Bible Commentaries
Mark 3

Verses 1-35

Choice of the Twelve

1-6. The withered hand (Matthew 12:9; Luke 6:6). See on Mt.

6. Herodians] see on Matthew 22:16.

7-12. Withdrawal of Jesus. Multitudes healed. See on Matthew 12:15-17. St. Mark’s account is much fuller. Observe here (a) the extraordinary sensation made by the appearance of Jesus, as shown by the great distances from which the multitudes were drawn; (b) the enormous number of cures, without any allusion to failures. Clearly the miracles recorded are only a very small proportion of the miracles performed.

8. Idumaea] The district S. of Judæa and the Dead Sea. Beyond Jordan] This district, like Tyre and Sidon, was mainly Gentile, and it is possible that among those healed were some Gentiles.

10. Plagues] lit. ’scourges,’ diseases being regarded as a divine chastisement.

11. Thou art the Son of God] i.e. ’the Messiah.’ See on Mark 1:21-28.

13-19a. Choice of the Twelve (Matthew 10:2; Luke 6:12). See on Mt.

17. Boanerges] The sons of Zebedee are so named from their vehement character, and perhaps also from their powerful eloquence (cp. Mark 9:38; Mark 10:37; Luke 9:53-56). So Virgil speaks of ’the twin Scipiadæ, those two thunderbolts of war.’ The form Boanerges is corrupt and its derivation doubtful. Probably it stands for the Heb. Bʾne regesh, ’sons of tumult.’ Regesh means ’thunder’ in Arabic, and it may have done so (though there is no clear evidence that it did) in Hebrew and Aramaic.

18. The Canaanite] RV ’the Cananæan’ or ’zealot’: see on Matthew 10:4.

19b-30. Christ is accused of dealings with Beelzebub (Matthew 12:22). See on Mt.

19. An house] perhaps Simon’s.

20. A graphic touch derived from the personal reminiscences of Peter.

21. His friends] From Mark 3:31 they appear to have been His mother and brethren. ’There is both a logical and chronological relation between this attitude of our Lord’s family and this new phase of the opposition of the scribes. The logical relation is found in the language of the two. His family said “He is beside Himself” the scribes said, “He is possessed by the devil himself.” It is not, however, implied at all that His family was in sympathy with the scribes, their apprehension being simply that His mind was unsettled, and that He needed to be put under restraint. This lack of human sympathy with Him led Jesus to point out the higher reality of spiritual relationship and association’ (Gould). The Fourth Gospel agrees with the synoptists in representing the ’brethren’ as unbelievers and altogether unsympathetic (John 7:5). Only their anxiety, not their unbelief, is to be attributed to the Virgin mother: see John 2:3.

31-35. His mother and His brethren (Matthew 12:46; Luke 8:19). See on Mt, and on Mark 3:21.