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Mark 3 is the third chapter of the
Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Mark is the second of the four canonical Gospels and one of the three synoptic Gospels, synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from baptism of Jesus, his baptism by John the Baptist to his death, the Burial of Jesus, ...
in the
New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
of the
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
. It relates a conflict over healing on the
Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...
, the commissioning of the Twelve Apostles, a conflict with the Jerusalem scribes and a meeting of
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
with his own family.


Text

The original text was written in
Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...
. This chapter is divided into 35 verses.


Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: * Codex Vaticanus (325–350; complete) * Codex Sinaiticus (330–360; complete) * Codex Bezae (~400; complete) * Codex Alexandrinus (400–440; complete) *
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Paris, National Library of France, Greek 9) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, written on parchment. It is designated by the siglum C or 04 in the Biblical manuscript#Gregory-Aland, Gregory-Aland numbering of New ...
(~450; complete).


Healing on the Sabbath

Continuing the theme of the
Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...
from the previous chapter, Mark 3 opens with Jesus healing a man with a shriveled or withered hand on the Sabbath in the
Synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
. The word ἐξηραμμένην (''exērammenēn'') is translated as 'paralyzed' in the
International Standard Version The ''International Standard Version'' or ISV is an English translation of the Bible for which translation was complete and published electronically in 2011. The texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran ...
. Mark uses the
adverb An adverb is a word or an expression that generally modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a determiner, a clause, a preposition, or a sentence. Adverbs typically express manner, place, time, frequency, degree, or level of certainty by ...
πάλιν (''palin'', again), indicating this is the synagogue in Capernaum, the same as the one in ,Brown ''et al.'' 603 although the New American Standard Bible reads "a synagogue". The event took place on a subsequent Sabbath to the one mentioned in Mark 2:23–28, possibly the next Sabbath: the American Bible Society's Contemporary English Version interprets the passage this way: ''The next time Jesus went into the synagogue ...'', as does the biblical commentator George Maclear. "Some people", probably the
Pharisees The Pharisees (; ) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became ...
, who were mentioned in Mark 2:24, 27, were there specifically waiting to see if Jesus would heal someone on the Sabbath, so that they could accuse him of breaking it.
Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
s of the time would allow healing on the Sabbath only if the person was in great danger, a situation his hand would not qualify for. The Jewish Encyclopedia article o
Jesus
notes: "... stricter rabbis allowed only the saving of life to excuse the slightest curtailment of the Sabbath rest (Shab. xxii. 6)". In Luke's parallel account, it is "the
scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of Printing press, automatic printing. The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as ...
s and Pharisees" who "watch Him closely". Jesus asks the people "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do
good In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil. The specific meaning and etymology of the term and its ...
or to do
evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...
, to save life or to kill?" () They do not answer and he angrily looks around at the crowd and is "distressed at their stubborn hearts" ().
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
founder
John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...
suggested that his adversaries were already seeking occasion to kill him. Jesus tells the man to stretch out his hand, which he does and then, seemingly instantaneously, it is healed. Many other stories of healing at the time involved the healer doing work in some way to effect a cure as compared to this quick almost effortless action here.Kilgallen 63 Mark could be highlighting how great he viewed Jesus' powers as being. Jesus also equates not doing good with doing evil and says it is more important, even or perhaps especially, to not let evil and suffering occur through inaction. According to Mark, this miracle is the spur which sets the
Pharisees The Pharisees (; ) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became ...
, as well as the Herodians, against Jesus, having them go out after this and plot to kill him. Thus the reaction of a substantial number of
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
has gone from being amazed to one of outright opposition. Mark has already begun to foreshadow Jesus' death, with this as well as the saying about the bridegroom and fasting in . Some find it improbable these two groups worked together, as the Pharisees opposed
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
and Herod was backed by and supported Rome, see also Iudaea Province. The Herodian party was not a religious grouping, but according to Maclear it did hold Sadducean opinions. Christopher Tuckett observes that a partnership between the Pharisees and the supporters of Herod Antipas would have been historically "implausible". Mark, however, may have been highlighting the dual nature and seriousness of the opposition to Jesus. This event is also reported in Matthewbr>12:9–14
although Jesus asks there about how one would save a sheep on the Sabbath and how helping a person is more important than helping a sheep. Luke 6:6–11 is almost the same as this section of Mark, although Luke does not state that they planned to kill him, only that they were "furious" and talked about "what they might do to Jesus".


Movement of the crowd

Jesus then "withdraws", ἀνεχώρησεν (''anechōrēsen''), and goes down by a lake, presumably the
Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee (, Judeo-Aramaic languages, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ), also called Lake Tiberias, Genezareth Lake or Kinneret, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth ...
, and people follow him there. Some writers, such as the American commentator Albert Barnes, see the word as meaning flight, as it comes after Mark talks about the plot against Jesus, "... to the lonely regions which surrounded the sea, where he might be in obscurity, and avoid their designs against his life", but it could just as easily mean leaving Capernaum to go to the nearby sea. Mark says the people had come from "...
Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...
,
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, Idumea, and the regions across the
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
and around Tyre and
Sidon Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...
". () Mark thus shows that people are coming from many areas, not just Galilee. Whether these people were non-Jews is unclear as the non-Jewish areas listed also contained Jewish populations. Another group of the time to consider is the Jewish proselytes. Protestant commentator Heinrich Meyer divides the movement of the crowds into two sections: *verse 7b: a great multitude from Galilee ''followed'' him (from Capernaum to the sea); *verses 7c and 8: a great multitude from Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan, and those (the Jews) about Tyre and Sidon, heard how many things He was doing, and ''came to him''.Meyer, H. A. W. (1880)
Meyer's NT Commentary
on Mark 3, translated from the German sixth edition, accessed 4 March 2023
Jesus has the disciples prepare a boat for him to avoid "crowding", because "... he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him" () and then he heals many of the sick. Evil (or unclean) spirits in the people brought before him fall down whenever they see him, or as soon as ever they catch sight of him, and call him the Son of God, but he tells them not to tell people who he is, continuing the theme of the Messianic Secret.


Choosing of the Twelve Apostles

After highlighting the growing crowd following Jesus, Mark says Jesus went up a mountain and called twelve, whom he appointed Apostles, with the power to preach and " drive out demons". Some manuscripts of Mark do not have Jesus call them Apostles in verse . Verse may be the only time he uses the word, which is most frequently (68 out of 79) used by Luke the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus, se
Strong's G652
It is perhaps symbolic that this occurs on a mountain, a height where people can be met by God in the Jewish tradition,Kilgallen 71 such as
Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
talking to God on
Mount Sinai Mount Sinai, also known as Jabal Musa (), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is one of several locations claimed to be the Mount Sinai (Bible), biblical Mount Sinai, the place where, according to the sacred scriptures of the thre ...
, see also the Sermon on the Mount. Mark pictures Jesus as drawing large multitudes to his teaching, and shifts from mountains to lakes to houses at will, creating an evocative landscape that some find lacking plausibility, although the area contains such geographic features.


Verse 16

: ''And Simon he surnamed Peter;'' He appoints Simon, called Peter, James, John,
Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...
,
Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...
, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, a second James, Thaddaeus, Simon whom Mark calls a Zealot, and lastly Judas Iscariot. Luke's lists in Luke and Acts do not include a Thaddaeus, but instead list "Judas, son of James" or " Judas the brother of James" in the KJV, which some have asserted are two names for the same person, Jude Thaddaeus. Luke also has the story of the Seventy Disciples. Matthew's list is the same as Mark in , although a few western manuscripts of Matthew have a Lebbaeus.Brown 130 This might also indicate that by the time of the writing of the Gospels the exact recollection of the "minor" Apostles had become uncertain, and that there is no "Jude Thaddaeus", a creation of later
hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...
. John's Gospel lists no Bartholomew, although John's
Nathanael Nathanael is a biblical given name derived from the Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (''Netan'el''), which means "God/ El has given" or "Gift of God/ El." Nathaniel is the variant form of this name and it stands to this day as the usual and most common s ...
is usually equated with him. Mark says that the brothers James and John were given the title '' Boanerges'', which Mark tells us means "Sons of Thunder", although many modern scholars disagree with this translation.Kilgallen 70 Many explanations have been given for this title but none commands a consensus.Brown ''et al.'' 604 Mark does not explain why Jesus gave Simon the name Peter, meaning rock. has his naming in connection with the church and has it relate to his character. It could also have an ironic meaning, as even Peter denies Jesus in the end.Miller 20 Philip and Andrew are both Greek names, also Thaddaeus and Lebbaeus. Some Jews, especially from places like Galilee where there were substantial non-Jewish populations, did have a Greek name as well as a Jewish name. The second Simon is called a ''kananaios'', probably derived from the
Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...
word ''qan'ānā'', meaning a Zealot, which might mean he belonged to a political movement in rebellion against
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, but might also mean he was religiously zealous. Luke uses the Greek term ''zēlōtēs''. Iscariot might be Judas' last name or might be a reference to where he came from, meaning "man of Kerioth" It may also be derived from sicarii. The fact that there are twelve Apostles is seen as being related to the
Twelve tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( , ) are described in the Hebrew Bible as being the descendants of Jacob, a Patriarchs (Bible), Hebrew patriarch who was a son of Isaac and thereby a grandson of Abraham. Jacob, later known as Israel (name), Israel, ...
. Jesus will "send them out", the Greek verb ''apostolien''
Strong's G649
meaning to send out, to do the work he has been doing but without him being present. Many churches interpret this as his founding of the church, as he creates a special group to work in his name without him. See also the
Great Commission In Christianity, the Great Commission is the instruction of the Resurrection appearances of Jesus, resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciple (Christianity), disciples to spread the gospel to all the nations of the world. The Great Commission i ...
.


A house divided

Jesus goes to someone's house (or "the house", possibly Peter's house, verse 19 in some versions, verse 20 in others), and a large crowd follows him there. According to Mark, this prevented Jesus and his disciples from being able to eat. "When his family (''hoi par' autou'') heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind.'" (), or "beside himself", ''exestē''
Strong's G1839
, which could be read as Jesus' family accusing him of being crazy or describing what others had said about Jesus. Either way they go to assert their control over him, perhaps to stop him from embarrassing the family. Hearing Jesus is being followed by so many people does not seem to accord with their view of him.Kilgallen 72 Whether it was Jesus teaching and attracting large crowds or not eating that disturbs them so much is not clear. A few early manuscripts have "the scribes and the others" instead of his family, but these are usually seen as alterations perhaps designed to tone down the impression of Jesus' own family toward him. Scribes from
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, who Matthew says were Pharisees, come and accuse him of something worse than being crazy, using Beelzebub, and/or the "prince of demons" to drive out demons. His power over the demons, they assert, comes from evil power itself.Kilgallen 73 Beelzebub is thought to mean perhaps "lord of the flies" or "lord of dung" or "lord of the height or dwelling", but no certainty exists as to its exact meaning. They do not dispute that he did in fact drive out the demons. They seem to believe Jesus' power is beyond human capabilities and must be
supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
in origin. The charge of Jesus using evil powers was probably made against him to his followers for quite some time after his death. The Jesus Seminar feels the version in is "red" ("authentic") and calls it "the Beelzebul controversy". is determined to be "pink" ("a close approximation of what Jesus did") and is called "Jesus' relatives come to get him" as are , , and the
Gospel of Thomas The Gospel of Thomas (also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas) is a non-canonical Logia, sayings gospel. It was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945 among a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library. Scholars speculate the works ...
br>99:1–3
where they are called "True relatives". Mark often has Jesus using analogies,
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
s or
riddle A riddle is a :wikt:statement, statement, question, or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: ''enigmas'', which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or Allegory, alleg ...
s, called parables by Mark. Jesus replies: :''How can
Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.'' :''No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.'' :''Verily I say unto you, All
sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...
s shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal
damnation Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment after death for sins that were committed, or in some cases, good actions not done, on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, it was believed that citizens woul ...
''. () If Jesus is working against what is evil, such as the demons, then this cannot be the work of Satan, as Satan would be working against himself. Jesus then compares himself to a thief going into a "strong man's house", and binding him to "spoil his house", i.e. to rob him. The “strong man” is Satan.Maclear, G. F. (1893)
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
on Mark 3, accessed on 20 March 2020
Satan, says Jesus, is strong and must be restrained in order to be robbed. He is robbing Satan of the possession of the people,Kilgallen 74 or the house could be seen as the world itself.Brown 131 The New Living Translation adds the interpretation that there is "someone even stronger". Maclear asserts that "the Stronger than the Strong is Christ". Jesus thus implies what he has been doing is directly against Satan and that his motives are Satan's utmost ruin. His power, he asserts, is good and so must also come from a good source, God. Jesus also makes the claim that ''all sins'' can be forgiven, except for an eternal sin, such as blasphemy against the
Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...
(). Mark inserts his own explanation as to why Jesus said this, stating "He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit." (), thus Jesus according to Mark is saying that accusing him of using Satan for his power is in effect calling the work of God evil and failing to see the work of God in Jesus' actions. The parallels in and and the Gospel of Thomas 44 call this the unforgivable sin. Unforgivable sins are also listed in
Hebrews The Hebrews (; ) were an ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic-speaking people. Historians mostly consider the Hebrews as synonymous with the Israelites, with the term "Hebrew" denoting an Israelite from the nomadic era, which pre ...
and as well as 1 John . There is also a possible link with
1 Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians () is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in Anc ...
. His first answer to the charge, that a "house divided" cannot stand, has become a common piece of
wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...
, the most famous modern example is Lincoln's use of this phrase during the 1858 senatorial election campaign against Stephen Douglas. Lincoln used the metaphor of a "house divided" to describe the situation of the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
on the eve of the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
.


Jesus' family

Jesus'
mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...
and brothers arrive. Remaining outside, they "send someone" inside to ask Jesus to come out. Jesus replies, speaking to the crowd around him, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's
will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
is my brother and sister and mother" ().
Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...
draws attention to Jesus' priorities here: "He declines o come out not as though He refused the dutiful service of His mother, but to shew that He owes more to His Father’s mysteries than to His mother’s feelings." Jesus' answer to his family, that those who follow him are his family is, according to Kilgallen, Jesus' way of underlining "... the fact that his life has been changed to such a degree that family ties no longer come before those whom he teaches about the
kingdom of God The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms kingdom of God and kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" ...
".Kilgallen 75 Jesus puts loyalty to God above loyalty to family. Family ties were considered very important in the society of the time,Brown ''et al.'' 605 and some people even today are troubled by this seeming conflict between Jesus and his family. Jesus however states that his ties, and his respect and love due to his family, will go to those who obey God. Jesus' family is mentioned again in Mark . The story of Jesus and his family is also found in the Gospel of Thomas as saying 99. In Mark , Peter says they have left everything to follow Jesus and he lists the great rewards as well as persecutions they will secure through following him. These incidents occur in all the
Synoptic Gospels The gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Mark, and Gospel of Luke, Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical ...
. In Matthew they occur i
12:22–50
and in Luke they are split up betwee
8:19–21
an
11:14–28
Neither Matthew nor Luke though state that Jesus' family thought he was "... out of his mind". John, while mentioning none of these incidents, relates in chapte
7
how "... even his own brothers did not believe in him" because he would not go to the Feast of Tabernacles with them and perform miracles, although he later goes there in secret. says "many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him". The negative view of Jesus' family may be related to the conflict between Paul and Jewish Christians. "Wilson (1992) ilson, A.N. Jesus: A life. 1992. New York: Norton & Co.has hypothesized that the negative relationship between Jesus and his family was placed in the Gospels (especially in the Gospel of Mark) to dissuade early Christians from following the Jesus cult that was administered by Jesus’ family. Wilson says: “... it would not be surprising if other parts of the church, particularly the Gentiles, liked telling stories about Jesus as a man who had no sympathy or support from his family (p. 86)”. Butz (2005) utz, Jeffrey. The brother of Jesus and the lost teachings of Christianity. 2005. Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditionsis more succinct: “... by the time Mark was writing in the late 60s, the Gentile churches outside of Israel were beginning to resent the authority wielded by Jerusalem where James and the apostles were leaders, thus providing the motive for Mark’s antifamily stance... (p. 44).” Other prominent scholars agree (e.g., Crosson, 1973 rosson, John Dominic. “Mark and the relatives of Jesus”. Novum Testamentum, 15, 1973 Mack, 1988 ack, Burton. A myth of innocence: Mark and Christian origins. 1988. Philadelphia: Fortress Painter. 1999 ainter, John. Just James: The brother of Jesus in history and tradition. 1999. Minneapolis: Fortress Press." There is much disagreement over whether these "brothers" referred to here are Jesus' actual brothers or merely stepbrothers or cousins. The official
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
and
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
doctrine is that Mary was a perpetual virgin, and so could not have had any other children besides Jesus, thus making these Jesus' half brothers, sons of Joseph from another, unrecorded, marriage, or cousins. Only
Tertullian Tertullian (; ; 155 – 220 AD) was a prolific Early Christianity, early Christian author from Roman Carthage, Carthage in the Africa (Roman province), Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive co ...
seems to have questioned this in the early Church.
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
also holds that Mary was a perpetual virgin, as did many of the early
Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
, although many Protestants today do not hold to the doctrine of perpetual virginity, and would thus believe that these are Jesus' full brothers. A few early manuscripts also have "and your sisters" in verse . This section gives a clear example of Mark's sandwich technique, where one story is woven into the center of another. Mark has highlighted two reactions to Jesus and his teaching and acts: one of faith, such as that of his followers, and one of disbelief and hostility. Jesus explains the nature of the effect of his teachings on others in the Parable of the Sower in .


See also

*
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
* Mary the mother of Jesus


References


Sources

* Brown, Raymond E., ''An Introduction to the New Testament'', Doubleday 1997 *Brown, Raymond E. ''et al.'', ''The New Jerome Biblical Commentary'', Prentice Hall 1990 *Kilgallen, John J., ''A Brief Commentary on the Gospel of Mark'', Paulist Press 1989 *Miller, Robert J. (Editor), ''The Complete Gospels'', Polebridge Press 1994


External links

* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate

''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mark 03 Gospel of Mark chapters Beelzebub Phoenicians in the New Testament Jude, brother of Jesus Mary, mother of Jesus Judas Iscariot James, son of Alphaeus