1 And again, he entered into the synagogue. And there was a man there who had a withered hand. 2 And they observed him, to see if he would cure on the Sabbaths, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Stand up in the middle.” 4 And he said to them: “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbaths, or to do evil, to give health to a life, or to destroy?” But they remained silent. 5 And looking around at them with anger, being very saddened over the blindness of their hearts, he said to the man, “Extend your hand.” And he extended it, and his hand was restored to him. 6 Then the Pharisees, going out, immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him, as to how they might destroy him. 7 But Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea. And a great crowd followed him from Galilee and Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea and across the Jordan. And those around Tyre and Sidon, upon hearing what he was doing, came to him in a great multitude. 9 And he told his disciples that a small boat would be useful to him, because of the crowd, lest they press upon him. 10 For he healed so many, that as many of them as had wounds would rush toward him in order to touch him. 11 And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell prostrate before him. And they cried out, saying, 12 “You are the Son of God.” And he strongly admonished them, lest they make him known. 13 And ascending onto a mountain, he called to himself those whom he willed, and they came to him. 14 And he acted so that the twelve would be with him, and so that he might send them out to preach. 15 And he gave them authority to cure infirmities, and to cast out demons: 16 and he imposed on Simon the name Peter; 17 and also he imposed on James of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, the name ‘Boanerges,’ that is, ‘Sons of Thunder;’ 18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 20 And they went to a house, and the crowd gathered together again, so much so that they were not even able to eat bread. 21 And when his own had heard of it, they went out to take hold of him. For they said: “Because he has gone mad.” 22 And the scribes who had descended from Jerusalem said, “Because he has Beelzebub, and because by the prince of demons does he cast out demons.” 23 And having called them together, he spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 For if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom is not able to stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house is not able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, he would be divided, and he would not be able to stand; instead he reaches the end. 27 No one is able to plunder the goods of a strong man, having entered into the house, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he shall plunder his house. 28 Amen I say to you, that all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and the blasphemies by which they will have blasphemed. 29 But he who will have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit shall not have forgiveness in eternity; instead he shall be guilty of an eternal offense.” 30 For they said: “He has an unclean spirit.” 31 And his mother and brothers arrived. And standing outside, they sent to him, calling him. 32 And the crowd was sitting around him. And they said to him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And responding to them, he said, “Who is my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking around at those who were sitting all around him, he said: “Behold, my mother and my brothers. 35 For whoever has done the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister and mother.”
Mark · Catholic Public Domain Version
Mark 3 Catholic Public Domain Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (3)
- Esther and Daniel are the Vulgate books (Esther 1–16 with the Greek additions as chapters 10:4–16; Daniel 1–14 with the Song of the Three, Susanna and Bel). Baruch 6 is the Letter of Jeremiah.
- The translator's footnotes, cross-references, chapter summaries and book introductions in the CrossWire module are not shown.
- No imprimatur; single translator.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Alphaeus
Named as father of James, one of the Twelve (Matthew 10:3), and as the father of Levi the tax collector (Mark 2:14); the text does not say whether these are two different men…
Cited in the guide: Matthew 10:3; Mark 2:14; Mark 3:18
Andrew
Simon Peter's brother, a disciple of John the Baptist who first followed Jesus and brought Peter to him, from Bethsaida, and one of the Twelve.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:18; John 1:40
Bartholomew
Listed among the Twelve after Philip in Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18 and Luke 6:14; the Gospels say nothing more of him by that name.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14
James
One of the Twelve, named son of Alphaeus in every list of the apostles.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15
James
A fisherman called by Jesus together with his brother John, one of the Twelve, to whom Jesus gave the name Boanerges, 'Sons of Thunder'.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 4:21; Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:17
John
A fisherman called together with his brother James, one of the Twelve, to whom Jesus gave the name Boanerges, 'Sons of Thunder'.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 4:21; Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:17
Judas Iscariot
One of the Twelve, son of Simon Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16
Peter
Simon, whom Jesus named Peter (Cephas), a fisherman from Bethsaida and the first listed of the Twelve, who confessed Jesus as Christ, denied him three times, and was told to feed…
Cited in the guide: Matthew 10:2; Matthew 16:17; Mark 3:16
Cross references (32)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Matthew 12:9–14; Luke 6:6–11; Mark 1:21; 1 Kings 13:4
- 2 Psalm 37:32; Luke 14:1; Luke 6:7; Luke 20:20; Luke 11:53–54
- 3 Philippians 1:28–30; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 1 Peter 4:1; John 9:4; Luke 6:8
- 4 Luke 6:9; Luke 14:1–5; Matthew 12:10–12; Hosea 6:6; Mark 2:27–28
- 5 Luke 6:10; Ephesians 4:18; Romans 11:25; 1 Kings 13:6; Matthew 13:14–15
- 6 Mark 12:13; Matthew 22:16; Matthew 12:14; John 11:53; Psalm 109:3–4
- 7 Matthew 4:25; Luke 6:17; Matthew 12:15; Joshua 20:7; John 11:53–54
- 8 Ezekiel 35:15; Matthew 11:21; Isaiah 34:5; Ezekiel 36:5; Joshua 13:8–14
- 9 Mark 5:30; John 6:15
- 10 Mark 6:56; Matthew 14:36; Matthew 4:23; Acts 19:11–12; Luke 7:2
- 11 Luke 4:41; Mark 1:23–24; Luke 8:28; Matthew 4:3; James 2:19
- 12 Matthew 12:16; Mark 1:34; Mark 1:25; Matthew 8:4; Acts 16:18
- 13 Luke 6:12–16; Luke 9:1; Matthew 10:1–4; Matthew 5:1; Mark 6:7
- 14 Acts 1:8; John 15:16; Luke 9:1–6; Galatians 1:1; Luke 10:1–11
- 16 John 1:42; Acts 1:13; Galatians 2:7–9; Matthew 10:2–4; Mark 1:16
- 17 Mark 5:37; Hebrews 4:12; Jeremiah 23:29; Mark 14:33; John 21:20–25
- 18 Acts 1:13; Mark 2:14; Matthew 9:9; James 1:1; Galatians 2:9
- 19 John 13:2; Matthew 27:3–5; Matthew 26:47; John 13:26–30; John 6:71
- 20 Mark 6:31; John 4:31–34; Mark 3:9; Mark 9:28; Mark 7:17
- 21 Acts 26:24; John 10:20; John 7:3–10; Mark 3:31; 2 Corinthians 5:13
- 22 Matthew 10:25; Matthew 15:1; Matthew 9:34; Matthew 12:24; John 7:20
- 23 Matthew 12:25–30; Luke 11:17–23; Matthew 13:34; Mark 4:2; Matthew 4:10
- 24 Zechariah 11:14; Isaiah 19:2–3; Ezekiel 37:22; 1 Corinthians 1:10–13; 2 Samuel 20:6
- 25 James 3:16; Galatians 5:15; Psalm 133:1; Genesis 37:4; Genesis 13:7–8
- 27 Isaiah 49:24–26; Matthew 12:29; Luke 11:21–23; Ephesians 6:10–13; Revelation 20:1–3
- 28 Luke 12:10; Matthew 12:31–32; 1 John 5:16; Mark 3:28–30; Hebrews 6:4–8
- 29 Matthew 12:31–32; Luke 12:10; Matthew 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Jude 13
- 30 John 10:20; Mark 3:22
- 31 Luke 8:19–21; Matthew 12:46–50
- 33 Mark 3:21; Deuteronomy 33:9; Mark 6:3; 2 Corinthians 5:16; John 7:3–5
- 34 Matthew 12:49–50; Luke 11:27–28; Romans 8:29; Matthew 25:40–45; Hebrews 2:11–12
- 35 1 John 2:17; Matthew 7:21; 1 John 3:22–23; John 7:17; James 1:25
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For when Satan is bound, man is set free; since "none can enter a strong man's house and spoil his goods, unless he first bind the strong man himself." The Lord therefore exposes him as speaking contrary to the word of that God who made all things, and subdues him by means of the commandment.
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself says, "No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man" --meaning by the strong man the devil, because he had power to take captive the human race; and meaning by his goods which he was to take, those who had been held by the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Whereas, if they were in discord, neither could this have been pointed out, and the doctrine itself had long since been brought to nought: "for every kingdom," saith He, "divided against itself shall not stand." But now even in this shines forth the might of the Spirit, namely, in that it prevailed on these men, engaged as they were in …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
He dared too to say that he was the Paraclete, though it is written, But whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, hath no forgiveness.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
But forasmuch as it is first said, "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men;" which in another Evangelist is also thus expressed, "All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewithsoever they shall blaspheme;" without doubt, that blasphemy also which is spoken against the Father is included in that general expression; and …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)