Mark 3

1Again he went into the synagogue, and a man was there whose hand was withered.

2They were watching Jesus closely to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they could accuse him.

3He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come to the middle.”

4Then he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” But they said nothing.

5He looked around at them with anger, deeply grieved at the hardness of their hearts, and 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 him, how they might destroy him.

7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. From Judea,

8from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from around Tyre and Sidon, a large crowd came to him when they heard about all that he was doing.

9He told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him.

10For he had healed many, so that all who had diseases were pushing forward 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 sternly ordered them not to make him known.

13He went up on the mountain and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.

14He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, so that they would be with him and so that he could send them out to preach

15and to have authority to drive out demons.

16He appointed the twelve: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter;

17James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, which means “Sons of Thunder”;

18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,

19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then Jesus went home,

20and again the crowd gathered, so that they could not even eat.

21When his family heard this, they went out to take hold of him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

22The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”

23So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive 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 ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

28Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven all their sins and whatever blasphemies they speak.

29But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.”

30He said this because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

31His mother and his brothers came. Standing outside, they sent word to him and called for him.

32A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside looking for you.”

33He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”

34Looking around at those who were sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

35For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”