A Sabbath healing of the man with the withered hand in the synagogue prompts the Pharisees and Herodians to conspire against Jesus, while His withdrawal to the sea draws massive crowds whom He heals and from whom demons confess His divine sonship. Jesus appoints the Twelve apostles on a mountain, granting them authority to preach and cast out demons, with the list including Simon Peter, James, John (Boanerges), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. Scribes from Jerusalem accuse Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub, prompting the teaching on a divided kingdom and house, the unforgivable blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and Jesus' redefinition of His family as those who do God's will.
Read Mark Chapter 3 Summary
Characters in This Chapter
The Suffering Servant and Son of God
Leading disciple whose testimony likely underlies Mark
Author who compiled Peter's recollections
Leader of the Jerusalem Church
Brother of Peter
Apostle from Bethsaida
The Tax Collector
The Doubting Apostle
The Betrayer of Jesus
Places in This Chapter
Sidon was an ancient Phoenician port city, often mentioned with its sister city Tyre. Queen Jezebel was a Sidonian princess. Jesus visited the region and healed the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman. Sidon was known for its skilled craftsmen and maritime trade. Paul stopped briefly in Sidon on his voyage to Rome.
Position in Book
John the Baptist, Jesus' baptism and temptation.
Miracles, conflicts, parables, expanding fame.
Bible Bites
Mark Originally Ended with Fear
The earliest manuscripts of Mark end abruptly at 16:8 with the women fleeing the tomb in fear and saying nothing to anyone. The longer ending (verses 9-20) was added later by scribes who thought this ending too sudden.
Mark 16:8