people when His earthly family came.
2. A crowd was around Him, and His earthly family could not reach Him.
3. His earthly family stood outside, asking people to speak with the Lord Jesus.
4. People told the Lord Jesus that “Thy mother and Thy brothers outside are seeking for Thee.”
5. The Lord Jesus answered and asked the people listening, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”
6. The Lord Jesus’ answer is the key point in all three Gospels: the Lord Jesus has only one Father who is in heaven, and His relatives on earth are only those who glorify the Father and the Lord Jesus as God.
Life and Faith Applications. 1) The dark side fights for the human soul; the human flesh is nothing. Watch your faith in the Lord; the faith has to be attacked first to take the human soul; without faith in the Lord, the soul is lost. 2) Do not look to people as examples of your faith, but look to the One who has been crucified and won the battle: look to the Lord Jesus. 3) Stay united among believers; if you are with the Lord, you must be one in Christ. 4) Remember who your family is. Most people have problems with this, but our relatives on this earth are those who do the will of God, believe in, and worship the Lord Jesus as the Son of God.