Welcome to Week Three in our study of the Gospel of Mark. In the first eight weeks, we seek to learn about who Jesus was. What was his identity?
This week we will be working through Mark chapter 3 where I don’t know how else to say this, but a lot happens.
Study notes and prayer guides by Will Buschmann, Director of Student Ministries.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
Healing on the Sabbath Take-Two
Observe
Jesus is back again at the synagogue, presumably in Capernaum, and all eyes are on him. The religious elites are waiting in anticipation to see if Jesus will do it again. To see if Jesus will “break” the Sabbath in their minds by healing a man’s hand. The irony is that they seek to deny Jesus the right to do good on the Sabbath while they conspire to do evil on the Sabbath.
{Mark 3:1-6 ESV} {1} Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. {2} And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. {3} And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” {4} And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. {5} And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. {6} The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
{Exodus 20:8-11 ESV} {8} “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. {9} Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, {10} but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. {11} For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Jesus’ identity is one who cares. Specifically, Jesus cared about this man at this moment over everything else. He didn’t care who was watching or what they would think. Jesus’ identity is also one who does good. That may seem simple but think about it for a second. Every moment, every facet of life, every place he goes for all of eternity, He does good. I can’t claim that about myself and that makes me want to follow Jesus all the more, wherever he leads.
- What are obstacles to caring and doing good in this life for you?
- Why was Jesus angry? What makes him angry?
- Where is your heart hard towards people right now? Name names and situations. Get specific and let the Holy Spirit do its work.
Jesus, You are good. You are a healer. I praise that you can be trusted every moment of every day in this life and the next because of that. Give me eyes to see your goodness and your healing as I go about my day today. Let me not take it for granted. I confess that I cannot claim that about me. That oftentimes I’m like the Pharisees looking at what is truly good and not seeing it like that. Forgive me. Give me your Spirit today to see someone in need of care and to do good in that moment no matter what obstacles may prevent me from that. Let me rest in your goodness and care today. Amen
Day 2
Crowds, Diseases, and Unclean Spirits
Observe
The Book of Mark takes no breaks and neither do we. Jesus continues in rapid succession making clear who He is. He’s God who has the power to heal, even the unclean spirits realize this and will fall down before Him.
{Mark 3:7-12 ESV} {7} Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea {8} and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. {9} And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, {10} for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. {11} And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” {12} And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
Mark packs a lot into a few verses here, so a couple of things to consider today.
- Jesus “withdrew”. Jesus made it a habit to routinely withdraw away from the crowds for retreat and solitude. A necessary routine in this life for Jesus and even more so us.
- Mark spends a lot of time talking about the crowds in his gospel. This crowd is filled with people wanting to be healed. They are looking for healing so badly, Jesus was concerned about being crushed. All it would take is just a touch from Jesus to receive healing and many did.
- It’s weird how the unclean spirits are the ones who clearly see Jesus for who he is. Not just a man with the power to heal, but as the Son of God. The crowds were not the ones crying out about his identity, the demons were.
- Jesus has full power over the demonic realm. They bow down to him, he doesn’t bow down to them.
- Where do you withdraw to? Is it a regular part of your rhythm? If not, how can you make time (which I know is difficult) this week for silence, solitude, and prayer?
- Where in your life is it easy to use Jesus as a means to an end (healing, peace, etc.) and not as the end?
Jesus, Today I want to cry out that you are the Son of God. I want to worship you in a way that honors who you are. I praise you for revealing who you are to me. Jesus, let me see your power clearly in my own life. Let me see it so I respond in a way where I fall down at your feet. Forgive me for the times I am like the crowd and want what you can give me, but not want to worship you for who you are. Forgive me in a different way that I am not like the crowd who would do what seems like almost anything for your healing. Teach me heart that you are the source of all healing and hope in my life. Amen
Day 3
“He is out of his mind”
Observe
Jesus will call out his disciples today and immediately send them on mission. Jesus’ family at this point in Mark is quite unsure about what he is doing as of late.
{Mark 3:13-21 ESV} {13} And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. {14} And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach {15} and have authority to cast out demons. {16} He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); {17} James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); {18} Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, {19} and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. {20} Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. {21} And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
I enjoyed the list yesterday so let’s do it again.
- It’s beautiful that Jesus calls those that he desires. Consider that he called you to himself because he desires you. The Son of God called you into his family purely, because he desires you.
- He calls his disciples in to send them back out on mission. A mission to preach with an authority that is powerful enough to cast out demons. That’s not just a them in the past thing, but this is an us right now thing.
- His family thinks he has snapped though. This is not the Jesus they grew up with. He’s causing a lot of trouble in their minds and they would prefer it if he would stop.
- What gifts, talents, and abilities has Jesus specifically given to you that you can use for his glory? Where are you using them presently? Where might you want to get involved in our church or in our city to use them?
- Why do you think Jesus’ family thinks he’s out of his mind?
Dear Lord, I confess that I often choose to live my life in this “holy huddle,” surrounded by people who know your gospel. But you, the Holy One, sought out all types of people with all kinds of sin. You sought me, Lord. Your message is for sinners, and you’ve saved me and chosen me as a messenger. So make me brave Lord, to share my life with all types of people and to explain my life to them by the message of your gospel. Amen.
Day 4
Beelzebub and the Unforgivable Sin
Observe
Jesus is making the religious elites so angry they send a delegation of scribes from Jerusalem to confront him. They make a claim that Jesus will not allow to go unaddressed and he uses it to teach them and us about the only unforgivable sin in this life and the next.
{Mark 3:22-30 ESV} {22} And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” {23} And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? {24} If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. {25} And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. {26} And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. {27} But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. {28} “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, {29} but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”– {30} for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
{Matthew 12:22-32 ESV} {22} Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. {23} And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” {24} But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” {25} Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. {26} And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? {27} And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. {28} But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. {29} Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. {30} Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. {31} Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. {32} And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
The scribes make the claim that Jesus’ power is from Satan not from God, this is a big no-no to say the least. Jesus uses logic to show them that this is not just false, but it is completely idiotic. Why would Satan help Jesus to defeat Satan? If Satan did that he would only hasten his own demise, which is coming inevitably anyways. Jesus is the ultimate strong man, who will bind up Satan and he will plunder his people from sin and death through his very own death and resurrection. That’s our ultimate hope. That’s what we trust in. Jesus did for us what we cannot do by our own power.
Now, on to the tough stuff. Let’s work through these last verses in a question and answer model.
- Is there a sin which God will not forgive?
Yes. Jesus makes that clear that there is an eternal sin in verse 29.
- What is the eternal sin?
The eternal sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. That is a sin that Jesus says will never have forgiveness.
- What does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?
John Piper defines it in a way that I understand and I believe is helpful in understanding what Jesus is saying here. He says, “The unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an act of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power so that we are never able to repent and be forgiven.”
The Book of Mark makes it clear from the outset that forgiveness comes from repentance. We must acknowledge our sin, turn from our sin, and return back to God. This is all totally a work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity that convicts us of our sin so that we can repent of it. It is by the Holy Spirit’s convicting power that repentance comes in our life. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to our sin in a way that makes us understand that we are in need of a Savior, that our debt of sin cannot be paid for by our own merit. When we repent of our sin that is when we receive forgiveness. So in our life if we reject the Holy Spirit’s power and presence, if we disrespect the Holy Spirit, if we blaspheme the Holy Spirit’s name there may come a time to where the Holy Spirit no longer convicts us, no longer draws us to repentance, and that means we will not find forgiveness, because in a terrifying thought we won’t even go looking for it. We will have wrongly believed that we do not need it or want it.
Be assured though that the Holy Spirit is moving in your life. Don’t see his conviction as problematic, see it as the Holy Spirit has not given up on you. That by the Spirit’s convicting power you are able to repent and come back to God where you find and receive forgiveness. So look for his conviction, be thankful for it when it comes. Let it remind you that you have not entered into the territory that Jesus is talking to us about today. Go confidently to the throne in your repentance and receive his forgiveness.
- Where in your life do you give Satan too much power? Where right now do you believe in a big way or a small way that Satan will win out against Jesus in the end?
- When was the last time you felt the Holy Spirit’s conviction? How did you respond?
- What do you need to repent of today?
Jesus, I thank you for the tough stuff that your Scripture brings up. You don’t do this because you are mad at me, you do this because you love me. Thank you for these hard words today, no matter how I felt when I read them. Holy Spirit I beg you not to give up on me. I ask that you would meet me with your power today. That you would convict me of my sin. I pray by your power I would repent of all known sin in my life, that I may find healing and forgiveness at the feet of Jesus. Lord protect me from blaspheming the Holy Spirit and keep me in your mercy. I trust you. Amen
Day 5
The Family of God
Observe
Jesus’ family won’t let up. Jesus teaches us what it means to be his family in these verses.
{Mark 3:31-35 ESV} {31} And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. {32} And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” {33} And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” {34} And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! {35} For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
Jesus came to create a new family. A family that is created not just through birth, adoption, or marriage like on this earth. A family where membership comes by doing the will of God. A family that includes people of all languages, all races, all socioeconomic statuses purely because they share one thing in common, doing the will of God. It’s beautiful that the family of God is defined by what they share in common, not what differences could separate them. I think that this is what our world needs right now for the global Church and for our church here at Rio to look more like a family that celebrates what brings us together, not what could possibly pull us apart. I think that has the power to change a city and even a nation.
- What does it mean to do the will of God?
- What would it look like for us at Rio to love each other like a family?
- What struggles do you have loving those who are in the family of God with you?
Jesus, Thanks for making me a part of your family. Thank you for my brothers and sisters that you have drawn into your family as well. Forgive me that I don’t love my church like they are my family. That I am too concerned with the differences that I miss what you have done by drawing us together. Forgive me that I downplay the fact that it cost you your life to make me a part of your family. Give me a heart of love for those you have placed around me in such a way that any onlookers would think they sure don’t look like a family, but they for sure love like one. Amen