Mark

3:20-35

The journey begins, 1:1-5:43

4. True Israel defined, 3:7-35

ii] Satan defeated

"Mark begins by telling us of the anxiety of Jesus' kith and kin about him, goes on to describe the charge of 'black magic' which some Jerusalem scribes brought against him, and after relating the controversy, records Christ's words about his 'real brethren'", Hunter.

This passage falls within the opening section of the gospel of Mark, paralleling the commencement of Jesus' ministry with the commencement of Israel's journey from Egypt to the promised land. In the sub-section 3:7-35, Mark defines the true Israel, and it is within this theme that our passage appears.

Mark records the initial enthusiastic response to Jesus ministry, a response which is overwhelming Jesus and his disciples and which is causing some concern to his family, v20-21. Both Taylor and Cranfield note that the response of Jesus' family could never be invented. "Mark's frankness in impressive", Cranfield.

ercetai (ercomai) pres. "then [(Jesus)] entered" - he enters. Historic present.

palin "again" - Indicating the continued enthusiasm of the crowd in response to Jesus' ministry, cf.3:7. Possibly again in the same locality (Capernaum ?) at the same house (Peter and Andrew's house ?), so Gundry.

w{ste "so that" - Introducing a consecutive clause expressing result.

mh ..... mhde "not ever" - Double negative, "not able to not eat" = "it was impossible for them to even eat a meal", Barclay. Emphasizing Jesus "attractive power", Gundry.

fagein (fagw) aor. inf. "to eat" - to eat [bread]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "they were [not] able"; the subject "they" is obviously "Jesus and his disciples." The "to eat bread" is an Aramaic expression "for taking food of any sort", Cranfield.

akousanteV (akouw) aor. part. "when [his family] heard about this" - having heard. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal, as NIV.

oiJ par autou "his family" - those from beside him. Classical oiJ para + dat. = "those of someone's household", but in Koine it is, as here, + gen., but takes much the same meaning. This phrase may just refer to Jesus' family friends, but more likely his relatives and particularly his immediate family; "his mother and his brothers." We know that Jesus' kin did not at first believe in his messiahship.

krathsai (kratew) aor. inf. "to take charge [of him]" - to seize hold of. The infinitive is verbal forming a purpose clause, "they came out [from their home to the house Jesus was staying at] in order to get hold of him / restrain him." Possibly "to calm down", although the verb is far too strong to give this meaning.

gar "for" - Causal, "because".

elegon (legw) imperf. "they said" - they were saying. Possibly an impersonal plural where this was said of Jesus and which rumor family members had heard about; "for men were saying", Moffatt, although probably just "a scholarly attempt to protect the family", Marcus.

oJti "-" - that. Introducing a dependent statement of stating / direct discourse; "they said that ...."

exesth (existhmi) aor. "he is out of his mind" - he has stood outside = is confused, lost his senses. The aorist is best treated as dramatic, expressing a present state. "He must be in the grip of some kind of emotional frenzy", Junkins, or possibly with the more sinister connotation, "he has a demon and is insane", cf. John 10:20.

The religious authorities investigate the situation and make their judgment in the strongest terms; "He is possessed."

oiJ grammateiV (euV ewV) "the teachers of the law" - the scribes. The word was originally used of those who simply copied the scriptures, a kind of human printing press, but by this time they were regarded as authorized interpreters, teaches of the scriptures, so "experts in the law", Barclay. That they came from Jerusalem gives them even greater authority.

katabanteV (katabainw) aor. part. "who came down [from Jerusalem]" - having come down. The participle is adjectival, limiting "scribes", "the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem", Moffatt. Coming down in height terms, but also coming down from the superior to the the great unwashed.

oJti "-" - that. Introducing a dependent statement of stating, direct speech; "said that ....", and is followed up by a second example, "and [said] that ....."

Beelzeboul "Beelzebub" - Aramaic: "lord of the house, temple / lord of the dung, flies, carrion" from the Syrian original "Lord Ekron", 2King.1:2. It would seem that "Beelzebub" and "the prince of demons", both refer to "Satan" (so Edwards), although possibly "the prince of demons" refers to a superior evil spirit. This may imply that Beelzebub also is a title for a superior demon-prince, particularly as there is no reference to Satan being called Beelzebub (so Gundry).

en + dat. "by [the prince of demons]" - by [the ruler of demons]. Instrumental. "By the power of", BAGD.

In a series of sayings Mark now has Jesus answering the charge that he is acting under the power of Satan, v23-27. The first saying counters this charge, although it requires some expansion to make sense; "(If I really cast out demons by the power of the prince of demons, then it must mean that Satan is actually casting out Satan, but) how can Satan cast out Satan?" Cranfield, v23. The next saying is introduced by two illustrations supporting the point that if Satan has moved against himself then he is finished, v24-26. In the next saying Jesus identifies the correct conclusion to be drawn from his miraculous works, particularly exorcisms, namely that Satan, the "strong man", is, at least to some degree, "bound" and unable to resist the ministry of Jesus, v27. The issue as to whether we have a set of stitched independent sayings assembled by Mark, or that Mark records a complete discourse, really has no bearing on either interpretation, or inspiration. See Taylor who argues that v27 (cf. Lk.11:21) at least is a stitched independent saying.

proskalesamenoV (proskalew) aor. part. "so [Jesus] called [them]" - having summoned. The participle is adverbial, probably consecutive, expressing result, "so consequently, Jesus summoned them and spoke to them."

en + dat. "in" - in, on. Probably instrumental, "by having recourse to figurative language", Cassirer.

parabolaiV (h) dat. "parables" - The word is used of: allegories, eg. the parable of the sower; of riddles (marsals), eg. "the kingdom of heaven is like unto ..." = kingdom parables / a hidden gospel message; of illustrations, eg. The parable of the tenants in the vineyard, Matt.21:33-46; of illustrative sayings, as here of a "picturesque and allusive maxim", Taylor.

pwV adv. "how" - Introducing an interrogative clause, "how".

ekballein (ekballw) pres. inf. "drive out" - [able] to cast out. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "is able"; "how is Satan able to eject Satan?"

satanaV "Satan" - Heb. "the Adversary."

"A nation set upon civil war is unable to survive."

kai "-" - and. Here possibly taking the Semitic causal sense, "for", so Gundry, Cranfield. "How is it possible for Satan to expel Satan? For if civil war breaks out in a kingdom nothing can make that kingdom last", Weymouth.

basileia (a) "a kingdom" - A political entity.

ef "against" - over, upon, on. "upon itself" = "against itself.

ean + subj. "if" - Introducing a conditional sentence 3rd class, where the condition is assumed a possibility, "if, as may be the case, ...... then ..."

staqhnai (iJsthmi) aor. pas. inf. "[cannot] stand" - [is not able] to stand. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "is [not] able."

"And if there are internal divisions in a household, it is impossible that such a household should stand firm", Cassirer.

oikia (a) - "a house" - Used in the sense of a "family", or "household".

"If Satan has geared up to do battle against himself, he will destroy himself and bring his kingdom to an end", Junkins.

ei + ind. "if" - Again another conditional sense, but this time 1st. class, where the condition is assumed a reality; "if, as is the case, ...... then ...." "In other words, the argument has shifted from the hypothetical to the assumption that Satan has indeed not risen up against himself", Guelich.

teloV ecei "his end has come" - he has an end. "He is done for", Manson, although better, "he is at his end", Gundry, rather than "finished".

There is, of course, another way of reading Jesus' miraculous healings and exorcisms. "If God is to rule, Satan the 'strong man' must be bound. Jesus is not only the herald of this dawning kingdom, but in some sense its agent, the 'stronger one' announced by John, cf. 1:7", Boring.

alla "in fact" - but. Adversative, here introducing a counter argument; "on the contrary", TH.

ou .... oudeiV ..... mh "no one ...... unless" - no one ...... [is] not [able] (cannot) ..... unless. The piling up of negations stresses the point that it is impossible to set Satan's captives free without first disabling him.

eiselqwn (eisercomai) aor. part. "enter" - [no one] having entered [the house of the strong man]. The participle is probably adjectival, limiting "no one", "no one who enters the house .."

diarpasai (diaprazw) aor. inf. "carry off" - [is not able] to plunder, seize [the objects = possessions / goods / belongings of him]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of "is [not] able".

ean mh + subj. "unless" - Introducing a conditional clause, 3rd. class, where the condition is assumed a possibility. In this verse the apodosis has been stated first, followed by the protasis (the "if" clause), a necessary move given the piling up of the negatives. Without the negatives the sentence would read "if, [as may be the case], someone ties up the strong man [then] he (having entered the house of the strong man) is able to plunder his possessions."

dhsh/ (dew) aor. subj. "ties up" - he may bind. The binding of Satan is an interesting sub-issue and something often practised today in various forms. As far as the NT is concerned Satan is both "bound / defeated" and at the same time strolling around like a roaring lion - another example of the now/not yet reality of the kingdom.

ton iscuron adj. "the strong man" - The substantival articular adjective is often treated as indefinite, "a strong man" citing Aramaic form, although Mark does probably have in mind "the strong man" = Satan.

tote "then" - Consequential in time terms; "then what follows is that ....." The logic of the argument is as follows: "if someone ties up a strong man he is able to carry off his possessions. Given that a stronger man than Satan has come, has entered his house and has bound him, then he will plunder his house, as you can well see."

diarpasei (diarpazw) fut. "[then] he can rob [the house]" - [then] he will rob [the house]. Note the stress on actuality, "he will rob the house."

The next saying, followed in v30 by a word of explanation, serves as a word of warning to the scribes who have suggested that Jesus is an agent of Satan. Addressing the issue of slander ("blasphemies") Jesus makes the point that we can be forgiven all sort of sinful slanders, except a slander against the Holy Spirit.

Amhn "[I tell you] the truth" - truly [I say to you]. Introducing a statement that "is firm and binding", Cranfield. "I give you solemn assurance of this", Cassirer.

oJti "-" - that. Introducing a dependent statement of stating, "I say to you that ....."

panta "all" - Luke has paV oJV, "everyone who". Probably "all" modifies "sins"; "the sons of men shall be forgiven all their sins and all the blasphemes they may utter", Moffatt. On the other hand, it is possible that "all" may serve as the subject of "will be forgiven", with "the sins and the blasphemies" in apposition to "all"; "men will be forgiven for everything, for all their sins and their insults to God", Barclay. Cf. TH. At least we can say, on the basis of Jesus words, that forgiveness is available to all humanity for all the sins that they have committed, except .....

aiJ blasfhmiai (a) "blasphemies" - Meaning "to slander / to defame", often in reference to God; "as of words spoken directly or indirectly against God", Guelich, "of infractions against the true God", Edwards. Yet, it is possible that a more general sense is intended, so "slander" as such. In fact, "the sins and the slanders" may be a hendiadys where a single idea is being expressed, so Gundry.

toiV uiJoiV twn anqrwpwn "of men" - by the sons of men. The dative is instrumental. When a Semitic phrase like this denotes humanity in general, it reminds us how easily Jesus' self designation, "the Son of Man", was missed as a messianic title.

o{sa ean + subj. "-" - as if = whatever, however [they may blaspheme]. Forming an indefinite clause; "however often they utter blasphemies", TH. Agreeing with "sins", ie. neut. so "however many [sins] they may blaspheme"; "however many sins they commit by slandering", Gundry.

Scribal tradition states, "The Holy One, blessed be he, pardons everything else, but on profanation of the Name he takes vengeance immediately." Much soul-searching often surrounds this passage, but the context defines clearly what "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" is. Clearly, a slander which suggests that Jesus casts out demons by the power of Satan is indirectly a slander against the Holy Spirit in whose power Jesus actually casts out the demons. The scribes who slander an agent of God by call him an agent of Beelzebub are actually slandering God. Yet, the issue is not that Jesus was slandered as such, but rather that the slander evidences a rejection of Christ as messiah. To reject the kingdom of God in the person of Jesus, to reject his words and signs, is to reject God's free offer of salvation. Such rejection brings condemnation and eternal loss. Of course, rejection is in the terms of a fixed attitude of mind, so Calvin. Jesus' family thought he had a demon and for some time they did not accept that he was Israel's messiah, yet they came to belief and so were not "guilty of an eternal sin." So, the "unpardonable sin" is the "culpable rejection of or refusal to recognize God's redemptive activity", Guelich, a rejection of God's comprehensive offer of amnesty and forgiveness, so Grundmann, cf. Ex.23:30-31.

de "but" - but, and. Obviously adversative here.

o}V an + subj. "whoever" - Introducing a relative conditional clause, 3rd. class, where the condition is assumed a possibility, "whoever, as the case may be, slanders the Holy Spirit, then they will never be forgiven."

eiV "against" - to, into. Here with a hostile sense, "against", BAGD.

eiV ton aiwna "-" - [does not have forgiveness] into the age. "He will never be forgiven for ever", Barclay.

oJti elegon (legw) imperf. "[he said this] because [they were saying]" - that. Hoti here is possibly causal, but technically it may serve to introduce a dependent statement of stating; "they were saying that ....." Either way, words need to be added for meaning; "it was on account of their saying that ........ that he spoke like this", Cassirer. Note the imperfect "they were saying" which may express repeated action, underlying the nature of the "unpardonable sin" (ongoing rejection), although an imperfect is often used for speech seeing it entails a flow of words.

pneuma akarqarton "an evil spirit" - an unclean spirit. A slightly more specific and simplistic assessment of Jesus' ministry.

Mark now reconnects with Jesus' family and their desire to "take charge of him", v31-35. Mark has been comparing the disciples with both the scribes and Jesus' relatives. Whereas those who consider that Jesus is an agent of the Devil, rather than God, are warned of the danger of never being forgiven, the disciples, on the other hand, are pronounced members of Jesus' family, members of the family of God, and this because they do God's will.

sthkonteV (iJsthmi) pres. part. "standing [outside]" - standing. The participle is probably best treated as adverbial, attendant circumstance, expressing action accompanying the verb "came / arrived"; "Jesus' mother and brothers came and stood outside", Barclay.

kalounteV (kalew) pres. part. "to call [him]" - calling. The participle is probably adverbial, final, expressing purpose; "they sent someone to him in order to call him." "They sent a message to him (in order) to ask him to come out and see them", Barclay.

legousin (legw) pres. "they told him" - they said. In the sense that "the message is passed one to another until it reaches Jesus", Swete.

kai ai adelfao sou "and your sisters" - The shorter reading without this variant is to be preferred. Metzger regards it as an unreliable Western mechanical expansion.

exw adv. "are outside" - outside. The adverb is normally taken with "mother and brothers", as NIV, but probably it should be taken with the verb "are looking for / seeking"; "your mother and your brothers are wanting you outside", cf. Moffatt.

apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. part. "[he asked]" - [and] having answered [them he says]. Attendant circumstance participle, redundant.

"His gaze swept round the circle of people sitting round him. 'See!' he said, 'my mother and my brothers'", Barclay. The family members have not included "father" as Joseph had obviously died well before the commencement of Jesus' ministry. Yet, Jesus continues the family description without "father", since the father of this new family of brothers is God himself.

peribleyamenoV (periblepw) aor. part. "then he looked at" - having looked around at. The participle is adverbial, temporal, as NIV.

ide "here" - behold.

"While Mark does not prescribe or legally define what 'doing the will of God' means, the marco-narrative makes it clear that it must be related to repentance in response to Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom", Boring. (Boring adds "and the command to love God and neighbor". The "trust and obey" children's chorus has much to answer!!! Obedience is a product of faith, not an associate requirement).

gar "for" - for. Causal. This variant only has limited support, but if it is original it helps us understand what Jesus means by "whoever does the will of God". Jesus has declared that those sitting around him listening to his word, certainly supporters, probably disciples, are his family "for" those who do the will of God are members of Christ's family. Mark gives us no evidential work of obedience other than that they are sitting under Jesus' teaching ministry, that they are looking to Jesus, trusting Jesus, and of such is the will of God.

o}V an + subj. "whoever [does]" - Again, introducing another relative conditional clause, 3rd. class.

ou|toV "-" - this one [is brother of me, and sister, and mother]. Gundry notes that in dropping the definite articles for brother, sister and mother, Mark "adds emphasis to the new relationships by stressing their quality."

Mark Introduction

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