Marcos 3
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
Marcos 3
MacArthur says parabole is "A spiritual or moral truth would often be expressed by laying it alongside, so to speak, a physical example that could be more easily understood. A common, observable object or practice was used to illustrate a subjective truth or principle. That which was well known was laid alongside that which was not known or understood in order to explain it. The known elucidated the unknown.…In the series of parables in chapter 13, Jesus uses such familiar figures as soil, seed, birds, thorns, rocks, sun, wheat, tares, mustard seed, leaven, hidden treasure, and a pearl. But in these particular parables themselves the truth is not made clear, because the basic story tells nothing but the literal account, without presenting the moral or spiritual truth. It was only to His disciples that Jesus explained what the soil, the seed, the thorns, and the other figures represent. And an unexplained parable was nothing but an impossible riddle, whose meaning could only be guessed at." (MNTC- Mt). How can Satan cast out Satan? - Jesus begins with a counter-question which is recorded only by Mark. His question is in a sense a reductio ad absurdum, an argument that attempts to establish a claim by showing that the opposite scenario would lead to absurdity. The fact is Satan cannot cast out Satan. Satan would love to control every person in the world. The last thing he would do would be to come out of someone he did not have to come out of. That is obvious from the glimpses we get of demon-possessed people in this book. Those demons did not want to leave the people they possessed. Satan would not cast out Satan. Notice that in using the specific name Satan, Jesus is identifying Beelzebul as Satan. Stated another way, Jesus acknowledges the existence of a personal being known as Satan. Notice the "How?" which emphasizes the logical absurdity of Satan casting himself out. The idea is "How is this possible?" Jesus' point is that it is impossible! This would be the equivalent of spiritual suicide of Satan.
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MacArthur says "the testimony of the Holy Spirit in Mk 3:29 is implied and the testimony of the Holy Spirit is He is Lord of all." (Jesus: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?) Matthew gives us some background omitted by Mark - Matthew 12:22-24+ (see also Luke 11:14+) tells us "Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David (AKA "THE MESSIAH"), can he?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” So the scribes were not present at this combined healing/exorcism miracle, but they heard of it. Undoubtedly they also heard that the amazed crowd was beginning to wonder if Jesus might be the long expected Messiah. To the scribes this called for action to squelch these "Messianic murmurings." They could not refute what the people had seen, so they sought to refute Jesus by attributing the power to Satan! The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying - Only Mark describes the scribes coming 90 miles from Jerusalem and is a strong indication that the stories of the "Miracle Man" had reached the upper echelons of Jewish leadership! Come down reflects the fact that Jerusalem was elevated so one always "goes up" to the city and "comes down" when leaving. The scribes had already falsely accused Him of blasphemy (Mk 2:6-7+) and of associating with sinners (Mk 2:16+). Recall that the scribes were the intellectuals of the day and it was their duty to make copies of the Scriptures, so ostensibly they knew the word of God inside and out. Sadly they knew the Word only superficially, because ultimately they did not know the Word, the Word incarnate in their very presence! Were saying is in the imperfect tense indicating they were doing this over and over, seeking to counter the crowd's thoughts that Jesus might be the Messiah. They were saying to the contrary, that not only was He not the Messiah, but was from Satan! They had to explain the miracles which could not be refuted. THOUGHT - What's the greatest miracle Jesus performs today by His Spirit? Regeneration. New birth. And for those who are not born again, they have to devise some way to refute the clean changes that have occurred in our life! They may say things like "They've been brainwashed." Or "they're just going through a religious phase." Etc, etc. This is why it is so important for believers to live supernatural lives, lives enabled by the Spirit of Jesus, that it might stir others to wonder and then even to worry about their own eternal destiny! James Edwards makes an excellent point regarding the fact that the scribes clearly recognized Jesus' power to perform miracles writing "The malicious judgment of the scribes is evidence that faith and unbelief are not the result of proofs. There is a mistaken view abroad that if only we saw the undisputed miracles of Jesus we would believe—or believe more. The scribes, however, have seen precisely such evidence—but they do not believe. Faith, in other words, is not an automatic, inevitable, or necessary consequence of witnessing the acts of God. The words and deeds of Jesus are indeed evidence of God’s presence, but the evidence demands a decision from the beholder as to its source and significance. Faith judges that the person and work of Jesus stand in continuity with the character of God and hence have saving significance; disbelief judges that the person and work of Jesus derive not from God but, as the scribes suggest in this instance, from the devil." (PNTC-Mark) Scribes (1122)(grammateus from grapho = to write) was one skilled in Jewish law and theology and thus experts in the law of Moses and in traditional Jewish laws and regulations. MacArthur notes that "Not all Pharisees were scribes, but the scribes were primarily Pharisees, who were interpreters and teachers of the law of Moses and the traditional rabbinic writings. Their teaching provided the theological framework for the Pharisees’ legalistic system of works-righteousness. The scribes were the dominant force in Judaism, not only theologically, but socially. Their views affected every aspect of life, and they also handled all legal matters, including property, estates, and contracts. They were revered, and given the respectful title of Rabbi (Mt. 23:7). That title was sometimes given to Jesus because He was a teacher (cf. John 1:38, 49; 3:2, 26; 6:25). It was commonly believed that Moses received the law, then gave it to Joshua, who gave it to the elders, who gave it to the prophets, who gave it to the scribes. (Luke Commentary) J
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MacArthur asks an interesting question - Now, why don’t they conclude that He’s just insane? Because they have to explain the supernatural. Insanity doesn’t explain the supernatural. It doesn’t tell you anything....They knew He had power over disease. They had to explain the supernatural power. No getting around it. And it was either God or Satan, because those are the only two supernatural persons who have that kind of power....And they’re unwilling to say it’s the power of God, which was the logical thing to say, which is what the sort of popular opinion was, and they had to change that, “No man could do this except God be with Him.” But they had to make people think it was satanic, so that was their mantra, “He’s possessed by Beelzebul.” (The Unforgivable Sin) THOUGHT- Have you ever been unjustly accused of something? Take heart, because you are in good company. Jesus was also unjustly accused. Casts out (present tense)(1544)(ekbállō from ek = out + bállō = to cast, throw, drive) means to cast out, drive out, throw out, expel often with the idea of force - ejection by force (Mt. 8:12; 15:17; 25:30; Acts 16:37, 27:38; Lxx - Lev. 14:40). Ekballo is used by Mark in Mk 1:34, 39 of Jesus "casting out the demons." In Mark 3:15 Jesus gave His disciples "authority (the right and the might) to cast out the demons." All of Mark's uses of ekballo - Mk. 1:34; Mk. 1:39; Mk. 1:43; Mk. 3:15; Mk. 3:22; Mk. 3:23; Mk. 5:40; Mk. 6:13; Mk. 7:26; Mk. 9:18; Mk. 9:28; Mk. 9:38; Mk. 9:47; Mk. 11:15; Mk. 12:8; Mk. 16:9; Mk. 16:17; Ruler (758)(archon from present participle of archo = to rule) in context describes Satan as the one who had eminence in a ruling capacity, and exercised authority over the "lower ranked" demons. Mt 9:34 = "But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” " , Lk 11:15 = "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” If Satan is the chief demon the scribes are implying Jesus bows to Beelzebub and serves Satan! Demons (1140)(daimonion from daímon = demon) most often describes demons or evil spirits who have supernatural powers and are neither human nor divine (Mt 7:22). BDAG says daimonion is a "transcendent incorporeal being with status between humans and deities." All used in Mark - Mk. 1:34; Mk. 1:39; Mk. 3:15; Mk. 3:22; Mk. 6:13; Mk. 7:26; Mk. 7:29; Mk. 7:30; Mk. 9:38; Mk. 16:9; Mk. 16:17; Alan Carr introduces his message on this section - Have you ever been misunderstood? Have you ever been misrepresented? Has anyone ever taken your words and motives and twisted them around and used them against you? If you live long enough in this world you are going to face that kind of a personal attack. I can remember an instance in another church when a certain group in that church took my preaching tapes and listened to them to find words and phrases they disagreed with. These disagreeable sayings were brought up in a business meeting and used to attack me personally. It hurt at the time, but it was a good lesson to me. It served to remind me that God’s servants will be attacked. It also reminded me to think about my words before I say them because I might be called on to give an account of them. The earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus was surrounded by constant controversy. Nearly everyone He met misunderstood Him and what He came to this world to do. Nearly everyone was guilty of misrepresenting His words and His works. The things He did and said in love were used to attack Him in hate! WHO WAS BEELZEBUB? Probably more accurately "Who IS Beelzebub?" because He is still roaming about on the earth and walking around on it wreaking havoc (Job 1:7). Answer: Beelzebub is the Greek form of the name Baal-zebub, a pagan Philistine god worshiped in the ancient Philistine city of Ekron during the Old Testament times. It is a term signifying “the lord of flies” (2 Kings 1:2). Archaeological excavations at ancient Philistine sites have uncovered golden images of flies. After the time of the Philistines, the Jews changed the name to “Beelzeboul,” as used in the Greek New Testament, meaning “lord of dung.” This name referenced the god of the fly that was worshiped to obtain deliverance from the injuries of that insect. Some biblical scholars believe Beelzebub was also known as the “god of filth,” which later became a name of bitter scorn in the mouth of the Pharisees. As a result, Beelzebub was a particularly contemptible deity, and his name was used by the Jews as an epithet for Satan. The word has two parts: Baal, which was the name for the Canaanite fertility gods in the Old Testament; and Zebul, which means “exalted dwelling.” Putting the two parts together, they formed a name for Satan himself, the prince of demons. This term was first used by the Pharisees in describing Jesus in Matthew 10:24-25. Earlier, they had accused Jesus of casting “out the demons by the ruler of the demons” (Matthew 9:34), referencing Beelzebul (Mark 3:22; Matthew 12:24). In Matthew 12:22 Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. As a result, “all the people were astonished and said, ‘Could this be the Son of David?’ But when the Pharisees heard this, they denied that this could be a work of God, but instead declared: ‘It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons’” (Matthew 12:23-24). It is remarkable that the Pharisees reacted to this incredible miracle by Jesus in the very opposite way of that of the multitude, who realized that Jesus was from God. In fact, it was an admission by the Pharisees that Jesus worked miracles or performed deeds beyond the reach of any unaided human power, but they attributed this power to Beelzebub instead of God. Actually, they should have known better: the devil cannot do works of pure goodness. However, in their self-absorbed pride, these Pharisees knew that, if the teachings of Jesus should prevail among the people, their influence over them was at an end. So, the miracle they did not deny, but instead attributed it to an infernal power, “Beelzebub the prince of the demons.” The greater question is this: what relevance does this have to us as Christians today? In Matthew 10, Jesus provides us with the very essence of what it means to be His disciple. Here we learn that He is about to send out His apostles into the world to preach the gospel (Matthew 10:7). He gives them specific instructions on what to do and what not to do. He warns them, “Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. . . . All men will hate you because of me” (Matthew 10:17, 22). Then He adds, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!” (Matthew 10:24-25). The point Jesus is making to us today is that, if people are calling Him Satan, as did the Pharisees of His time, they would surely call His disciples the same. In John chapter 15 Jesus declares, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me” (John 15:18-21). (Got Questions - highly recommended conservative, Biblically based resource) TITLE - ATTACKED WITH FALSE ACCUSATION I. THE ACCUSATION OF THE SCRIBES (Mark 3:22) A. THE ASSOCIATION SUSPECTED - And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub. B. THE ASSUMPTION MADE - and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils II. THE ADMONITION OF JESUS - (Mark 3:23-30) - As we continue in our study, Mark recorded Jesus’ public rebuke of the scribes regarding their blasphemous accusation. Consider: A. THE CHALLENGE - (Mark 3:23) - And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? B. THE CONSIDERATION - (Mark 3:24-26) C. THE CONFLICT (Mark 3:27) D. THE CONCERN (Mark 3:28-30) - In an act of grace, Jesus warned the scribes of the danger of such accusation while revealing the opportunity for repentance and salvation. THE PARDONABLE SIN - Mk 3:28 THE UNPARDONABLE SIN - Mk 3:29 CONCLUSION - No doubt we too have faced similar situations in life. We have dealt with false accusations and been misrepresented. Our rejection hurts, but it doesn’t have eternal implications for the offender. With Christ, it does however. I am thankful I was given the opportunity for salvation and responded in repentance and faith. If you are saved today, rejoice in your salvation. If the Lord has revealed your need for salvation, He is drawing you to Him in grace. I wouldn’t reject His offer. Come while there is time and the good Holy Spirit is leading you () David Thompson - Henry Caswall was a protestant theologian back in the days of Joseph Smith, the immoral heretic and founder of Mormonism. Mr. Caswall was a professor of theology in the 1800’s when Joseph Smith was making his fraudulent claims. One of the false claims that Smith made was that he was some Biblical scholar and linguist, who was able to translate languages. So on April 19, 1842, Mr. Caswall took Smith an old copy of a Greek text of the Psalms and asked him to identify it. Anyone who knew Greek would easily be able to do this and Smith was claiming he knew Greek. Not knowing that Mr. Caswall was very skilled in Biblical languages, Smith said it was some old Egyptian writing. Joseph Smith was shown to be what he was, a religious con artist liar. There will literally be thousands of people who will end up in hell forever because they followed the lies and the deceptions of Joseph Smith. There will be thousands of people who will end up in hell because they follow the lies and deceptions of Muhammad. There will be thousands of people who will end up in hell because they will follow the lies and deceptions of Charles Russell (Jehovah’s Witnesses). There will be thousands of people who will end up in hell because they follow the lies and deceptions of some Pope from Rome. These will be people who would rather believe in themselves and their religious systems rather than Jesus Christ. FALSE RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS TRY TO GET PEOPLE TO FOLLOW THEM BY DEMEANING AND DISCREDITING THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST, AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW THEM WILL END UP IN ETERNAL HELL.They cannot deny Jesus Christ was actually here on earth, but what they can do is twist the truth about Him in an attempt to get people to believe what isn’t accurate. Mark 3:23 And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
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MacArthur - Jesus’ point was obvious: though the kingdom of darkness is inherently chaotic and disorderly, the devil does not deploy his agents to fight against each other. The fact that Jesus spent His earthly ministry exposing, confronting, rebuking, and casting out demons (cf. Matt. 8:29; 10:1; 12:22; Mark 3:11; 9:29; Luke 8:2; 11:14) provided self-evident proof that He was not empowered by Satan. Everything Jesus did, from His healing miracles to His gospel preaching, was opposed to Satan’s interests—since the very reason He came was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8; cf. Luke 10:18). Obviously, Satan never would have authorized or empowered such a cataclysmic attack on his own kingdom. For the Pharisees and scribes to make that claim was ridiculous. (MNTC- Mark) Mark 3:27 “But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. NET Mark 3:27 But no one is able to enter a strong man's house and steal his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can thoroughly plunder his house. GNT Mark 3:27 ἀλλ᾽ οὐ δύναται οὐδεὶς εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ εἰσελθὼν τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ διαρπάσαι, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον τὸν ἰσχυρὸν δήσῃ, καὶ τότε τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διαρπάσει. NLT Mark 3:27 Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger-- someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. KJV Mark 3:27 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. ESV Mark 3:27 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. NIV Mark 3:27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. ASV Mark 3:27 But no one can enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. CSB Mark 3:27 "On the other hand, no one can enter a strong man's house and rob his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he will rob his house. NKJ Mark 3:27 "No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. NRS Mark 3:27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. YLT Mark 3:27 'No one is able the vessels of the strong man -- having entered into his house -- to spoil, if first he may not bind the strong man, and then his house he will spoil. NAB Mark 3:27 But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. NJB Mark 3:27 But no one can make his way into a strong man's house and plunder his property unless he has first tied up the strong man. Only then can he plunder his house. GWN Mark 3:27 "No one can go into a strong man's house and steal his property. First he must tie up the strong man. Then he can go through the strong man's house and steal his property. Ge 3:15 Isa 27:1 49:24-26 53:12 61:1 Mt 12:29 Lu 10:17-20 Lu 11:21-23 Joh 12:31 Ro 16:20 Eph 6:10-13 Col 2:15 Heb 2:14 1Jn 3:8 4:4 Rev 12:7-9 20:1-3 Mark 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries JESUS HAD POWER OVER THE STRONG MAN! But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house - If you want to take the property of someone, you must overpower the owner (the strong man's house). In the present context, Jesus is identifying Satan as the strong man and clearly implying that He is the stronger Savior! And what does Jesus say the one does who binds the strong man? Jesus is indicating He binds Satan and then plunders his possessions, in context by casting demons out of men who are possessed by those demons and in a sense who are "possessions" or property of Satan. This "property" (people) was held in bondage by Satan's demons. When Jesus cast out demons He liberated once and for all this individual free from Satan's dominion. In the case of the many exorcisms He performed in Israel, the casting out of the demons does not indicate that they became believers but at least they were not in bondage to Satan to the same degree as when they were demon possessed.
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MacArthur says Satan's "property consists of both the demonic forces and oppressed human beings under his control." (Ibid) Some say it is believers in their unregenerate state were the property of Satan and subjects of his kingdom, until God "rescued (rhuomai) us from the domain (exousia) of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption (apolutrosis) (JESUS PAID THE "RANSOM" PRICE TO SET US FREE - THE BLOOD OF JESUS! SEE 1 Pe 1:18-19+), the forgiveness (aphesis)(SENDING AWAY FOREVER) of sins (PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE)." (Col 1:13-14+) Satan continues to cast accusations and charges at us (cf Rev 12:10+, Eph 6:16+) but they won't "stick" because we have been forever clothed in the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21+, 1 Co 1:30, cf Isa 61:3+). A T
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MacArthur adds "The eternal sin for them was this, “Jesus is demonic.” They went to hell for that. You say, “Wait a minute. What if I said that? Would I go to hell for that?” Not necessarily if you said that without full information. That’s a blasphemy that’s forgivable. Right? But if that’s your final conclusion with full revelation, if that’s your response to the full understanding of the Gospel, the full revelation of Christ contained on the pages of Scripture, if that’s your final conclusion, you could never be forgiven, because you’ve had full revelation; you’ve had full light. What else is there? You can’t get anymore. If that’s your final conclusion, that’s an eternal sin.....If you were there (IN JESUS' DAY IN PALESTINE), and you saw it, and you heard it, and your final conclusion was, “He’s demonic,” you’re damned; you can’t be saved, because that’s your ultimate conclusion with full revelation. So, this is unique to those people who had that full revelation. What about today? Could somebody commit this? Right, they could. Look, we’ve all been forgiven for rejecting Christ, haven’t we? We’ve all been forgiven for rejecting Christ because we weren’t born saved. So, we’ve all been forgiven for that. But the one that won’t be forgiven is the one called the apostate who gets full exposure to the truth, full exposure to the Gospel, full revelation, and makes the final conclusion, “It’s not true; I reject Christ. It’s a deception.” That’s where you end up after full exposure; that’s what’s called apostasy. That’s unforgivable. (The Unforgivable Sin) Steven Cole does not completely agree with MacArthur about whether this sin can be committed today (I agree with Cole's analysis which is similar to Ray Stedman's above) - Some argue that since it specifically involved attributing Jesus’ miracles to Satan, it could only be committed during His life on earth. But it seems to me that the warnings of Scripture are applicable today, even if the exact sense cannot be duplicated. In other words, a person today can repeatedly turn his heart away from the witness of the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ until he reaches a point where he is hardened beyond remedy. God only knows when a person crosses that line, but the point is, unbelief is nothing to fool around with. If the Holy Spirit has been convicting a person of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and has been showing the person that Jesus Christ is God’s anointed Savior, but the person rejects that witness, then he is on the path toward the unpardonable sin. He is in grave danger that God will withdraw the light he has been given and he will be hardened in unbelief. That is the unpardonable sin. So the lesson for us is, if the Spirit of God is tugging on your heart, do not resist Him! If He is drawing you toward Jesus Christ, but the lure of sin is drawing you the other direction, yield to Jesus Christ! Otherwise, you may cross the line and your time of opportunity will be lost forever! Thus Jesus’ words here show us that we must beware of hypocrisy because we will stand before God for eternal judgment. (Confessing or Denying Christ) (See another well reasoned discussion of the unpardonable sin by Steven Cole) THOUGHT - I tend to agree with Pastor Cole. While one may not be able to duplicate the exact sin of the scribes because Jesus is not present and we do not see His miracles, there is still a stern warning in Jesus' words for all Who reject the wooing of His Spirit! (cf Jn 3:5-8+) To say it another way, if a person repeatedly, habitually rejects the truth that Jesus is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (and their sins)(Jn 1:29+), then they have for all intents and purposes made themselves beyond pardon because there is no other way to the Father in Heaven than through His Son Jesus Christ (Jn 14:6). One other point to consider is that rejectors in our day in a sense have in a sense very likely witnessed "miracles" performed by Jesus. What do I mean? Of course Jesus is not physically present and they have never seen healings or demons cast out by Him. But if they have friends or relatives who have received Christ as Savior and been made new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17+), then the truth is that they have witnessed "miracles," and actually in fact a miracle greater than the casting out of a demon or a temporal healing, as dramatic as that must have been, because the new birth results in eternal "healing" from the sin virus. Also the writer of Hebrews alludes in one sense to an "unpardonable" sin in Hebrews 6 writing For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. (Hebrews 6:4-9+) I realize that Hebrews 6 is a controversial passage but I interpret it as those who were given every opportunity to believe and yet chose to willfully reject the Spirit's wooing them to Jesus to be their Savior, these individuals have crossed the line (see poem below) and can no longer receive pardon for their sins. They have in essence become "unpardonable." (See MacArthur's explanation toward the bottom of the page of his sermon The Unforgivable Sin) There is a time we know not when, A place we know not where; Which marks the destiny of men To glory or despair. There is a line, by us unseen, Which crosses every path; Which marks the boundary between God’s mercy and His wrath. —JOSEPH ADDISON ALEXANDER Brian Bill - In short, the unforgivable sin is attributing the mighty miracle working power of Jesus to Satan. The scribes witnessed undeniable exorcisms and instead of giving glory to the Holy Spirit they claimed that He was possessed by Beelzebub. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is accusing Jesus of being demon possessed. Matt Chandler puts it: “The blasphemy of the Spirit is the knowledgeable, willful and continued rebellion against the ministry of the Holy Spirit.” Sam Storms adds, “It is not a careless act but a calloused attitude…it is not mere denial, but determined denial; not mere rejection, but wanton, willful, wicked, wide-eyed rejection.” It’s a deliberate refusal of the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. (Mark 3:20-30 The Unforgivable Sin) Blasphemes (987)(blasphemeo from bláptō = to hurt, injure, harm + phémē from phēmí = to speak) literally to speak to harm. The idea of blasphemeo is that the words spoken hurt or smite the reputation of another. It means to destroy or discredit another's good name by speaking evil against them. Never (3756)(ou) speaks of absolute negation! There is another Greek word "me" which is not absolute, but that is not the word Jesus uses! Forgiveness (859)(aphesis from aphiemi = action which causes separation and is in turn derived from apo = from + hiemi = put in motion, send) literally means to send away. Aphesis refers to a remission as when one remits (pardons, cancels) a debt, or releases then from an obligation. (e.g., "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors" Mt 6:12+). The absolute negation absolutely no forgiveness thus this is final and forever (which should be frighten any hearer, but did not budge the scribes for their hearts were so hardened to truth!) But (alla) is a term of contrast and here introduces a dramatic contrast, ultimately the contrast between sins which can be forgiven in Mk 3:28 and those which cannot and will damn a person to hell for eternity! Is guilty of an eternal sin - KJV has "But is in danger of eternal damnation." Eternal sin begets eternal punishment! Guilty (liable, subject , deserving) (1777)(enochos from enécho = to hold in, i.e., to ensnare, to be entangled - Gal 5:1) literally means held fast in (in the grasp, held in, contained in). ). Enochos is primarily a legal term - liable to a charge or action at law or in court, in this context at the Great White Throne judgment! David Thompson makes an interesting comment writing that "there are different "unpardonable sins" for different times in the program of God. For example, in Eden, the "unpardonable sin" was to eat of the fruit of a tree (ED: IN A SENSE IT WAS "PARDONABLE" BECAUSE OF ANOTHER "TREE" THE CROSS, BUT IT DID RESULT IN EJECTION FROM PARADISE.). In Egypt, the "unpardonable sin" was not to put the blood on the doorposts so when the death angel looked at the door he would pass over the house and not kill the residents.In the Tribulation the "unpardonable sin" will be to take the mark of the Beast (SEE BELOW). Now the sin here is one when Jesus was specifically here on earth. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was to actually see Jesus Christ performing miracles when He was physically here on earth and making up a lie that said He was doing those miracles by the power of Satan. When the religious leaders witnessed the work of Jesus Christ and said He was satanic, they were looking at the work of the Holy Spirit and giving allegiance to Satan. If you were a person who saw Jesus Christ preach and teach and do the things He did by the power of the Holy Spirit, and then you said He did those things because He was satanic, when in fact you know He is not, is a blasphemous sin that will put one straight into hell. Now hell is a horrible, real place graphically described in the Bible: 1) It is a place where people burn with actual unquenchable fire (Mk 9:43; Rev. 20:15); 2) It is a place of black darkness (2 Pet. 2:17; Jude 13; Mt. 22:13); 3) It is a place of conscious torturous pain (Rev. 14:11a); 4) It is a place of constant weeping (Mt. 13:42a; 22:13); 5) It is a place of constant gnashing teeth (Mt. 13:42b; 22:13); 6) It is a place of terrible loneliness (2 Th 1:9b); 7) It is a place where one always burns in fire but never burns up (Mt. 25:46). Now there is one sin that you can commit now that will put you into hell. It is a sin that will guarantee you end up in hell and that sin is to not believe on Jesus Christ. This is the unpardonable sin for this age. But come to Christ and all your sin will be forgiven. (Sermon on Mark 3:22-30) Tony Garland speaks about the "unpardonable" aspect of taking the MARK OF THE BEAST writing "This (Read Rev 13:8, 16+) is a defining moment for the Earth Dwellers., much like the unpardonable sin of Jesus’ day: "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Rev. 14:9-11+) Those who choose to worship the beast and take his mark are forever lost. Even though they have not yet died, they are irredeemable!" THE UNPARDONABLE SIN Gotquestions has an excellent summary of the "Unpardonable Sin" to which Jesus refers here in Mark and again in Matthew 12:31-32 (the following repeats some of what was stated above, but given the confusion concerning this topic, it bears repetition!) - According to Jesus, the unpardonable or unforgivable sin is unique. It is the one iniquity that will never be forgiven (“never” is the meaning of “either in this age or in the age to come” in Matthew 12:32). The unforgivable sin is blasphemy (“defiant irreverence”) of the Holy Spirit in the context of the Spirit’s work in the world through Christ. In other words, the particular case of blasphemy seen in Matthew 12 and Mark 3 is unique. The guilty party, a group of Pharisees, had witnessed irrefutable evidence that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they claimed that He was possessed by the prince of demons, Beelzebul (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:30). The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day committed the unpardonable sin by accusing Jesus Christ (in person, on earth) of being demon-possessed. They had no excuse for such an action. They were not speaking out of ignorance or misunderstanding. The Pharisees knew that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God to save Israel. They knew the prophecies were being fulfilled. They saw Jesus’ wonderful works, and they heard His clear presentation of truth. Yet they deliberately chose to deny the truth and slander the Holy Spirit. Standing before the Light of the World, bathed in His glory, they defiantly closed their eyes and became willfully blind. Jesus pronounced that sin to be unforgivable. The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, specific as it was to the Pharisees’ situation, cannot be duplicated today. Jesus Christ is not on earth, and no one can personally see Jesus perform a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit. The only unpardonable sin today is that of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, convicting the unsaved of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). If a person resists that conviction and remains unrepentant, then he is choosing hell over heaven. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and the object of faith is Jesus (Acts 16:31). There is no forgiveness for someone who dies without faith in Christ. God has provided for our salvation in His Son (John 3:16). Forgiveness is found exclusively in Jesus (John 14:6). To reject the only Savior is to be left with no means of salvation; to reject the only pardon is, obviously, unpardonable. Many people fear they have committed some sin that God cannot or will not forgive, and they feel there is no hope for them, no matter what they do. Satan would like nothing more than to keep people laboring under that misconception. God gives encouragement to the sinner who is convicted of his sin: “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20). And the testimony of Paul is proof positive that God can and will save anyone who comes to Him in faith (1 Timothy 1:12–17). If you are suffering under a load of guilt today, rest assured that you have not committed the unpardonable sin. God is waiting with open arms. Jesus’ promise is that “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25). Our Lord will never fail. “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2). (Bolding added) ILLUSTRATION The unpardonable sin Parable: There was a man who went to the store to buy the perfect gift for his son’s birthday. He finds something that he is sure his son will appreciate, but he does not have enough money to buy it. So he sells some of his possessions and even works overtime at his job until he has enough money to purchase the gift. The big day arrives, and he proudly gives his gift to his son. But the gift is not what the son expected, and he rejects it, calling it “junk.” No matter how many times the father offers the gift, the son simply will not receive it. This is a picture of the unpardonable sin. (1 John 4:4). (Osborne - Teaching the Text - Mark) Mark 3:30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” NET Mark 3:30 (because they said, "He has an unclean spirit"). GNT Mark 3:30 ὅτι ἔλεγον, Πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον ἔχει. NLT Mark 3:30 He told them this because they were saying, "He's possessed by an evil spirit." KJV Mark 3:30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. ESV Mark 3:30 for they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit." NIV Mark 3:30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit." ASV Mark 3:30 because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. CSB Mark 3:30 because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit." NKJ Mark 3:30 because they said, "He has an unclean spirit." NRS Mark 3:30 for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." YLT Mark 3:30 because they said, 'He hath an unclean spirit.' NAB Mark 3:30 For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." NJB Mark 3:30 This was because they were saying, 'There is an unclean spirit in him.' GWN Mark 3:30 Jesus said this because the scribes had said that he had an evil spirit. BBE Mark 3:30 Because they said, He has an unclean spirit. Mk 3:22 Joh 10:20 Mark 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries WHY ETERNAL UNFORGIVENESS? Because - This is a critically important term of explanation. It serves to qualify Jesus' warning about blasphemy of the Spirit. Jesus explains what it means to blaspheme the Spirit. They were saying, “He has an unclean spirit" - Saying is in the imperfect tense indicating they were saying this over and over, persisting in their malicious charge! In Mark 3:22+ saying is also in the imperfect tense. This is exactly what they scribes were doing! First note that pronoun He refers not to the Holy Spirit, but to Jesus. The question then is to whom does they refer? Clearly in this context it refers to the scribes who had accused Jesus of being possessed by Satan declaring “He is possessed by Beelzebul.”. Secondly they attributed Jesus' miracles performed while He was physically present on earth to the supernatural power of Satan, declaring “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” (Mk 3:22+). This is the sin which God will not forgive. Hiebert - By persistently attributing Jesus’ act of exorcism, wrought in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the agency of the Devil, the scribes were consciously maligning the Spirit’s work. Motivated by their hatred for Jesus, they were willing to stamp as satanic the holy power in which He worked. It was a perversion of moral distinctions, ascribing the manifest work of the Spirit of God to Satan. The tense indicates that it was not so much a single act as an attitude of heart which persisted in rejecting the light by calling good evil and evil good. In such a state, the Holy Spirit can no longer work to produce conviction of sin. Many serious souls have been deeply agitated with the thought that they may have committed this sin. Ryle well observed, “Those who are troubled with fears that they have sinned the unpardonable sin, are the very people who have not sinned it.” After noting that Jesus’ warning was made to the duly accredited theological leaders of the day, Cranfield remarks, “Those who most particularly should heed the warning of this verse today are the theological teachers and the official leaders of the churches.” (Mark Commentary) Brian Bill - Christians cannot commit this sin. If you are truly saved, then you are truly secure. When you believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life, then you have eternal life.1 John 5:11-12: “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” If you worry that you’ve committed the unforgivable sin, you haven’t. If you’re mourning and grieving and anxious about sin, it means that the Holy Spirit is active in your life. Satan wants to steal your hope and joy. He wants you to think you’ve gone too far to be saved. He wants you to swim with shame and to be gutted by guilt. This is a warning to those persisting in unbelief. Perhaps you’ve been languishing under true guilt. Conviction is a good thing if it leads you to commitment. You are a sinner and if you have not repented and received Jesus Christ, you will not be forgiven. The good news is that God is ready to forgive each and every one of your sins. Don’t put off a decision to follow Christ. One could say that the only "unpardonable sin" today is that of continued unbelief. If you die in a state of disbelief, your sins will not be forgiven and you will pay the price for them forever in a place of everlasting destruction called hell with the devil and all his demons! (Mark 3:20-30 The Unforgivable Sin) ILLUSTRATION The battle against demonic powers Nature: A snake can still bite even after its head has been cut off. Snakes have heat-sensitive pits that are capable of detecting a threatening presence even hours after death. Although Satan has already been defeated, he does not act as if he has been defeated and destroyed. The head of the evil one has already been crushed (Gen. 3:15), but he can still create trouble and turmoil in our lives and in the world. We must heed the warnings of Scripture regarding spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:10–20) and at the same time remember that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). (Osborne - Teaching the Text - Mark) Mark 3:31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. NET Mark 3:31 Then Jesus' mother and his brothers came. Standing outside, they sent word to him, to summon him. GNT Mark 3:31 Καὶ ἔρχεται ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔξω στήκοντες ἀπέστειλαν πρὸς αὐτὸν καλοῦντες αὐτόν. NLT Mark 3:31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. KJV Mark 3:31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. ESV Mark 3:31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. NIV Mark 3:31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ASV Mark 3:31 And there come his mother and his brethren; and, standing without, they sent unto him, calling him. CSB Mark 3:31 Then His mother and His brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to Him and called Him. NKJ Mark 3:31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. NRS Mark 3:31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. YLT Mark 3:31 Then come do his brethren and mother, and standing without, they sent unto him, calling him, NAB Mark 3:31 His mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent word to him and called him. NJB Mark 3:31 Now his mother and his brothers arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. GWN Mark 3:31 Then his mother and his brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone to ask him to come out. BBE Mark 3:31 And his mother and brothers came and were outside, and sent for him, requesting to see him. Mt 12:46-48 Lu 8:19-21 Mark 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages: Mt 12:46-50 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” 48But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50“For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” Lk 8:19-21+ And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. 20And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” 21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” INTERRUPTION BY HIS FAMILY Mark now picks up his description from Mark 3:21+ "When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” Then His mother and His brothers arrived - His own in Mark 3:21 is now identified as His mother Mary and His brothers (so much for Mary's perpetual virginity - a false teaching of Catholicism which is clearly refuted by the Word of God!). His brothers are named in Mark 6:3+ ("James and Joses and Judas and Simon...His sisters") Joseph’s was last mentioned in Lk 2:51+ and his absence in all the Gospels during the ministry of Jesus suggests that he had died. Jesus family arrived after about a 30 mile trip from Nazareth to Capernaum in order to take custody of Him. They were going to "rescue" Jesus by force if necessary, not only rescuing Him from the pressing crowds but rescuing Him from Himself for they feared He had lost His senses by making statements that He was God. Mary of course knew that He was indeed God for the angel had plainly told her "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (Lk 1:31-33+, cf Lk 2:19+, Lk 2:51+) There is no record that Mary ever wavered in her faith that Jesus was the Son of David, the Son of God, the long expected Messiah. His brothers were another story for in the Gospel of John we read "not even His brothers were believing in Him." (John 7:5) Keep the context in mind. His brothers had lived with Jesus for 30 years and while He clearly had been a model (perfect - cf Heb 4:15+) child, there is no record of His having performed any miracles until after He had began His public ministry (see John 2:11+). The unbelief of His brothers proved to be only temporary for after Jesus' ascension, the brothers joined the disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem Luke recording "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." (Acts 1:14+) His brother James in fact became a leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-35+, Gal 1:19+), and both he (James 1:1+) and Jude (Jude 1:1+) wrote epistles included in the New Testament. And standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him - There is a somewhat ironic picture here - His physical family standing outside who for years had been on the "inside" (knowing Him in ways only those who lived with Him 30 years could know) were now on the outside and the crowd and the disciples were on inside, nearer to Jesus than His own family (Mk 3:32). The house as noted in Mk 3:20 was so packed, that Jesus and the disciples could not even eat a meal and certainly His family would not be able to get in. So they sent word to Him. They did not make known their attention of taking Him home, but only asked for Him to come outside the house. The text does not state but from other passages pointing to His omniscience, He undoubtedly knew they had come to take over and take Him away. Mark 3:32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” NET Mark 3:32 A crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you." GNT Mark 3:32 καὶ ἐκάθητο περὶ αὐτὸν ὄχλος, καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Ἰδοὺ ἡ μήτηρ σου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί σου [καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαί σου] ἔξω ζητοῦσίν σε. NLT Mark 3:32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, "Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you." KJV Mark 3:32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. ESV Mark 3:32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you." NIV Mark 3:32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." ASV Mark 3:32 And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. CSB Mark 3:32 A crowd was sitting around Him and told Him, "Look, Your mother, Your brothers, and Your sisters are outside asking for You." NKJ Mark 3:32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You." NRS Mark 3:32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." YLT Mark 3:32 and a multitude was sitting about him, and they said to him, 'Lo, thy mother and thy brethren without do seek thee.' NAB Mark 3:32 A crowd seated around him told him, "Your mother and your brothers (and your sisters) are outside asking for you." NJB Mark 3:32 A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, 'Look, your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.' GWN Mark 3:32 The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you." BBE Mark 3:32 And a great number were seated round him; and they said to him, See, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you. Mark 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passage: Matthew 12:47+ Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him - The crowd is not pressing in on Him here but is sitting around in a circle. Hiebert suggests "The people were seated cross-legged on the floor or ground in concentric circles around Jesus. His most intimate disciples would be nearest Him." (Ibid) Mark has they said to Him but Matthew 12:47+ identifies a single individual recording "Someone said to Him." “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You - Behold (idou) was used by the speaker gain Jesus' attention to the unusual fact that His family had come to see Him. TECHNICAL NOTE - Many MSS read "and your sisters" here after "your brothers" (A D G 700 pm it). However, the pedigree of several of the MSS which lack this phrase is considerable (a B C K L W D Q ¦(1, 13 28 33 565 892 1241 1424 2542 pm lat sy). It seems likely that this phrase was added by an early Western scribe to harmonize this statement with Jesus' response in v. 35. NA(27 )has the words in brackets, indicating some doubt as to their authenticity. (NET Note) (Hiebert adds sisters "is clearly a scribal addition, an inference drawn from Mk 3:35.") Looking for (present tense)(2212)(zeteo) implies giving attention and priority to and deliberately pursuing after. All 10 uses in Mark describe an attempt to find Jesus and gain control over Him. See Mk. 1:37; Mk. 3:32; Mk. 8:11; Mk. 8:12; Mk. 11:18; Mk. 12:12; Mk. 14:1; Mk. 14:11; Mk. 14:55; Mk. 16:6; Mark 3:33 Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” NET Mark 3:33 He answered them and said, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" GNT Mark 3:33 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτοῖς λέγει, Τίς ἐστιν ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί [μου]; NLT Mark 3:33 Jesus replied, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" KJV Mark 3:33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? ESV Mark 3:33 And he answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" NIV Mark 3:33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. ASV Mark 3:33 And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? CSB Mark 3:33 He replied to them, "Who are My mother and My brothers?" NKJ Mark 3:33 But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?" NRS Mark 3:33 And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" YLT Mark 3:33 And he answered them, saying, 'Who is my mother, or my brethren?' NAB Mark 3:33 But he said to them in reply, "Who are my mother and (my) brothers?" NJB Mark 3:33 He replied, 'Who are my mother and my brothers?' GWN Mark 3:33 He replied to them, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" BBE Mark 3:33 And he said in answer, Who are my mother and my brothers? Who: De 33:9 Lu 2:49 Joh 2:4 2Co 5:16 Who are...My brothers Mk 3:21 Mk 6:3 Joh 7:3-5 Mark 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passage: Mt 12:48+ But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” THE NEW FAMILY OF GOD Answering them - Not speaking of His family but those seated around Him. His response at first sounds somewhat harsh, but that was not His intent. His intent was to introduce a new concept regarding the family of God. You gotta love Jesus! He redeems every second, every accusation, every misunderstanding, and here and interruption of His teaching to launch into another teaching! O, to live like Jesus so filled with His Spirit that while we have an eye on temporal events we can turn them into teaching on eternal truths! John Phillips makes an interesting point observing that "Now He put an eternity of distance between Himself and His natural family. The distance had always been there, of course, given the extraordinary circumstances of His birth, given who He was and who His Father was, and given the fact that, although He was truly human, He was at the same time God. His natural family had now given Him the opportunity to put an end to the mere family connection." (Exploring Mark) He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” - Of course Jesus knew who His mother and brothers were and He certainly did not mean to treat them with disrespect. He is not saying He did not love them for even on the Cross when He "saw His Mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son! Then He said to the disciple,"Behold your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household." (John 19:26-27). THOUGHT - Jesus’ hearers must ponder its implications for them: those who assume that they are close to Jesus should think again; those who assume that they are far from him should take hope. The question disquiets the comfortable and encourages the dejected. (James Edwards - PNTC-Mark) Hiebert explains that Jesus' "question was intended to call attention to the fact that, in His work, there were ties that were higher than those of flesh and blood." (Ibid) Brooks - The story about Jesus’ family redefines who constitutes his family. Jesus’ true family consists of those who respond positively to him rather than those who are physically related to him. The story also suggests that being a part of Jesus’ family may require adjusting or even severing relationships with an earthly family. (NAC-Mark) NET Note on His brothers - The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3 ("Therefore His brothers said to Him...")