Daily Bible Reading (Monday, February 12th)
11Mark 3 (ESV)
A Man with a Withered Hand
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand.2 And they watched Jesus,[a] to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
A Great Crowd Follows Jesus
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
The Twelve Apostles
13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,[b] 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers[c] are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
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11 Comments
Keagan McLeese Feb 13, 2018 @ 6:04 am
Well said, Kelly!
Anthony Leija Feb 13, 2018 @ 12:10 am
The family of Jesus is the family of faith and not the carnal family that doesn't do God's will. Jesus the Wisdom of God and the Power of God.
Kelly Bellinger Feb 12, 2018 @ 3:20 pm
I often get discouraged and feel isolated when I see and hear other people who have many believers in their family of origin. I am so grateful to be ever reminded that my REAL mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters are all of you! I'm so glad to have a wonderful, strong and loving family at BF, and know that it is not just 'in a sense' of the word, but in the fullest sense of the word!
Bruce Blakey Feb 12, 2018 @ 8:02 am
What a great privilege to be in Christ's family! Through the years as I have had opportunity to travel around the world it has been amazing to meet Christians and immediately be received as family because of our common faith in Jesus Christ. And what an encouragement it is to be a part of the family of Believers Fellowship. I am thanking the Lord this morning for my brothers and sisters at BF!
Tommy Hard Feb 12, 2018 @ 7:36 am
Theme Summary: The Pharisees are again more concerned with observing the ceremony of Sabbath rest, not giving actual rest to those in need of it. Jesus, as Lord of the Sabbath and the one who gives rest, heals a man on the Sabbath and is plotted against by the Pharisees. Great crowds come to Jesus and even demons recognize him as the Son of God. Jesus calls the twelve disciples and appointed them to preach and gave authority to cast out demons. Yet with all of this Jesus natural family thought he was out of his mind, and the Pharisees thought he was possessed by a demon. Jesus true family are those who do the will of God.
Sarah Birch Feb 12, 2018 @ 7:33 am
The hardness of the Pharisees hearts is something I am amazed at. Here the religious leaders who should have been welcoming Jesus and following Him with all their hearts are trying to murder him. Just a reminder of how hard our hearts are/were... Only Christ has the power to transform them.
Art Wachdorf Feb 12, 2018 @ 6:39 am
The hardness of the Jew's heart angered Jesus. We have a new heart given to us by God when we put our faith in Christ. However, we can still exhibit hard hearts is we're not careful. I pray the Holy Spirit will keep my heart, and the hearts of the people in our church tender to the suffering of those around us.
Tyler T Bull Feb 12, 2018 @ 6:24 am
"And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”" (v. 11)
Even unclean spirits have the common sense to fall down at the feet of Christ! One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess.
Colin Bradley Feb 12, 2018 @ 6:18 am
God I praise you for a new day and a new week. I pray for hearts to be softened, mine especially. Help me to do your will even when I have no desire to honor you. I pray that my motivation would come from You alone, so that I too may be called a brother of Christ. Amen!
Keagan McLeese Feb 12, 2018 @ 6:07 am
Amen, Jason.
v.2: “They we’re watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.” You have got to be kidding me! They have no power to heal, and yet they wait to accuse someone who can because it’s not the way they think it should be done! Father, thank you for softening my heart to get to see Jesus for who he really is. In vs.16-17 He gives new names to Peter, James, and John. How cool is that!? Some think it’s cool to get a fighter pilot callsign, but I’d rather get a new name from my Creator, and I will one day (Rev 2:17)! Finally, v.34 “For whoever does the will of God, He is My brother and sister and mother.” Father, please give your people of Believers Fellowship power to do Your will today that we may be called Your brothers and sisters. Amen.
Jason Adam Feb 12, 2018 @ 6:03 am
The fact that Jesus’ family, knowing full well how we was conceived, and having heard the testimony of the shepherds and wise men, etc. still thinks he is “out of his mind” shows the depravity of the human heart after the fall. Let us not fall into the same pattern of knowing about Jesus but not understanding his call on our lives to “follow Him”..