Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
A Great Crowd Follows Jesus
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
The Twelve Apostles
13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3 ESV
Mark 3
Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or do harm - This argument started in the last chapter, Jesus found the argument in a place where we can't see, in the hearts of other men. They inwardly accused Him of blasphemy for forgiving sins, and they twisted the intent of the Sabbath with their traditions, accusing the disciples and their teacher of breaking the Sabbath. Jesus knows they think they are trapping Him in doing wrong, but since there is no wrong here, He ask them a question, "do good, or do harm", it is the Spirit and the Letter, yet they have no understanding of God's letter and have written their own words down. The Scribes have fallen in love with the sounds of their own voices.
Lest they crush Him - It is sad to hear the stories of fake healers today, the crowds that show up for nothing more than snake oil, false promises and bad doctrine. In the poorest countries like Africa and India, they show up to see Benny Hinn, bringing what little money they have, coming on hospital beds, hoping to be cured, yet nothing. Some people even die at these "Healing" services. Imagine then when someone shows up who can actually heal, tell leprosy to go away, cast out demons, heal the sick, make the lame walk. If you heard about someone like that you might be intrigued, but remain skeptical, and then you hear it again from a more reliable source, one that says he saw it with his own eyes, so now you go. Now you're here to see it for yourself, and the Man is teaching in such a way like you have never heard, but then it happens, He heals someone, and it is unmistakable, it's not a headache, not some hidden illness, no, it's obvious, plainly visible, a lame man walks, a girl is raised from the dead, a leper is cleansed and you recognize him. It would become frenzied, He would need the boat, because you and every other sick person would instantaneously realize that healing was just so close, less than a stones throw away, and the whole place would look like a mosh pit as the crowd erupts and everyone tries to press their way to Jesus.
He is out of His mind - His brothers still don't believe, His mother is probably worried, and now they are hearing the rumors that He is possessed, that He is a blasphemer, so there is a mix of embarrassment, envy and concern.
How can Satan cast out Satan - These Pharisees looked upon Jesus, the Christ, and they knew the scriptures about Him, they see that He fulfills them by His works, and that He does everything and only what He sees the Father doing by the power of the Holy Spirit. They say He cast out Satan by Satan, and so is that who He also performs the other miracles they witness through? It's illogical, I can jump but I can't pick myself up and throw myself. You are assigning a work of the Holy Spirit to the devil, and this apostasy, this turning from the light, is no different than Judas walking with Christ, knowing what kind of person He was, and yet turning away. They could have pressed to know His lineage if they had other doubts, but in order to explain the good works He did, the difference between their doctrine and His, they accuse Him of being possessed by the devil.
Look at chapter 6, here’s another warning to the same people. Chapter 6, verse 4, “In the case of those who have once been enlightened” – that’s knowledge, mental; you were enlightened; you had information, revelation – “you tasted the heavenly gift “ – heavenly gift being the kingdom, Christ, the message of salvation, the Gospel; you tasted it; you didn’t eat and drink of it, but you tasted it – “and you were partaker of the Holy Spirit” – maybe you got healed; maybe somebody you know was healed; you were there when the miracles were poured out by the power of the Holy Spirit – “and you tasted the good Word of God” - when Jesus taught it – “and you tasted the powers of the age to come” – miracles; in other words, you were exposed to all of it – “and you’ve now fallen away” – turn away, walk away – “it’s impossible to renew you to repentance, because you crucify to yourself the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”
You say, “I reject full revelation, enlightenment.” You tasted it; you touched it; you were there; you were exposed to it. Your decision is to walk away. You join the crucifiers. You conclude He’s not God and with those supernatural powers must be satanic. You’re left with that. You say, “He has an unclean spirit,” after full revelation, you can’t be saved. Verse 6, “It’s impossible to renew them again to repentance.”
One final warning that I want to show you is in chapter 10, verse 26, “If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” Look, if you just go on living your life of sin, after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there’s nothing else. There’s no other sacrifice. If you reject Christ and His sacrifice, there’s nothing waiting for you, “but” – verse 2 – “a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”
And then verse 29, “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who is trampled under foot the Son of God, and regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted” – whom? – “the Spirit of grace” who was the power behind the life and ministry of Jesus?
Look, all that’s left for you, if your final decision is with full knowledge to reject, fearful judgment, terrifying judgment, severer punishment, the hottest hell is for those who rejected with the most knowledge. And there are perhaps some of you who have rejected Christ. Your knowledge is increased today. You are in danger of greater judgment if you conclude that He is not the Lord He claimed to be. You need to be frightened by this. Some of you perhaps have thought that you were guilty of some blasphemy that could never be forgiven. May I remind you, in final comments, that the apostle Paul, in 1 Timothy – and I love this – said this, chapter 1, verse 12, “I thank Christ Jesus or Lord, who strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into ministry, even though I was formerly a” – what? – “blasphemer.” All manner of blasphemy can be forgiven except that final blasphemy that says with full revelation, “I reject Christ,” and you’re left with the fact of explaining His supernatural power as satanic. And you stand, then, with the crucifiers, crucifying Him again, and putting Him to open shame.
Much better to remember that Matthew 12:32 says, “You can speak a word against the Son of Man and be forgiven.” We were all blasphemers of a sort who have been forgiven, if we’ve come to faith in Christ. Don’t turn away. Get the full revelation and respond in full trust. - J Mac
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