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1–6. Healing a withered arm on Saturday. – 7–12. General image of the activities of Jesus Christ. – 13–19. Election of 12 disciples. – 20–30. The answer of Jesus Christ to the accusation that He casts out demons by the power of Satan. – 31–35. True relatives of Jesus Christ. Mark 3:1. And he came again to the synagogue; there was a man who had a withered hand. (For the healing of the withered man, see comments on Matthew 12:9–14.) Evangelist Mark notes that the sick man had a withered hand, not a dry hand (Matthew 12:10). He, therefore, was not born with such a hand, but it shrank, probably from some kind of wound. Mark 3:2. And they watched Him to see if He would heal Him on the Sabbath, in order to accuse Him. According to Mark, the Pharisees - of course, we are talking about them here - watched with special attention (παρετήρουν) whether Christ would heal (θεραπεύσει) him on the Sabbath. Of course, after such healing they intended to accuse Christ of violating the law of Sabbath rest. Mark 3:3. He said to the man who had a withered hand: stand in the middle. “Stand in the middle” - more precisely: “Rise to the middle!” The Lord was in the midst of the people - He was surrounded mainly by the Pharisees (cf. verse 5: “looking up” or, more precisely, looking around at those sitting around Him). The Lord thus proceeds to openly attack His enemies, demanding that they clearly express their thoughts about Him. Mark 3:4. And he says to them: Should one do good on the Sabbath, or should one do evil? save your soul or destroy it? But they were silent. “Do good” - do generally good, praiseworthy deeds (ἀγαθόν ποιῆσαι). What the “good work” that Jesus had in mind here is, He immediately explains. If you don’t help the unfortunate person when you can, it means leaving him as a sacrifice to certain death. Obviously, the withered man had a serious dangerous disease, the so-called muscle atrophy, which was supposed to progress progressively, and the Lord not only healed one hand, but also destroyed the disease itself at its root. The Pharisees could not answer Christ’s question: they did not want to agree with Christ, and they found no reason to contradict the view expressed by Him on this issue, since the sixth commandment directly said: “Thou shalt not kill.” Mark 3:5. And looking at them with anger, grieving over the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man: Stretch out your hand. He stretched out, and his hand became as healthy as the other. Having looked at his enemies and not seeing an attempt on anyone’s part to directly answer the question posed, the Lord cast an angry glance at them as hypocrites, grieving over their bitterness or stubbornness (see Ex. 4:21; Deut. 9:27). Mark 3:6. The Pharisees, having gone out, immediately made a conference with the Herodians against Him, how to destroy Him. (On the Herodians, see comments on Matthew 22:16). Mark 3:7. But Jesus and His disciples withdrew to the sea; and a great multitude followed Him from Galilee, Judea, The depiction of Christ’s activity at this time takes up five verses in Mark, and one in Matthew (Matthew 4:25). The Lord retires to the sea not out of fear of His enemies, the Pharisees and Herodians (the enemies of Christ, of course, did not dare to do anything against Him, since a huge crowd of people rushed after Him), but simply because He saw how useless it would be to continue the conversation with the Pharisees. Mark 3:8. Jerusalem, Idumea and beyond the Jordan. And those who dwelt in the region of Tire and Sidon, when they heard what He did, came to Him in great multitudes. Evangelist Mark lists seven regions or places from which people came to Christ. This number obviously has a symbolic meaning here. It means the completeness of the countries or regions of Palestine. Even distant Idumea and Phenicia sent their representatives to Christ. But if it is said about the Galileans and the inhabitants of Judea that they “followed” Christ (verse 7), then about the Jerusalemites and the further mentioned inhabitants of Palestine the evangelist only says that they “came” and, perhaps, only looked at what Christ would do. Mark 3:9. And He told His disciples to have a boat ready for Him because of the crowd, so that He would not be crowded. Mark 3:10. For He healed many, so that those who had wounds rushed to Him to touch Him. Here, obviously, we mean the four disciples already known (Mark 1:16–20). The people crowded towards Christ mainly, of course, in order to receive healing from Him - this can be said about those Galileans and Jews who “followed” Christ. Others simply wanted to see with their own eyes that Christ really heals the sick. Mark 3:11. And the unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell before Him and shouted: You are the Son of God. Mark 3:12. But He strictly forbade them so that they would not make Him known. “Unclean spirits”, i.e. people who had unclean spirits. “Son of God” is a more important expression (see Matt. 4:3) than “Holy One of God” (Mk. 1:24). But whether those people were aware of the true meaning of this name is not clear. The Lord did not reject this name, but only forbade those possessed by demons to shout it out (see comments on Mark 1:25). How strange it was that Christ, the great Wonderworker, was persecuted by representatives of Judaism and only called demons! Mark 3:13. Then he ascended the mountain and called to Him whom He Himself wanted; and came to Him. (On the calling of the 12 apostles cf. Matthew 10:2–4). "Up the mountain". The seashore was, so to speak, a place of constant public meetings. On the contrary, in the mountains that are located north of the Sea of ​​Tiberias, one could find a rather secluded place. The Lord goes there to get away from the crowd. The disciples are called to follow Him - only those who were chosen by Christ in this case, and not everyone. Evangelist Mark does not even call those invited by Christ “disciples”; it is very possible that among the disciples already called by Christ earlier there were also completely new faces. “And they came to Him” (ἀπῆλθον), i.e., having followed Him, they at the same time left their former occupations.” Mark 3:14. And he appointed twelve of them to be with Him and to send them to preach, “And he set it” – ἐποίησεν. In this sense, the verb ποιέω is used in 1 Samuel 12:6 - i.e. chose twelve (without the addition of the Apostles, which is in Matthew 10:2). “To be with Him.” This is the first purpose of election: the apostles must be constantly with Christ in order to prepare for their ministry. “And to send them out...” This is the second purpose of the calling of the apostles. By “sermon,” Evangelist Mark here, of course, means the announcement of the coming of the Kingdom of God, which served as the subject of preaching by Christ Himself. Mark 3:15. and that they may have power to heal diseases and cast out demons; "And heal from diseases". This expression is not found in Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, which is why Tischendorf and other recent critics omit it. But it is in the Syriac, Alexandrian and Western, Latin, codes (cf. Matt. 10:1). Mark 3:16. appointed Simon, calling his name Peter, According to the most ancient codes, Tischendorf begins this verse like this: “and he set twelve” (καὶ ἐποίησεν τοὺς δώδεκα). “He appointed Simon, calling his name Peter.” More correctly, according to Tischendorf: “and he called Simon’s name Peter.” Such an addition to Simon's name was made during his first call to follow Christ (see John 1:42). The Evangelist Mark, however, found it necessary to mention this only here, just as Matthew found it necessary to say the same thing when describing another later event (cf. Matthew 16:18). Peter is not a proper name, but a nickname - “rock”, so the apostle bore both names together. Mark 3:17. James Zebedee and John, the brother of James, calling them Boanerges, that is, “sons of thunder,” Neither the evangelist Matthew nor Luke separates Andrew from his brother Simon, probably meaning that both brothers were called to follow Christ at the same time. But Mark puts the sons of Zebedee in second and third place, obviously due to their recognized importance in the circle of the apostles (Peter, as the “mouth of the apostles,” who always spoke on behalf of all the apostles, Mark puts, like the Evangelist Matthew, in first place). “Boanerges, that is, “sons of thunder””. The word "Boanerges" apparently comes from two words: "voan" - the Aramaic word corresponding to the Hebrew "bnei" (from "banim") - "sons", and the verb "ragash". The latter verb does not mean “to thunder” in biblical Hebrew, but it may have had such a meaning in vernacular Hebrew at the time of Christ. At least in Arabic there is a verb close to this, namely “rajasa”, meaning “to thunder.” The Evangelist Mark does not say why the Lord called James and John this way, so in this case we have to turn to the Gospel of Luke for clarification. The latter reports one case when both brothers showed very great impetuosity and angry temper, which could have served as a reason for giving them such a nickname - “sons of thunder” (Luke 9:54). Some interpreters saw in this nickname a hint of the powerful impression that both brothers had on the listeners with their preaching (Euphemius Zigaben). Origen called John the Theologian “mental thunder.” Mark 3:18. Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, Jacob Alfeev, Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite Mark 3:19. and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. For an explanation of the names of the apostles, see the comments on Matthew 10:2–4. Having singled out twelve, Christ thereby laid the foundation of the Church as a visible society with its own hierarchy. Mark 3:20. They come to the house; and again the people gathered, so that it was impossible for them to eat bread. Mark 3:21. And when his neighbors heard, they went to take him, for they said that he had lost his temper. One evangelist Mark mentions the gathering of masses of people near the house where Christ was in Capernaum, and the sending of Christ’s relatives to Capernaum in order to take Christ. On the other hand, he skips the story of the healing of a demoniac, which in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke serves as an introduction to the description of the Pharisees’ attacks on Christ: he already spoke about this kind of miracles performed by Christ earlier. Obviously, the Evangelist Mark, who has just depicted the election of the 12 who formed the closest circle around Christ, like a cell of the New Testament Church, hastens to show readers how, firstly, the people, secondly, the relatives of Christ and, thirdly, His enemies - the Pharisees, reacted to this new step of Christ, and then shows how Christ reacted to the Pharisees and His relatives. "They come to the house". 3Here the evangelist Mark does not use his favorite expression “immediately” (εὐθύς) and, thus, makes it possible to assume that after the election of the 12 there was a certain period of time, to which the Talk on the Mount can be attributed, which the evangelist Luke has immediately after the story of the election of the 12 (Luke 6:17 et seq.). “So it was impossible for them to eat bread,” i.e. arrange a meal. People obviously filled the courtyard, where meals were usually held for guests... "His Neighbors". Interpreters understand this expression differently. According to Schantz and Knabenbaur, here "neighbors" (οἱ παρ´ αὐτοῦ) refers to the supporters of Christ in Capernaum. These scientists find reasons for this statement: a) that in the book of Maccabees this expression means exactly supporters (1 Mac.9:44, 11:73, etc.), b) Christ’s relatives lived in Nazareth and could not find out so quickly what was happening in Capernaum, c) when the Mother and brothers of Christ come, Mark calls them differently (verse 31). But the following speaks against this evidence: a) the expression “neighbors” can also mean relatives ( Proverbs 31:21, where the Hebrew word translated in Russian by the word “her family” is indicated in the Greek Bible by the expression οἱ παρ´ αὐτῆς); b) what is spoken of in verse 20 could have continued for a considerable time, so that Christ’s relatives could have learned about what was happening; c) Mark refers to the same persons in verses 21 and 31, but designates them more precisely after their arrival. Therefore, most interpreters see Christ’s “neighbors” as relatives 11. (The evangelist interrupts his speech about these relatives of Christ, giving them, so to speak, time to arrive in Capernaum, but for now he depicts a clash with the scribes). "For they said". Who spoke? Weiss sees an impersonal expression here: “they spoke generally among the people, they spoke here and there... and these conversations reached the relatives of Jesus, who, out of love for Him, went to pick Him up and take Him home.” But it is most natural to see here an indication of the impression that the stories of people who came to Nazareth from Capernaum about the situation in which Christ was at that time in Capernaum made on Christ’s relatives. They probably began to discuss among themselves what they should do in relation to Christ. “That He came out of Himself” (ὅτι ἐξέστη), i.e. is in such an excited state that He can be called “a man out of his mind.” Such a person usually neglects the usual rules of life, being completely carried away by the idea that absorbs him. But this is not a madman, just as the Apostle Paul, of course, did not consider himself a madman when he said: “If we lose our temper, it is for God” (εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, (2 Cor. 5:13). His relatives did not consider Christ mad, but only thought that He needed a rest from the terrible mental tension in which He was then and in which He even forgot about the need to strengthen His strength with food. And Christ Himself does not further denounce His relatives for wanting to take Him away, and does not at all consider it necessary to prove that He is in good health, He only rejects their claims to take care of Him.” Mark 3:22. And the scribes who came from Jerusalem said that He had Beelzebub in Him and that He cast out demons by the power of the prince of demons. According to the Evangelist Matthew, the Pharisees denounced Christ in communication with Beelzebub and denounced them before the people, and did not directly express this to Christ (Matthew 12:24). According to the Evangelist Mark, such messages were issued by scribes who arrived from Jerusalem, apparently as spies from the Sanhedrin, who were supposed to observe all the actions of Christ and indicate to the people in which Christ violates the generally accepted rules of behavior. "Beelzebub" (see comments on Matthew 10:25). The scribes put forward two positions: a) in Christ Beelzebub, i.e. Christ is possessed by a demon and b) Christ casts out demons by the power of the ruler of demons. Mark 3:23. And calling them, he spoke to them in parables: How can Satan cast out Satan? Mark 3:24. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand; Mark 3:25. and if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand; Mark 3:26. and if Satan has rebelled against himself and been divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. Mark 3:27. No one entering the house of a strong man can plunder his belongings unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. Mark 3:28. Truly I say to you, all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven to the sons of men, no matter what they blaspheme; Mark 3:29. but whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but he is subject to eternal condemnation. Mark 3:30. He said this because they said: There is an unclean spirit in Him. Evangelist Mark does not say, like Matthew, that Christ penetrated into the thoughts of His opponents: according to him, the scribes expressed their accusations openly. But he alone notes that the Lord called the scribes aside from the crowd and spoke to them in parables, i.e. comparisons (up to verse 30). See comments on Matthew 12:25–32. “But he is subject to eternal condemnation” (verse 29). According to Tischendorf: “he will be guilty of eternal sin” (ἁμαρτήματος, ῥ not κρίσεως, as in our Textus Receptus). This means that the guilty person is forever tied to sin and cannot leave it behind (the previous expression has the same meaning: “there will never be forgiveness for him”). From here it is still impossible to draw a direct conclusion about what will happen in the afterlife. It is only said with clarity that sin will always weigh heavily on a person - there will not be a period when he feels relief... But our reading in the Textus Receptus has many grounds (see Tischendorf, p. 245). If we accept it, then here we are undoubtedly talking about the eternal condemnation of the sinner. Mark 3:31. And His Mother and His brothers came and, standing outside the house, sent to Him to call Him. Mark 3:32. The people were sitting around Him. And they said to Him: Behold, Your mother and Your brothers and Your sisters are outside the house asking You. Mark 3:33. And he answered them: Who are my mother and my brothers? Mark 3:34. And looking around at those sitting around Him, He said: Behold My mother and My brothers; Mark 3:35. for whoever does the will of God is My brother, and sister, and mother. For the relatives of Christ, see Matthew 12:46–50. Evangelist Mark puts this story in its proper place; it is quite clear for him the motives for which the relatives sought Christ (according to Matthew and Luke, they simply wanted to see Him or talk to Him) - they want to turn Him away from preaching work, and what Christ says about this. “The people sat around Him.” From the way Christ speaks further (verse 34) about the people, some interpreters rightly conclude that by this time the scribes had already left the house where Christ was. Bede, Theophylact, Zigavin, Weiss, Goltsman, Loisy and others. You might be interested in: