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Jesus went into the meeting house again. A man was there whose right hand was thin and weak.

The Pharisees watched Jesus to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath day. They wanted to find something wrong about Jesus.

He spoke to the man whose hand was thin and weak. He said, `Stand here.'

Then he spoke to the Pharisees. He said, `Is it right to do good things on the Sabbath day or to do wrong things? Is it right to heal people so they will live, or to let them die?' But the Pharisees said nothing.

Jesus was angry as he looked at them. And he was sad that their hearts were so hard. Then he said to the man, `Hold out your hand.' The man did so, and it was made well like the other hand.

The Pharisees went out. Right away they and the servants of King Herod planned together how to kill Jesus.

Jesus and his disciples went away to the sea of Galilee. Many people went with Jesus. They came from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and from the other side of the Jordan River. And many more people came also, a great many from around the cities of Tyre and Sidon. They also had heard about the great works that Jesus had done.

Jesus saw that the crowd was very big. He told the disciples to have a small boat ready for him so that he would have more room.

10 He did this because he healed many people. All who were sick tried to touch him.

11 When the bad spirits saw Jesus, they bowed down before him. They shouted, `You are God's Son!'

12 He told them they must not tell anyone who he was.

13 Then Jesus went up on the hill. He wanted some of the people to come with him. So he called them and they came.

14 He chose twelve disciples to stay with him. He wanted to send them out to other places to tell people God's word.

15 He gave them power to heal people and to drive bad spirits out of people.

16 One of the twelve was Simon, whom Jesus called Peter.

17 He also chose James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, whom he named Boanerges, which means "Men of Thunder."

19 He also chose Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon of Canan, and Judas Iscariot, the one who gave Jesus over to people who hated him. Then Jesus and his disciples went home.

20 So many people came again that they could not even eat.

21 When Jesus' family heard about this, they came to take him away. They said, `He is crazy.'

22 The scribes who came from Jerusalem also talked about Jesus. They said, `Beelzebub, the chief of bad spirits, is in this man. He drives out bad spirits by the help of Beelzebub.'

23 Jesus called the people and talked to them in stories. He asked, `How can Satan drive out Satan?

24 If one part of a country fights against another part of the country, that country cannot be strong.

25 If one part of a family fights against the other part of the family, it cannot stand.

26 If Satan fights against himself and the bad spirits fight against each other, he cannot stand. It will be the end of him.

27 If anyone wants to go into a strong man's house and steal his things, he must first tie the strong man. Then he can steal his things.

28 `I tell you the truth. All wrong things that people do and say about anyone will be forgiven.

29 But people who say wrong things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. A person who does that will be punished for ever.'

30 Jesus said all this because the scribes said, `A bad spirit is in him.'

31 Jesus' mother and brothers came to him. They stood outside. They sent someone to him.

32 Many people were sitting around him. They said, `See, your mother and your brothers are outside. They want you.'

33 Jesus asked them, `Who are my mother and my brothers?'

34 Then he looked at the people who sat around him. He said, `These people are my mother and my brothers!

35 Anyone who obeys God is my brother, my sister, and my mother.'

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue,(A) and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely(B) to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.(C) Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

Then 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.

He 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. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians(D) how they might kill Jesus.(E)

Crowds Follow Jesus(F)

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.(G) When 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.(H) Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many,(I) so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.(J) 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”(K) 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.(L)

Jesus Appoints the Twelve(M)

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.(N) 14 He appointed twelve[a](O) that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.(P) 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter),(Q) 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law(R)(S)

20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered,(T) so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.(U) 21 When his family[b] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”(V)

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem(W) said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul!(X) By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”(Y)

23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables:(Z) “How can Satan(AA) drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.(AB) 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”(AC)

30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived.(AD) Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A 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.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 3:14 Some manuscripts twelve—designating them apostles—
  2. Mark 3:21 Or his associates