The big picture
Mark 3 opens in verse 1 with “And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 18 with “And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of…”, and closes in verse 35 with “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and…” Repeated or prominent terms include house, mother, multitude, brethren, hand. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Mark · King James Version · 35Mark 3:1-7
1–7: He entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had…
Mark 3:1–7 opens with “And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.” and reaches “But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Crowds pressing toward Jesus, the twelve appointed, and Jesus redefining family around doing God’s will, with particular weight carried by hand, sabbath, withered.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.” The line’s distinctive content terms include entered, hand, synagogue. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
Mark 3:1-7
King James Version1And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
7But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judæa,
Mark 3:8-14
8–14: From Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about…
Mark 3:8–14 opens with “And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a…” and reaches “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Crowds pressing toward Jesus, the twelve appointed, and Jesus redefining family around doing God’s will, with particular weight carried by multitude, calleth, charged.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when…” Naming Idumaea and Jerusalem keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Mark 3:8-14
King James Version8And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.
9And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
10For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
11And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
12And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
13And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
14And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
Mark 3:15-21
15–21: To have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
Mark 3:15–21 opens with “And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:” and reaches “And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Crowds pressing toward Jesus, the twelve appointed, and Jesus redefining family around doing God’s will, with particular weight carried by James, Simon, surnamed.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:” The line’s distinctive content terms include devils, heal, power. Its relationship to verses 16 shows what work it does in this passage.
Mark 3:15-21
King James Version15And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
16And Simon he surnamed Peter;
17And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
18And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
19And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
20And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.
Mark 3:22-28
22–28: The scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and…
Mark 3:22–28 opens with “And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the…” and reaches “Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Crowds pressing toward Jesus, the twelve appointed, and Jesus redefining family around doing God’s will, with particular weight carried by house, divided, Satan.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out…” Naming Beelzebub and Jerusalem keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Mark 3:22-28
King James Version22And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
27No 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.
28Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
Mark 3:29-35
29–35: He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness…
Mark 3:29–35 opens with “But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of…” and reaches “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Crowds pressing toward Jesus, the twelve appointed, and Jesus redefining family around doing God’s will, with particular weight carried by mother, brethren, blaspheme.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Mark 3:29-35
King James Version29But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
30Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
31There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
32And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
33And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?
34And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
35For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Mark 3:1 begins with “And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.”
Where the chapter turns
Mark 3:23 forms a natural hinge: “And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?”
The final note
Mark 3:35 leaves the reader with “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words house, mother, multitude, brethren, hand, stand help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
How does blame move through the conversation?
The man points to the woman and indirectly to God; the woman points to the serpent. Neither response repairs trust.
Where does mercy appear?
Continued life, the promise involving offspring, and clothing accompany the expulsion.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.