Gospel of Mark

Mark 3

The Sabbath was the most sacred day of the Jewish week.

It was a day “set apart” for and “dedicated to” the LORD (Exodus 16:23, 25). (Btw: When you see the word LORD spelled with small caps or all caps, it represents the holy and personal name of God, Yahweh.)

It was the Lord’s gift to his people (Exodus 16:29).

It was a sign of the faithful relationship between God and his people, often called a “covenant” (Exodus 31:13).

It was a reminder that God had freed his people from slavery in Egypt with his “strong hand and powerful arm” (Deuteronomy 5:15). (Exodus tells the full story of Israel’s slavery and rescue.)

Jesus said the Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people, not the other way around (Mark 2:27) and that it’s OK and permitted to “do good deeds” on the Sabbath. As usual, he flipped things around. Many people were over-focused on what they couldn’t and shouldn’t do on the Sabbath. But Jesus said, “Surely you can and should do good things. There’s no rule against that!” In fact Jesus did many miracles on the Sabbath, which irritated strict rule-followers.

Today we find Sabbath — rest, comfort, peace, freedom, belonging, identity, healing — in Jesus himself, not just one day a week, but every day.

READ & REFLECT

Mark 3

verses 28-30 (The “unforgivable sin”)

  • Jesus says it’s very wrong and dangerous to intentionally misidentify good as evil (and vice versa) and the Holy Spirit (or God or Jesus) as Satan (and vice versa). What are some ways the world confuses or misidentifies those things? Why is that dangerous?
  • How can you protect yourself against that kind of confusion or misidentification?

verses 31-35 (Jesus’ true family)

  • When Jesus says, “Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother,” what do you think he means? What qualifies as God’s will?
  • Copy out verses 33-35 in your journal.

General Reflection:

  • What do you learn about Jesus from this passage?
  • What do you learn about following Jesus from this passage?

Extra Info

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  • Herod​ (his full name was Herod Antipas) ruled Galilee from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39. Much of what we know about Jesus took place in Galilee. Herod was appointed to this role by Caesar Augustus (the first Roman emperor). Herod was sometimes called “king” (Mark 6:14).
  • One of Jesus’ disciples, Simon, was called a zealot. This group of people were zealous for God but wanted to use force to overthrow the occupying Roman rulers.
  • Satan​ means “adversary.”

Old Testament References

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