The Bible — notes and cross-references in The Gospel According to Mark | Interpretation and commentary to chapter 3

Toward the opposers the Savior's anger was exercised, and He was greatly grieved at their hardness; but toward the sick His compassion was exercised, and He restored the withered member. His anger and grief may be considered the expression of the genuineness of His humanity, whereas His compassion and healing were a merging of His human virtue with His divine power, which were manifested simultaneously to men. Thus, His deity in His humanity was again expressed before men. See note Mark 10:14¹.

3:5^b hardness

Mark 10:5; Rom. 11:25; Eph. 4:18; Heb. 3:8

3:5^c Stretch

cf. 1 Kings 13:4

3:5² restored

See note Mark 1:31¹. The restoration of the withered hand displayed the power of the Slave-Savior's deity.

3:6¹ Pharisees

See note Mark 2:6¹.

3:6^a immediately

Mark 2:12; 4:5

3:6^b counsel

Matt. 22:15

3:6^c Herodians

Mark 12:13; Matt. 22:16

3:6^d destroy

Mark 11:18; 12:7; 14:1

3:7^a sea

Mark 2:13; 4:1

3:7^b followed

Matt. 12:15

3:8^a Tyre

Matt. 11:21

3:8^b multitude

Matt. 4:25; Luke 6:17; Mark 2:13

3:9^1a boat

Mark 4:1; Luke 5:3; John 6:22; 21:8

The Slave-Savior needed first the sea (v. 7) and then a little boat to escape the pressing of the crowd, indicating that the crowd's thronging Him was a frustration to His gospel service.

3:9^b throng

Mark 5:24

3:10¹ healed

See note Mark 1:31¹.

3:10^2a afflictions

Mark 5:29; Matt. 4:23; Luke 7:21

Lit., scourges. A metaphor for afflictions, calamities.

3:10³ pressed

Lit., fell upon.

3:10^b touch

Mark 5:27; 6:56; Matt. 9:20-21; 14:36; Luke 6:19

3:11^a unclean

Mark 1:23, 26; Luke 4:33

3:11^b cried

Luke 4:41; 8:28

3:11^c Son

Mark 1:1; Matt. 14:33

3:12¹ charged

The demons' crying out concerning the Slave-Savior was a further frustration to His gospel service. He charged them not to make Him known.

3:12^a not

Mark 5:43; Matt. 12:16

3:13^a called

Matt. 10:1; Luke 6:13; 9:1; Mark 6:7

3:14¹ appointed

This was for the spreading of the Slave-Savior's gospel service.

3:14² twelve

See note Rev. 21:12^2b.

3:14³ whom

Some MSS omit, whom He also named apostles.

3:14⁴ preach

See note Mark 1:14^2b.

3:15^a authority

Mark 1:27; 6:7

3:15¹ cast

See note note Mark 1:23¹. To preach (v. 14) the gospel was to minister God to people; to cast out demons was to keep Satan away from people. These constituted the main purpose of the Slave-Savior's gospel service.

3:16¹ And

For vv. 16-19, see notes in Matt. 10:2-4.

3:16^a twelve

vv. 16-19: Matt. 10:2-4; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13

3:16² gave

Lit., placed on, or, put on. So in v. 17.

3:16^b Peter

John 1:42; Matt. 16:18

3:17^a Zebedee

Mark 1:19

3:17^b John

Mark 5:37

3:17¹ Boanerges

Greek from Aramaic. A name added to James and John because of their impetuosity (cf. Luke 9:54-55; Mark 9:38 and note).

3:18^a Matthew

Matt. 9:9

3:19^a Judas

John 6:71; 13:26

3:19¹ betrayed

Lit., delivered Him up. So throughout the book.

3:20¹ He

Some MSS read, they came.

3:20^a house

Mark 7:17; 9:28

3:20^2b not

Mark 6:31

This indicates the busyness, diligence, and faithfulness of the Slave-Savior as the Slave of God in His evangelistic service.

3:21^a relatives

Mark 3:31

3:21^b beside

Acts 26:24; 2 Cor. 5:13

3:22¹ And

For vv. 22-30, see notes in Matt. 12:24-32.

3:22² scribes

See note Mark 2:6¹.

3:22^a Jerusalem

Mark 7:1; Matt. 15:1

3:22^b said

vv. 22-30: Matt. 12:24-32; Luke 11:15-23

3:22^c has

John 7:20; 8:48, 52; 10:20

3:22^3d Beelzebul

Matt. 10:25

This was a word of blasphemy ushered in by the exclamation of natural concern in v. 21.

3:22^4e ruler

Matt. 9:34; John 12:31; Eph. 2:2

The Slave-Savior cast out demons, the evil workers for the dark kingdom of Satan, yet the opposers said that He did it by the ruler of the demons. What a subtlety of the evil one, who motivated these evil opposers to say this! They were the co-workers of the evil one and even were one with him.

3:24^1a kingdom

Matt. 12:26; Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13

This indicates that Satan has not only a house but also a kingdom. His house is a house of sin (1 John 3:8, 10), and his kingdom is a kingdom of darkness (Col. 1:13). The sinners belong to both his house and his kingdom. The demons belong to his kingdom and possess people for his kingdom.

3:27^a plunder

Isa. 49:24

3:27¹ goods

Sinners kept in Satan's house for his kingdom. The Slave-Savior bound Satan, the strong man, and entered into his house to plunder the sinners so that through regeneration they could be brought into the house of God (Eph. 2:19) for the kingdom of God (John 3:5).

3:27^2b binds

Matt. 16:19

This indicates that while the Slave-Savior was doing the gospel service, He was binding the strong man, Satan. The gospel service is a warfare to destroy Satan and his kingdom of darkness.

3:28^a forgiven

Luke 24:47; Acts 5:31; 10:43

3:28^b blaspheme

1 Tim. 1:13

3:29¹ Holy

This shows that the Slave-Savior's gospel service, especially in casting out the demons to destroy the dark kingdom of Satan, was by the Holy Spirit, with whom He was anointed and by whom He was being led continuously in His move (Luke 4:18, Luke 4:1; Mark 1:12).

3:29^a Spirit

Luke 12:10; cf. Heb. 10:29; Acts 7:51

3:29² everlasting

A sin that will not be forgiven forever.

3:31^a His

vv. 31-35: Matt. 12:46-50; Luke 8:19-21

3:31¹ mother

After the opposers' blasphemy, which was instigated by Satan, the relatives of the Slave-Savior came again to trouble Him with their natural concern for Him. Undoubtedly, this too was motivated by the evil one.

3:31^b brothers

Mark 6:3; John 2:12; 7:3, 5, 10; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 9:5; Gal. 1:19

3:31^c they

Mark 3:21

3:33¹ Who

See note Matt. 12:48¹. This indicated the Slave-Savior's rejection of His relatives' natural concern. To defeat the evil one's schemes and to fulfill His gospel service, He refused to remain in any relationship in the natural life. This displayed His absoluteness for God in His humanity.

3:34^a looking

Mark 3:5

3:34^b brothers

Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:11-12

3:35^1a does

Matt. 7:21

See note Matt. 12:50^1a.

3:35² My

Through His gospel service the Slave-Savior made the believing sinners His spiritual relatives, who became His many brothers (Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:11) in the house of God (Heb. 3:5) and His many members for the building up of His mystical Body (Eph. 5:30; 1 Cor. 12:12) to do the will of God.