Mark 3:17

And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. For the exposition, see the notes at Luke 6:12....

13-21 Christ calls whom he will; for his grace is his own. He had called the apostles to separate themselves from the crowd, and they came unto him. He now gave them power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. May the Lord send forth more and more of those who have been with him, and have learned of him to preach his gospel, to be instruments in his blessed work. Those whose hearts are enlarged in the work of God, can easily bear with what is inconvenient to themselves, and will rather lose a meal than an opportunity of doing good. Those who go on with zeal in the work of God, must expect hinderances, both from the hatred of enemies, and mistaken affections of friends, and need to guard against both....

Verse 17. _SONS OF THUNDER_] A Hebraism for _thunderers_; probably so named because of their _zeal_ and _power_ in preaching the Gospel. The term _Boanerges_ is neither Hebrew nor Syriac. Calmet and others think that there is reason to believe that the Greek transcribers have not copied it exactly. בני רעם _beney raam_, which the ancient Greeks would pronounce _Beneregem_, and which means _sons of thunder_, was probably the appellative used by our Lord: or בני רעש _beni reges, sons of tempest_, which comes nearest to the _Boanerges_ of the evangelist. St. Jerome, on Daniel 1:, gives בני רעם (which he writes _Benereem_, softening the sound of the ע _ain_) as the more likely reading, and Luther, supposing our Lord spoke in Hebrew, gives the proper Hebrew term above mentioned, which he writes _Bnehargem_. Some think th

For an account of the appointment of the apostles, see the notes at Matthew 10:1. AND CALLETH UNTO HIM WHOM HE WOULD - Those whom he chose; whom he was about to appoint to the apostleship. See the notes at John 15:16. Mark 3:14 HE ORDAINED TWELVE - The word rendered “ordained” here does not express our notion of ordination to the ministry. It means, literally, “he made” - that is, he “appointed” twelve to be with him. TWELVE - The reason why “twelve” were chosen was, probably, that such a number would be deemed competent witnesses of what they saw; that they could not be ea

EXPOSITION This chapter begins with the record of another case of healing on the sabbath day; and it closes with the notice of a combination of the Pharisees with the Herodians to bring about the destruction of the Saviour. We may observe that he again chose the sabbath for a new miracle, that he might again and again confute the error of the scribes and Pharisees with regard to the observance of the sabbath. MARK 3:1 HE ENTERED AGAIN INTO THE SYNAGOGUE. St. Matthew (Matthew 12:9) says, "their synagogue" (εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν) This would probably be on the next sabbath after that named at the close of the last chapter. And there was a man there which had a withered hand (ἐξηραμμένην ἔχων τὴν χεῖρα);_ _literally, which had his hand withered

AND JAMES THE SON OF ZEBEDEE, AND JOHN THE BROTHER OF JAMES,.... These are mentioned next, as being first called after Peter and Andrew: AND HE SURNAMED THEM BOANERGES, WHICH IS, THE SONS OF THUNDER: either because of their loud and sonorous voice; or their warm zeal for Christ, and fervency in their ministry: or for their courage in opposing the enemies of Christ, and the power that went along with their words; which either put to confusion and silence, or issued in conviction and conversion. The Syriac version reads, "Benai Regesh", and the Persic, "Beni Reg'sch". The Jews, as our learned countryman Mr. Broughton has observed w, sometimes pronounce "Scheva" by on, as Noabyim", for "Nebyim"; so here, "Boanerges" for Benereges", or "Benerges". There is a city which was in the tribe of Dan, mentioned in Joshua 19:45, which is called "Bene-berak, the sons of lightning"; and

JAMES (_ See Scofield) - (Matthew 4:21). _...

CHAPTER 3 _ 1. In the synagogue. The man with the withered hand healed. (Mark 3:1. Matthew 12:9; Luke 6:6 .)_ 2. The Withdrawal of the Servant. Many healed. (Mark 3:7 .Matthew 12:15; Luke 6:17 .) 3. On the Mountain calling the Twelve. (Mark 3:13. Matthew 10:1;...

THE APPOINTMENT OF THE TWELVE. That Jesus associated with Himself an inner circle of twelve men is not open to reasonable question. If the number twelve be mythical, it must be suggested by the twelve tribes of Israel. The fact that His own ministry was confined to Israel, makes it natural for Jesus Himself to have acted on the suggestion. To trace the number, with the exponents of the Christ-myth, to the signs of the Zodiac, or the twelve apostles of the Jewish Patriarch of Alexandria (who are not known to have been twelve) is a gratuitous absurdity. The choice of the Twelve was made when Pharisaic hostility and popular enthusiasm increased the burden of the task of evangelization. Mk. emphasizes the _choice_ of Christ. He called whom He would (_cf._ John 15:16). These men are chosen _to be with Jesus,_ a phrase peculiar to Mk. which discloses the meaning and the secret of discip

THE CLASH OF IDEAS (Mark 3:1-6)...