Mark 3
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Markings
1-6 1 Kings 13:4-6
6 Søren Kierkegaard, “Sin,” Provocations, p. 375
1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had 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.
3:1 και εισηλθεν παλιν εις την συναγωγην και ην εκει ανθρωπος εξηραμμενην εχων την χειρα 3:2 και παρετηρουν αυτον ει τοις σαββασιν θεραπευσει αυτον ινα κατηγορησωσιν αυτου 3:3 και λεγει τω ανθρωπω τω εξηραμμενην εχοντι την χειρα εγειραι εις το μεσον 3:4 και λεγει αυτοις εξεστιν τοις σαββασιν αγαθοποιησαι η κακοποιησαι ψυχην σωσαι η αποκτειναι οι δε εσιωπων 3:5 και περιβλεψαμενος αυτους μετ οργης συλλυπουμενος επι τη πωρωσει της καρδιας αυτων λεγει τω ανθρωπω εκτεινον την χειρα σου και εξετεινεν και αποκατεσταθη η χειρ αυτου υγιης ως η αλλη 3:6 και εξελθοντες οι φαρισαιοι ευθεως μετα των ηρωδιανων συμβουλιον εποιουν κατ αυτου οπως αυτον απολεσωσιν
9-10 Mark 4:1; Luke 5:1-3
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; also from Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from about Tyre and Sidon a great multitude, hearing all that he did, came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they should crush him; 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits beheld 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.
3:7 και ο ιησους ανεχωρησεν μετα των μαθητων αυτου προς την θαλασσαν και πολυ πληθος απο της γαλιλαιας ηκολουθησαν αυτω και απο της ιουδαιας 3:8 και απο ιεροσολυμων και απο της ιδουμαιας και περαν του ιορδανου και οι περι τυρον και σιδωνα πληθος πολυ ακουσαντες οσα εποιει ηλθον προς αυτον 3:9 και ειπεν τοις μαθηταις αυτου ινα πλοιαριον προσκαρτερη αυτω δια τον οχλον ινα μη θλιβωσιν αυτον 3:10 πολλους γαρ εθεραπευσεν ωστε επιπιπτειν αυτω ινα αυτου αψωνται οσοι ειχον μαστιγας 3:11 και τα πνευματα τα ακαθαρτα οταν αυτον εθεωρει προσεπιπτεν αυτω και εκραζεν λεγοντα οτι συ ει ο υιος του θεου 3:12 και πολλα επετιμα αυτοις ινα μη φανερον αυτον ποιησωσιν
Mary Gordon, “The Man He Wanted,” Incarnation, p. 23 f.
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, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons: 16 Simon whom he surnamed Peter; 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, whom he surnamed 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 Cananaean, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home;
3:13 και αναβαινει εις το ορος και προσκαλειται ους ηθελεν αυτος και απηλθον προς αυτον 3:14 και εποιησεν δωδεκα ινα ωσιν μετ αυτου και ινα αποστελλη αυτους κηρυσσειν 3:15 και εχειν εξουσιαν θεραπευειν τας νοσους και εκβαλλειν τα δαιμονια 3:16 και επεθηκεν τω σιμωνι ονομα πετρον 3:17 και ιακωβον τον του ζεβεδαιου και ιωαννην τον αδελφον του ιακωβου και επεθηκεν αυτοις ονοματα βοανεργες ο εστιν υιοι βροντης 3:18 και ανδρεαν και φιλιππον και βαρθολομαιον και ματθαιον και θωμαν και ιακωβον τον του αλφαιου και θαδδαιον και σιμωνα τον κανανιτην 3:19 και ιουδαν ισκαριωτην ος και παρεδωκεν αυτον
John Dominic Crossan, “Beelzebul Controversy,” The Historical Jesus, p. 317-320
The Historical Jesus
… because it is obvious that the possessed are deviants, it becomes just as obvious that deviants must be possessed. There is thus a “symbiotic relationship” between “possession as protest” from the weak to the strong and accused possession, as control from the strong to the weak (577). Hence the illogical logic of the possessed exorcist.
Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited, p. 64
Jesus and the Disinherited
22 Matthew 9:34, 10:35, 11:18; Luke 7:33
27 Isaiah 49:24-25; Thomas 35
28-29 1 Samuel 2:25, 3:13; 1 Kings 21:10; John 20:22-23; Acts 5:1-11
29 Luke 12:10; Thomas 44
22 Elton Trueblood, The Humor of Christ, p. 83
23-27 David Remnic, “The Devil Problem,” The New Yorker (April 3, 1995), p. 56
“The Devil Problem”
Pagels begins with details of the text to chart the appearance of Satan. The Gospel of Mark, for example, deviates from Jewish tradition and describes (3:23-27) the ministry of Jesus in constant battle with the “kingdom” of Satan. For the Gospel writers the first enemy was the “intimate enemy”—the majority of their fellow-Jews who did not follow Christ. The creation of such a powerful Satan in the orthodox Christian cosmology becomes not only a foundation for anti-Semitism but also a pattern of viewing the world.
28-30 Horace Bushnell, Sermons, p. 53 f.
28-30 Madeleine L’Engle, The Summer of the Great Grandmother, (last few pages)
The Summer of the Great Grandmother
28-29 John Dominic Crossan, “All Sins Forgiven,” The Historical Jesus, p. 257-259
29 David Steindl-Rast, quoted in The Gospel According to Jesus by Stephen Mitchell, p. 71
The Gospel According to Jesus
To my understanding of Jesus, this saying is crucial. For Jesus (not “Jesus”), the Holy Spirit bears witness in his hearers’ hearts to the truth and to forgiveness—unconditional forgiveness. All the authentic parables are based on the understanding that Jesus’ hearers are able “in the Holy Spirit” to understand “from within” what God is like. We cannot extinguish this Holy Spirit; it is the lifebreath of our lifebreath; but we can, as it were, “stop breathing.” That is the sin which even God cannot forgive, because forgiveness is freely offered, not imposed.
20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, “He is beside himself.”
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “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 sons of men, 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 had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
3:20 και ερχονται εις οικον 3:20 και συνερχεται παλιν οχλος ωστε μη δυνασθαι αυτους μητε αρτον φαγειν 3:21 και ακουσαντες οι παρ αυτου εξηλθον κρατησαι αυτον ελεγον γαρ οτι εξεστη
3:22 και οι γραμματεις οι απο ιεροσολυμων καταβαντες ελεγον οτι βεελζεβουλ εχει και οτι εν τω αρχοντι των δαιμονιων εκβαλλει τα δαιμονια 3:23 και προσκαλεσαμενος αυτους εν παραβολαις ελεγεν αυτοις πως δυναται σατανας σαταναν εκβαλλειν 3:24 και εαν βασιλεια εφ εαυτην μερισθη ου δυναται σταθηναι η βασιλεια εκεινη 3:25 και εαν οικια εφ εαυτην μερισθη ου δυναται σταθηναι η οικια εκεινη 3:26 και ει ο σατανας ανεστη εφ εαυτον και μεμερισται ου δυναται σταθηναι αλλα τελος εχει 3:27 ουδεις δυναται τα σκευη του ισχυρου εισελθων εις την οικιαν αυτου διαρπασαι εαν μη πρωτον τον ισχυρον δηση και τοτε την οικιαν αυτου διαρπαση
3:28 αμην λεγω υμιν οτι παντα αφεθησεται τα αμαρτηματα τοις υιοις των ανθρωπων και βλασφημιαι οσας αν βλασφημησωσιν 3:29 ος δ αν βλασφημηση εις το πνευμα το αγιον ουκ εχει αφεσιν εις τον αιωνα αλλ ενοχος εστιν αιωνιου κρισεως 3:30 οτι ελεγον πνευμα ακαθαρτον εχει
Raymond Brown, “Exegesis and Mary,” Biblical Exegesis & Church Doctrine, p. 89-92
John Dominic Crossan, “Against the Patriarchal Family,” The Historical Jesus, p. 299
Robert Flynn, “Genesis, Jeremiah, & Gospels,” Communion, p. 200
“Genesis, Jeremiah, & Gospels”
Thom Gunn, “Jesus and his Mother,” Collected Poems, p. 64 f.
John W. Lynch, from A Woman Wrapped in Silence, Divine Inspiration, p. 316
Kelley Nikondeha, Adopted, p. 17 f.
Adopted
What an audacious thing to say on this Palestinian street in the first century—to suggest that any other affiliation could rival that of family! In the mind-set of the crowd, nothing trumps family, nothing supersedes commitment to your blood and bone, your tribe and clan.
But Jesus isn’t diminishing his mother or brothers in public. He’s simply describing his own experience of family. This is what Joseph taught him: Anyone can be your family if you choose to live with fidelity toward one another. Jesus was going public with how those in the company of the adopted function.
Did Mary and her sons experience those words of Jesus as insult? … I suspect his description of family didn’t offend them. After all, they all lived under Joseph’s roof.
William E. Phipps, “Review of Neusner, A Rabbi Talks with Jesus,” Interpretation (July 1995), p. 306
“Review of Neusner A Rabbi Talks with Jesus”
Carol Bechtel Reynolds, “Life After Grace: Preaching from the Book of Numbers,” Interpretation (July 1997), p. 272 f.
“Life After Grace: Preaching from the Book of Numbers”
The fact that this group went forward at all is a tribute to the power of God to lead and to heal. It also bears witness, however, to the fact that the community of faith ultimately transcends genetics. Perhaps these were the “family values” Jesus had in mind in Mark 3:31-35 (“Who are my mother and my brothers?”) and John 19:26-27 (“Woman, here is your son”). In any case, Numbers 26 can help us appreciate Jesus’ promise not to leave us “desolate.”
Gérard Félix Tchicaya U Tam’si, “The Scorner (2),” Divine Inspiration, p. 319
Paul Wegner, “Jesus and His Relatives,” Divine Inspiration, p. 314
31 And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.” 33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
3:31 ερχονται ουν οι αδελφοι και η μητηρ αυτου και εξω εστωτες απεστειλαν προς αυτον φωνουντες αυτον 3:32 και εκαθητο οχλος περι αυτον ειπον δε αυτω ιδου η μητηρ σου και οι αδελφοι σου και αι αδελφαι σου εξω ζητουσιν σε 3:33 και απεκριθη αυτοις λεγων τις εστιν η μητηρ μου η οι αδελφοι μου 3:34 και περιβλεψαμενος κυκλω τους περι αυτον καθημενους λεγει ιδε η μητηρ μου και οι αδελφοι μου 3:35 ος γαρ αν ποιηση το θελημα του θεου ουτος αδελφος μου και αδελφη μου και μητηρ εστιν