Mark 3:13–6:6
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In this section of Mark, Jesus’ ministry and authority accelerate in new ways. After calling the twelve apostles (3:13–19), yet before sending them out (6:7–13), Jesus continues his teaching and healing ministry in ways that create heightened amazement at him—though also heightened opposition. The main effect of these chapters is to continue to develop the positive reception Jesus receives from the masses, which will come to a crashing halt halfway through Mark’s Gospel.
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In Mark 3:13–6:6 Jesus demonstrates before the twelve disciples his unparalleled authority through teaching and healing.
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Read through the complete passage for this study, Mark 3:13–6:6. Then review the two passages listed below and write your notes on the following questions concerning various events in the early ministry of Jesus, first by word (3:13–4:34) and then by deed (4:35–6:6). (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 1898–1904; also available online at www.esvbible.org.)
1. Jesus’ Ministry by Word (3:13–4:34)
In Mark 3:13–18 Jesus calls the twelve disciples. Knowing that Mark views Jesus’ coming as the fulfillment of Old Testament expectations, what might be the significance of Jesus choosing twelve men? Note Revelation 21:12–14.
“Whoever blasphemes1 against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (Mark 3:29). Some have interpreted this to mean that there is a secret unpardonable sin which well-meaning followers of Christ might unwittingly fall into. In the context of Mark 3:22–29, however, it is clear that Jesus is not denying forgiveness to those who in contrition ask for it (note Mark 10:45). Rather, forgiveness is withheld from those who consistently attribute to Satan what is accomplished by the power of God—that is, if one makes a flagrant, willful judgment that the Spirit’s testimony about Jesus is satanic.
How might we see such blasphemy against the Spirit today?
In what way does Jesus reconstitute or transform the community of faith in Mark 3:31–35?
The parables2 in Mark’s Gospel are concentrated in chapter 4. Here Jesus uses parables to explain what the kingdom of God is like. These parables prove to be not only instruction for those “inside” but also judgment for those “outside.”
What is common to each of the first three seeds of the sower parable (4:15–19)? What is the central point of the parable (4:1–20)?
What is the main point of each of the next three parables—a lamp under a basket (4:21–25), a growing seed (4:26–29), and the mustard seed (4:30–34)? How do they contribute to Jesus’ portrayal of what the kingdom of God is like?
2. Jesus’ Ministry by Deed (4:35–6:6)
In Mark 4:35–41 we read a historical account of a boat that is caught up in a furious storm, resulting in great fear among those on board, only to be saved at the last moment by waking a man asleep within the boat. Where else have we heard such an account? For a hint see Matthew 12:38–42. In light of Job 12:15, 28:25, Psalm 33:7, and Psalm 107:25–30, what is the implication of Mark 4:39, and how might this explain the disciples’ terror in verse 41?
The account that opens Mark 5 is striking, and not a typical instance of demon3 possession. When asked his name by Jesus, the demon answers, “Legion, for we are many” (5:9). A legion was the largest unit of the Roman army, numbering up to six thousand soldiers. Evidently this is an unusually strong demon (or group of demons) that has taken hold of this man. What is Mark communicating to us about the mission and authority of Jesus through this account?
On his way to respond to the plea of Jairus, whose daughter is on the verge of death, Jesus is touched by a woman whose illness had rendered her ceremonially unclean. She would not have been able to worship at the temple in the section reserved for women, and would even have had to announce her uncleanness when in public. What does Jesus’ attentive care for this woman reveal about who he is? How do we understand Jesus’ agenda in light of the fact that healing this woman delays his visit to a young girl on death’s doorstep? In 5:33 we learn of the fear this woman felt—where else in Mark have we heard of fear, and what is the relation of fear to faith in Mark 5:33–34?
What does the account of Jesus’ rejection in his hometown in Mark 6:1–6 tell us about the relationship between his performance of miracles and the faith of the people?
Read through the following three sections on Gospel Glimpses, Whole-Bible Connections, and Theological Soundings. Then take time to reflect on the Personal Implications these sections may have for your walk with the Lord.
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SUMMONED BY GRACE. “And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired” (Mark 3:13). Jesus’ calling of his disciples is not related to any prior commitment or qualification on their part. It is solely at his invitation that they are summoned. The same holds true when God calls men and women to be his disciples today (see 1 Cor. 1:26–29).
THE SOURCE OF TRUE CLEANSING. As with the case of the leper in Mark 1:40–45, Jesus once more comes into physical contact with a ceremonially unclean person and instead of Jesus becoming unclean, the unclean person becomes clean (Mark 5:25–34). With Jesus, cleanliness, we might say, is contagious. Today, too, fellowship with him, communing with him, learning of him through the Word—all this does not make Jesus less holy but makes us, despite our sinfulness, more holy.
MORE THAN WE EVER ASKED. In Mark 5 Jairus asked Jesus to heal his daughter from a sickness. When Jesus showed up, however, she had already died, and Jesus did far more than Jairus ever asked. Jesus raised her from the dead. Jairus asked for a healing from sickness to health. Jesus provided a resurrection from death to life. Such is the heart of the Lord: he gives “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20).
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THE CALLING OF THE TWELVE. In the Old Testament, God called the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be the family through whom he would work to restore the world. Jacob had twelve sons, each of whom became the head of one of what would eventually be the twelve tribes of Israel. In the New Testament, Jesus, God incarnate, also calls out twelve men to be his chosen ones through whom he would work to restore the world (Mark 3:13–19). We see here the unity of the Bible as Jesus carries on the work of God’s people, begun in the Old Testament. Note also Revelation 21:9–17.
THE COSMIC TREE. In Mark 4:30–32 Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a tiny mustard seed which, when full grown, becomes the largest plant in the garden, in which the birds find rest and shade. This parable picks up an image carried through the Old Testament of a huge tree in whose branches the birds of the air nest and find shade (Ezek. 17:22–24; Dan. 4:10–23). Such a tree was proverbial in ancient literature, referring to the national superpower of the day, in whose shade the nations (“birds”) nested. The embracing of the nations in the kingdom of God is therefore probably part of the significance of Jesus’ parable in Mark 4. Also striking is the reversal that takes place, as the smallest seed provides a tree with the greatest branches (note also Ezek. 17:24). While the kingdom of God is outwardly unimpressive, the nations are gradually being gathered into it, and one day this kingdom will be unmistakably triumphant.
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FORGIVENESS. “All sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (Mark 3:28–29). If a person consistently attributes to Satan what is accomplished by God’s power, such a person does not know God and will not receive forgiveness. For the people of God, however, Jesus’ statement that “all sins will be forgiven the children of man” anticipates the eternally valid substitutionary atonement Jesus will be seen to provide in the final chapters of Mark’s Gospel (note also 10:45).
THE WORD OF GOD. Jesus’ parable of the sower in Mark 4:1–9, with his explanation of it in 4:13–20, centers on “the word”—in Mark, the message of the gospel (note 1:1, 14–15). The saving news of what God is doing in Jesus to restore the world impacts human hearts with very different results. Where the heart is receptive and welcoming to this message in a persevering way, this word bears fruit all out of proportion to what might be expected. The word of God, we learn in Mark 4, is powerful and fruitful, yet also dividing and alienating.
DEITY OF CHRIST. In Mark 4:35–41 Jesus calms a storm. Rather than being relieved, however, the disciples seem to be even more afraid of Jesus after the storm than they were of the storm itself! Why? In the Old Testament, it is God who calms the waves (Job 12:15; Ps. 33:7) and the storm (Job 28:25; Ps. 107:25–30; Amos 4:13). The disciples were coming to realize that their teacher was God himself in the flesh.
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Take time to reflect on the implications of Mark 3:13–6:6 for your own life today. Make notes below on the personal implications for your walk with the Lord of (1) the Gospel Glimpses, (2) the Whole-Bible Connections, (3) the Theological Soundings, and (4) this passage as a whole.
1. Gospel Glimpses
2. Whole-Bible Connections
3. Theological Soundings
4. Mark 3:13–6:6
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Take a moment now to ask for the Lord’s blessing and help as you continue in this study of Mark. And take a moment also to look back through this unit of study, to reflect on a few key things that the Lord may be teaching you—and perhaps to highlight or underline these to review again in the future.
Definitions
1 Blasphemy – Any speech, writing, or action that slanders God. In the OT, the penalty for blasphemy was death (Lev. 24:16).
2 Parable – A story that uses everyday imagery and activities to communicate a spiritual truth. Jesus often taught in parables.
3 Demon – An evil spirit that can inhabit (“possess”) a human being and cause him or her to carry out its will. Demons were rebel angels, originally created by God, and they are always limited by God. Jesus and his followers cast out many demons, demonstrating the coming of the kingdom of God and Jesus’ superiority. All demons will one day be destroyed along with Satan (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10).
The Place of the Passage