Mark 3 — FBV

3Verse 1Jesus went to the synagogue again. A man was there who had a crippled hand.^{Verse 2}Some of those there were watching Jesus to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath, because they were looking for a reason to accuse him of breaking the law.^{Verse 3}Jesus told the man with the crippled hand, “Come and stand here in front of everyone.”^{Verse 4}“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil? Should you save life, or should you kill?” he asked them. But they didn't say a word.^{Verse 5}He looked around at them in exasperation, very upset by their hard-hearted attitude. Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it was healed.^{Verse 6}The Pharisees left, and immediately began plotting with Herod's party as to how they might kill Jesus.^{Verse 7}Meanwhile Jesus returned to the Sea,⁺and a large crowd followed him. They were from Galilee, Judea,^{Verse 8}Jerusalem, Idumea, Transjordan, and from the regions of Tyre and Sidon. So many people came to see him because they'd heard about all he was doing.^{Verse 9}Jesus told his disciples to have a small boat ready in case the crowd crushed him,^{Verse 10}because he had healed so many that all the sick people kept on pressing towards him so they could touch him.^{Verse 11}Whenever the evil spirits saw him they would fall down in front of him and shout out, “You are the Son of God!”^{Verse 12}But he commanded them not to reveal who he was.^{Verse 13}Then Jesus went away to the hill country. He called those he wanted to be with him, and they came to him.^{Verse 14}He chose twelve to be with him, and called them apostles. They were to be with him, and he would send them out to announce the good news,^{Verse 15}and with the authority to drive out demons.^{Verse 16}These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he called Peter),^{Verse 17}James the son of Zebedee and his brother John (who he called Boanerges, meaning “sons of thunder”),^{Verse 18}Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Revolutionary,^{+Verse 19}and Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him).^{Verse 20}Jesus went home, but such a large crowd gathered again that he and his disciples didn't even have time to eat.^{Verse 21}When Jesus' family⁺heard about it, they came to take him away, saying, “He's lost his senses!”^{Verse 22}But the religious leaders from Jerusalem said, “He's possessed by Beelzebub! It's by the ruler of demons that he's driving out demons!”^{Verse 23}But Jesus called them over to him. Using illustrations⁺he asked them, “How can Satan throw out Satan?^{Verse 24}A kingdom fighting itself can't continue.^{Verse 25}A household that's divided is doomed.^{Verse 26}If Satan is divided and fights against himself, he won't last long—he'll soon come to an end.^{Verse 27}Clearly, if someone breaks into the house of a strong man and tries to take his things, he won't get far in his theft unless he ties up the strong man first.”^{Verse 28}“I tell you the truth: all sins and blasphemies can be forgiven,^{Verse 29}but if people blaspheme by rejecting the Holy Spirit they can never be forgiven, because they are guilty of an eternal sin.”^{Verse 30}(Jesus said this⁺because they said, “He has an evil spirit.”)^{Verse 31}Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. They waited outside and sent him a message, asking him to come out.^{Verse 32}The crowd that was sitting around him told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside asking for you.”^{Verse 33}“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” he responded.^{Verse 34}Looking around at all those sitting there in a circle, he said, “Here is my mother! Here are my brothers!^{Verse 35}Whoever does what God wants, they are my brother, and sister, and mother.”