Prepare for this lesson by reading Mark Chapter 3.
Let's begin with prayer.
Holy God, Lover of Mankind, illumine our hearts with the pure light of thy divine knowledge. Open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of thy Gospel teachings. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
Jesus withdrew from the city of Capernaum to the Sea of Galilee. There huge crowds gathered around Him. The people came from Galilee, Idumea, Judea, Jerusalem and other regions, seeking healing and deliverance from evil spirits. The crowds pressed on him to such a degree that Jesus told his disciples to have a boat ready for them to depart.
On a mountain in Galilee, Jesus appointed twelve disciples to preach, heal, and drive out demons. These are the original Twelve Apostles. Except for John who lived to an old age, and Judas Iscariot who killed himself, all were eventually martyred.
Jesus' family came to speak to him, fearing that He had lost his mind. The Jerusalem scribes claimed that He cast out demons by the power of Beelzebul, a deity that never existed. Jesus then spoke of how a kingdom divided against itself will fall and He warned about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
When His mother and brothers arrived, seeking to speak to him, Jesus spoke of the Kingdom as His family, stating that His brother, sister, and mother are those who do the will of His Father.
Questions
1. Who were the Pharisees and the Herodians?
2. Why did the Pharisees and the Herodians want to destroy Jesus?
3. Jesus and his disciples had a crowd control problem. What plan of escape did Jesus have while at the Sea of Galilee?
4. Mark is the only book of the New Testament that mentions Idumea, the "Land of Red People". Why is Idumea (also known as Edom) significant in reference to Jesus Messiah?
5. Who are the twelve men called by Jesus to be His Apostles? What does the name "Bartholomew" mean?
6. What specific ministries were the Twelve Apostles appointed to do?
7. The Jewish religious leaders claimed that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Beelzebul. What does Beelzebul mean?
8. Jesus defined blasphemy as sin against the Holy Spirit. How did the Pharisees blaspheme against the Holy Spirit?
9. Who were Jesus' brothers and sisters and what concerned them about Jesus?
10. How did Jesus define "family"?
Answers
1. The Pharisees were a strict Jewish sect that wanted to uphold Jewish religious traditions. The Herodians were Jewish politicians who were willing to compromise Jewish traditions to gain the favor of the Romans who dominated Galilee and Judea. The Herodians systematically marginalized the traditionalist priests, including some of Jesus' ancestors. An example is Herod's removal of a High Priest named Matthias, a
descendant of David. The family of Matthias, once a favorite of Herod
the Great, was ostracized from Jewish political life and came to have limited
political influence with the House of Zadok. The name Matthias, or variant spellings of that name, appear 4 places in Luke's list of the ancestors of the Virgin Mary. Though the Pharisees and the Herodians differed in their goals and political loyalties, they briefly united in opposition to Jesus (Mk. 3:6).
2. The Pharisees regarded Jesus as a violator of their strict religious code. The Herodians saw Him as a threat to their political control. They feared that He would incite rebellion against their Roman overlords.
3. Wherever Jesus and his disciples went, crowds followed them. Jesus asked his disciples to have a boat ready so the massive crowd would not cause injury to them. Crowds can be stirred to sudden action that can result in people being trampled.
4. Idumea or Edom was Abraham's territory and the region of the Horite Hebrew rulers before there was a king in Israel. Genesis 36:31 says, "These were the kings of Edom before there was a king over the people of Israel." This detail in Mark's Gospel is significant because it means that people from what was Abraham's territory wanted to see Jesus. Abraham's territory extended between Hebron and Beersheba to the south. Both places are shown on the map.
5. The twelve Apostles were Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew (or Levi), Philip, James, Thomas, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot, and Bartholomew. Bartholomew is the English version of the Aramaic Bar-Talmai, meaning "son of Talmai". The fact that he takes this name indicates that Talmai was a prominent Galilean Jew.
6. Jesus told the twelve Apostles to preach, heal, and cast out demons. These are the marks of the Apostolic ministry. They were not to demonstrate, organize rallies, promote their favorite agendas, etc.
7. Beelzebul means "Lord of flies" and was a play on the word Baal-zebal, used to mock Jesus. The word Baal-zebal means "Lord of the Heights". The Jewish leaders accused Jesus of casting out demons and healing by the power of a deity that existed only in Jewish folklore. However, their intention was clear. They attributed Jesus' power to the demonic.
8. The Pharisees saw the miracles done by Jesus with their own eyes and maliciously claimed that Jesus was working by demonic power. Jesus knew their hearts were hardened against the power of the Holy Spirit. Rejection of the Holy Spirit's work makes forgiveness impossible.
9. Jesus was Mary's only child. The brothers and sisters mentioned in Mark 3 were Joseph's children by his other wife. They were Jesus' half-siblings. They came to fetch Him, having heard rumors about him that made them think that Jesus had become mentally unstable.
10. The Jewish leaders were proud of their national and ethnic identity. They regarded their blood kinship as the basis for their loyalties and most of their social obligations. Jesus redefined family as more than biological relatives. By His blood, all his followers are made His family. When his
mother and siblings approached him, Jesus pointed
to his faithful followers and declared them his family. He was speaking of a
spiritual reality. All who are in Christ are his family and his kin. He makes us one people by his own blood, and we are his inheritance from his Father.
Related reading: Mark Chapter 1: The Barmore-Linsley Study; Mark Chapter 2: Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath; The Hebrew Were a Caste; Belonging to Christ is a Serious Matter
