Mark 3

A Man with a Withered Hand

1Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man with a withered hand was there. 2They were watching Jesus closely to see whether he would heal the man on the Sabbath, so that they could accuse him. 3Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand up here in front of everyone.” 4Then he asked them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5Looking around at them with anger and deeply grieved at the hardness of their hearts, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6The Pharisees went out and immediately began plotting with the Herodians against Jesus, discussing how they might destroy him.

Crowds and Unclean Spirits

7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed from Galilee and Judea, 8from Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the regions around Tyre and Sidon. A great crowd came to him because they had heard what he was doing. 9Because of the crowd, he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him so that the people would not crush him. 10He had healed many, so everyone who had an affliction pressed toward him to touch him. 11Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!” 12But he repeatedly ordered them not to make him known.

Jesus Appoints the Twelve

13Jesus went up on the mountain and called those he wanted, and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, so that they might be with him and so that he might send them out to proclaim, 15and to have authority to cast out demons. 16He appointed the twelve: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; 17James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder; 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, 19and Judas Iscariot, who later handed him over.

A House Divided

20Then Jesus went into a house, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21When those close to him heard about it, they went out to restrain him, because they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” 22The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.” 23Jesus called them to himself and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first binds the strong man. Then he can plunder the house.

28Truly I tell you, all sins will be forgiven the children of humanity, and whatever blasphemies they speak; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness and is guilty of an eternal sin.” 30He said this because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus’ True Family

31His mother and brothers came, and standing outside they sent word to him and called for him. 32A crowd was sitting around him, and they said, “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.” 33He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34Looking around at those sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”