Mark 3:23

And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. For the exposition, see the notes at Matthew 12:22, and at Luke 11:21....

22-30 It was plain that the doctrine of Christ had a direct tendency to break the devil's power; and it was as plain, that casting of him out of the bodies of people, confirmed that doctrine; therefore Satan could not support such a design. Christ gave an awful warning against speaking such dangerous words. It is true the gospel promises, because Christ has purchased, forgiveness for the greatest sins and sinners; but by this sin, they would oppose the gifts of the Holy Ghost after Christ's ascension. Such is the enmity of the heart, that unconverted men pretend believers are doing Satan's work, when sinners are brought to repentance and newness of life....

AND THE SCRIBES ... - See the notes at Matthew 12:24. The occasion of their saying this was, that he had healed a man possessed with a devil. The scribes, who came from Jerusalem to watch his conduct, charged him with having made a compact or agreement with the prince of the devils....

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 HE CALLED THEM UNTO HIM,.... The Jerusalem Scribes, to come nearer to him, and attend to what he had to say in defence of his character and miracles: AND SAID UNTO THEM IN PARABLES: similitudes, and proverbial expressions, as the following seem to be, HOW CAN SATAN CAST OUT SATAN? or one devil cast out another? how unreasonable is it to suppose it? can it ever be thought that such, whose interest it is to unite, would ever oppose and dispossess one another? if therefore, as if he should say, I am Beelzebub, or have him, and he is in me, and I am in confederacy with him; was this the case, can any think I should ever cast him out of others, as I do?...

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 ANSWER OF JESUS TO THE VERDICT OF THE JERUSALEM SCRIBES AND THE INTERVENTION OF HIS FAMILY. The introduction of this section would naturally link with Mark 3:6. Jesus returns home (presumably, to the house of Simon in Capernaum) after the second scene in the synagogue in Mark 3:1. Mk. has broken the thread of the original tradition in order to insert the list of the apostles. He certainly divides Mark 3:20 f. from Mark 3:31 in order to associate with the judgment of the relatives of Jesus the still more outrageous verdict of the scribes from Jerusalem. The statement that the relatives of Jesus thought Him beside Himself (perhaps in a state of unbalanced ecstacy),

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

SAID. began saying. IN. Greek. _en._ App-104....

_How can Satan cast out Satan?_ Using an irresistible _argumentum ad hominem_He shews them the absurdity of supposing that Satan could be his own enemy. If neither kingdom, nor city (Matthew 12:25), nor house could stand, when divided against itself, much less could the empire of the Evil One....