The Gospels Mark

Facing Opposition in Ministry

Discover Jesus as: Servant Mark 3 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 141 of 730
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INTRO

We’ve moved from the study of Matthew and the picture of Jesus as the King to our study of Mark and the picture of Jesus as the Servant. In Mark 3, we’ll see how Jesus was not afraid to interact with people. Because He went amidst the people, many began to follow Him.

TEACHING

Mark 3:1-6: In the first six verses, Jesus went back to the synagogue and saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. Jesus restored the man’s hand.

Mark 3:7-12: As Jesus continues to do ministry, people are following Him everywhere. There is a great multitude from Judea, Galilee and everywhere, who followed Jesus, listened to His teaching, and watched Him heal the sick and cast out unclean spirits.

Mark 3:13-19: Jesus begins calling the 12 and naming them apostles: Simon Peter, James and John (the Sons of Thunder), Andrew, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. They were to be with Him, preach the gospel, and have authority to cast out demons. If Satan is real (and we believe he is), then his demons are still alive and active. We, like the disciples (v. 15), have the authority to drive out demons as well. It’s this tension of good and evil that is the backdrop for the verses to come (Ephesians 6:12). Matthew 10:8 records Jesus’ instructions: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons. You have received free of charge; give free of charge.”

Mark 3:20-21: Jesus returned home, still followed by the crowd so that Jesus couldn’t even eat (v. 20). Constable refers to these verses as an opposition “sandwich” of sorts, which shows two specific areas of opposition Jesus faced.1first part of the “sandwich” is the bottom bun and represents opposition from Jesus’ family (v. 21). The family wanted to “restrain” (i.e., take custody and take charge, or arrest and put in restraints) Jesus because “He’s out of His mind.” His family had journeyed 30 miles from Nazareth out of concern for Him––out of both love and ignorance (Acts 26:24; 2 Corinthians 5:13). Remember from our four-month study of the Pentateuch that all the Jews understood, was the Law and the traditions built around it. Jesus was doing things and teaching things that didn’t fit into their understanding of the Law. And the people were leaving the synagogues to hear what He had to say and to watch what He did. When we continue to take leaps of faith, we too should expect opposition from our families.

Mark 3:22-26: Moving to the “meat” part of the sandwich, Constable called this opposition from the enemies.2This opposition went straight for the jugular—calling Jesus out and making it personal. The scribes said Jesus had Satan (Beelzebub) in Him. Nelson’s Commentaryoutlines eight pagan gods in the New Testament. Beelzebub was “a heathen god considered by the Jews to be the supreme evil spirit.”3They were calling Jesus out as the ultimate evil spirit. Other pagan gods from the New Testament are:

  • Diana: Roman goddess of “the moon, hunting, wild animals, and virginity.”
  • Hermes: “the Greek god of commerce, science, invention, cunning, eloquence, and theft.”
  • Mammon: “the Aramaic word for riches, personified by Jesus as a false god.”
  • Moloch: “National god of the Ammonites whose worship involved child sacrifice.”
  • Remphan: “An idol worshiped by Israel in the wilderness.”
  • Twin Brothers: “In Greek mythology, the twin sons of Zeus.”
  • Zeus: “the supreme god of the ancient Greeks.”4

The scribes also accused Jesus of driving out demons because He was the ruler of the demons. Jesus knew this was a completely stupid accusation and asked them: How could Satan drive out Satan (v. 23)? Then, Jesus continued to make His point with the statements that a kingdom divided against itself, and a house divided against itself, cannot stand (vv. 24-25). And if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished (v. 26)!

Mark 3:27-30: Jesus then approached the religious from a different direction. He said no one could rob a strong man’s house unless he first binds up the strong man (v. 27). This statement makes sense when you realize the strong man is Satan, and Jesus is there to tie up and get rid of Satan’s works. 1 John 3:8 says: “The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works.” The role of Jesus is to always go after Satan.

In verse 28, Jesus told the scribes that “people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they may blaspheme.” Then, Jesus called them out for what they had said about Him: “But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (v. 29)—because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit” (v. 30). What Jesus was saying to the scribes was that because of what they had said about Him, they had just committed an eternal sin. The scribes were saying that Satan was controlling Jesus. Jesus responded that He had the Holy Spirit in Him and on Him, but the scribes said that was an unclean spirit. They had committed the unforgiveable sin—blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. These scribes were willfully choosing to be irreverent to God. One commentary says blasphemy can be understood as, “a type of sin, predominantly in speech, that is hostile, malicious, injurious, and derogatory to God.” Another way to look at this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is “one’s preference for darkness even though it has been exposed to light (John 3:19). Such a persistent attitude of willful unbelief can harden into a condition in which repentance and forgiveness, both mediated by God’s Spirit, become impossible.”5(Matthew 12:31-32; Hebrews 10:29).

At Jesus’ baptism in Mark 1:10, as soon as Jesus came out of the water, He experienced “the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending to Him like a dove.” Therefore, the scribes had to decide whether the Holy Spirit that came upon Jesus was of God or the enemy.

Mark 3:31-35: The rest of the opposition “sandwich” is found in these verses. Jesus’ mother and brothers had finally arrived in Capernaum. They sent word to Him and then called to Him (v. 31). But Jesus knew why they were there—to restrain Him. Jesus looked at the people around Him and asked, who were His mother and brothers (v. 33). Then Jesus said His family were those who did the will of God (v. 35). That means, whoever didn’t try to stop Him from doing the will of God . . . of preaching the Word and driving out demons . . . those were His family.

CLOSING

If you’re doing ministry, you should expect opposition. In fact, if you’re not facing opposition, you’re probably not doing ministry. If you are preaching the gospel and casting out demons, you should expect opposition because when this happens, you’ll rub people the wrong way. Romans 8:14 says, “All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons.” As we do these things, we are part of God’s family.

  1. Thomas L. Constable, Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable: Mark, p. 91; available online at https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/mark.pdf.

  2. Constable, p. 91.

  3. Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1999), p. 1212.

  4. Radmacher, Allen, and House, eds., p. 1212.

  5. John D. Grassmick, “Mark,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament(Wheaton: Scripture Press, 1983), p. 117; quoted in Constable, p. 94.

Questions

  1. Did the Pharisees’ plot in Mark 3:6 give you more understanding as to why Jesus would keep instructing people to “not tell others about Him” (Mark 3:12)? Why did Jesus instruct people to not tell others about Him? (Matthew 9:30; Mark 1:43-44)
  2. What do you practically think Mark 3:11 looked like? How is it that the evil spirits knew who Jesus is, but others were unable to accept Him as the Son of God? (Acts 19:15)
  3. How do you think Jesus chose the 12 that would become His disciples (Mark 3:13-14)? What is the difference between “calling” and “appointing”?
  4. Do you know anyone that casts out demons? Have you or anyone you know accused someone in a similar way as the teachers of the law accused Jesus in Mark 3:21-22?
  5. How can you discern someone who is casting out demons in Jesus’ name versus Satan’s?
  6. What does “blaspheming against the Holy Spirit” mean (Mark 3:29)? How would you explain this verse to someone? Can someone be forgiven if they blasphemed against the Holy Spirit before accepting Christ?
  7. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Mark 3 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Mark 3:21

“When His family heard this, they set out to restrain Him, because they said, ‘He’s out of His mind.’”

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Romans 8:31-32 – “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?”
  • Ephesians 6:12 – “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.”
  • Philippians 1:27-29 – “Just one thing: Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, working side by side for the faith that comes from the gospel, not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your deliverance—and this is from God. For it has been given to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.”