Mark, chapter 3

1 ¶ And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

Here is Jesus repudiating the idea that He shouldn’t even heal a suffering person on the Sabbath. Some Christians would have you abandon a sick relative, a suffering loved one, or anyone who needed to be ministered to for Christ if there was a church service to attend. While there is much room for people using almost anything as an excuse to miss church, this is not necessarily the case. If you have a chance to witness, or to minister to someone then take it. But, remember, you will answer for lies and excuses that serve you when you stand before Jesus Christ.

5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

What modern, simpering, milquetoast Christians lack is anger, righteous indignation. We have become so enamored of the Satanic view of a Christian as being an effeminate, limp wristed love, love, love type of guy, we’d rather men cry than take a stand against evil in the church. Jesus looked round about on them with anger.

Here’s a bunch of guys who are the spiritual leaders and they are opposed to Him healing someone who is hurting. If faith healer fakes like Benny Hinn were real they would heal someone like this rather than those people in line with the so called one leg longer than the other. If they were real they’d go into a children’s hospital and heal children by the dozen.

Jesus was real and He healed at His pleasure. Here, the faith of the person being healed is not important although in other places faith is rewarded. If a Roman Catholic or a Pentecostal healer was real they wouldn’t constantly accuse suffering people of not having faith and then demanding money. These hucksters are wicked.

6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

These two religio-political groups are opposed to each other normally. The Pharisee is a fundamentalist, separated and pious. The Herodian follows Rome. They can both get together, as today, on the basis of their opposition to Christ.

Matthew 22:15 ¶ Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
These things still occur. In a church people can get together, who normally hate each other, by their opposition to the preacher because he isn’t something that they think a preacher should be or because he condemns sin.

7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,

Jesus controls his movements and He will lay His life down when it is time to do so. No one can rush it.

John 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

It has been said that every Christian has a set time to die and that no one can harm you before God has ordained it so.

Luke4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

He allows them to take Him right to the crest of a hill before He passes through them here.

God has decided when it is that I shall die. Unlike Jesus, I don’t know when that is. I must live every day as if it were my last on earth in the form I’m in now.

8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.
9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.

Imagine how the crowds plagued by disease and wanting healing from their many diseases crowded Jesus. The evidence of a fallen world, sick and twisted, pleading to God for deliverance is abundant.

10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

Look, even the unclean spirits will acknowledge that He is the Son of God. They will, however, never call Him Lord.

12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
13 ¶ And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

God calls people to Himself. Some preachers aren’t called to preach, however, they are just good speakers. God hasn’t necessarily called someone just because that person wants to do something. God often calls people who don’t speak well such as Moses to show His power.

What preceded the calling of the twelve apostles?

Luke 6:12 ¶ And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

An ordaining is an appointment. An ordination in the Bible is a formality with regard to someone who has already been called. God has ordained many things that won’t happen.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Have we been walking in good works every day since our salvation? I doubt it. Perhaps you’re a much better person than myself.

15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

These are signs for the Jews. The nation was born in signs.

1Corinthians 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom (Greeks = Gentiles)

Deuteronomy 4:34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

The signs are for the apostles, who are now gone from us.

2Corinthians 12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

Mark 16:14 ¶ Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 ¶ So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Satan’s own can and will duplicate signs so they can’t be trusted as proof of anything.

2Thessalonians 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

Signs were part of the way that God began the Jewish nation and proved Himself to them. The deluded morons who claim to be Apostles (any Pope and many Charismatic preachers) now don’t have any signs or power and in the latter case are nothing more than hucksters and conmen.

People who deny the power of the Bible as a sanctifying agent of God will often turn to fakers like this and waste emotional energy and money on their false works. People who think Benny Hinn is a legitimate preacher are the same idiots who will not permit the Bible to change them in any way. They deny God’s word and prefer Satan’s lying wonders.

16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;
17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

One of these guys have three names as many of us do. Thaddeus is called Judas, is also known as Jude and writes a book. He’s also called Lebbaus in Matthew 10:3.

Mt 10:3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

Notice that Judas Iscariot (man of Kerioth, which is in Moab) has these signs and powers to do wonders, as well.

20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

Everywhere Jesus is going, every minute of His day seems to be consumed. His friends try to protect Him. We still use the phrase “he’s beside himself.”

We have no problem with a person painting themselves purple and going to a football game and screaming at the top of his lungs jumping up and down, a man who will work eighty hours a week at the office, or one who will save up money for a dream three day vacation to Stinkyville but should you get a passion for lost souls you will be regarded as nuts.

22 ¶ And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

Jesus accomplishes His ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

Here, the scribes are attributing that power to Satan.

23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

With the gospel and you going out to preach Jesus Christ you are dealing with a person held captive by Satan and you are binding Satan. Jesus sets the captives free.

28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

This is because of verse 22. This is something that can only happen while Jesus Christ is on earth physically healing people. You couldn’t blaspheme the Holy Ghost if you tried. This was a condition that could only occur while Jesus was here doing His healing miracles.

On the other hand, as an argument against what I just said, if you want a practical application, think that rejecting the Holy Spirit’s work is a type of blasphemy. If you die rejecting Christ you have blasphemed the Holy Spirit whose efforts were in the direction of trying to save you. You can’t be forgiven in Hell.

31 ¶ There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?
34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

First, this shows that the Vatican is wrong. Jesus did have brothers and sisters. The brothers are named here;

Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

As the Son of God with a capital “S”, God the Son, or God in the flesh, only those people who do God’s will are the family of Jesus. What does it mean to do God’s will?

2Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us–ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Matthew 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.