Marcos 3
A.T. Robertson · Citado em PreceptAustin
Marcos 3
Robertson adds that "One can see the commotion among the long-bearded hypocrites at this daring act of Jesus." For other Sabbath healings by Jesus see Luke 13:10–17; Luke 14:1–6; John 5:2–18 and John 9:1–17.
Marcos 3
Robertson says "The eyes of Jesus swept the room all round and each rabbinical hypocrite felt the cut of that condemnatory glance." All but one of the 7 NT uses describe Jesus looking around. In the NT periblepo is found only in the middle voice (reflexive voice) meaning to look round about oneself. This is a favorite verb of Mark - Mk. 3:5; Mk. 3:34; Mk. 5:32; Mk. 9:8; Mk. 10:23; Mk. 11:11; Lk. 6:10. When Jesus looks at you, what does He see?
Marcos 3
Robertson says "Their own heart or attitude was in a state of moral ossification (πωρωσις [pōrōsis]) like hardened hands or feet." These Jewish leaders were no better than the pagan Gentiles that Paul described as "being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart." (Eph 4:18+). The tragedy was that the Jewish religious leaders were not ignorant of the things of God and were therefore more culpable than the idol worshipping Gentiles, a thought that would have horrified these Jews had they known the truth! Heart (2588)(kardia) does not refer to the physical organ but is always used figuratively in Scripture to refer to the seat and center of human life. The heart is the center of the personality, and it controls the intellect, emotions, and will. No outward obedience is of the slightest value unless the heart turns to God. Kardia as stated above refers not to the physical organ (over 800 mentions and none refer to the physical organ!), but is always used figuratively to center of our personality, to so to speak to our "control center" (to make a play on the "air traffic control center" at the airport which carefully guards and guides what flies in and what flies out. How applicable to our "hearts" which are so prone to wander!). In short kardia refers to the the affective center of our being wherein lies the capacity of moral preference and volitional desire. The kardia generates thoughts that make the decisions which the mind works out. In other words, our logic flows out of our heart-decisions and not vice versa. Kardia in Mark - Mk. 2:6; Mk. 2:8; Mk. 3:5; Mk. 6:52; Mk. 7:6; Mk. 7:19; Mk. 7:21; Mk. 8:17; Mk. 11:23; Mk. 12:30; Mk. 12:33 THOUGHT - If you are reading these notes and know that you have a hard heart, you are in grave danger and every time you refuse an offer to receive Jesus as Savior, your heart becomes a little more calloused to the Word of Truth. If that describes you, then the warning in Hebrews 3 is for you - "Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness....As I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'...And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. (Heb 3:8, 11, 18-19+) Notice unbelief parallels disobedience. The converse is that if you say you believe and yet you steadfastly refuse to obey, than your "belief" will take you straight to Hell (cp Jesus' words in Mt 7:21-23+ and Paul's admonition in 2 Cor 13:5+)! Faith alone saves but the faith that saves is never alone but brings forth fruit in keeping with repentance (Mt 3:8+). Brian Bill - Isaiah 53:3 says that He is “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” In Matthew 23:37, Jesus is greatly grieved as He considers the hard hearts of those in Jerusalem: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” And another occasion when Jerusalem comes into view, Luke 19:41 says that Jesus “wept over it.” Jesus laments because He loves people. This is captured clearly in Mark 10 when He challenges the rich young ruler to give up his idols and his self- righteous rule keeping. Check out verse 21: “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have...and come, follow me.” What is it that makes Jesus get angry and grieved? Listen. There’s something far worse than a withered hand; it’s a withered heart. To the Pharisees, the man with a withered hand was just a pawn; to Jesus He was a person made in the image of God. Their legalism had eroded their love leading them to have “hardness of heart.” This describes someone who willingly and repeatedly refuses to repent and receive Jesus Christ. The word “hardening” is a present process and literally means, “callous and insensitive.” It was used to describe marble. Hard hearts break Jesus’ heart. We can go all the way back to Genesis 6:6 to hear some shocking words from the Lord: “And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” (Sermon) He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” - Jesus gives the man a command in the aorist imperative which conveys the sense of "Do this now!" "Don't delay!" Notice He does not touch the man or command him to be healed, but only to stretch out his withered hand. This would may it difficult for him to be accused. And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored - Don't miss that this lame man expressed at least some degree of faith in immediately responding to Jesus' command. And remember that the hand he is stretching out was paralyzed, so in essence Jesus was asking the man to do something that heretofore had been impossible! In fact his ability to stretch it out demonstrated it was restored. Notice that the man responded to Jesus not with "How can I stretch it out? It is paralyzed?" And so by faith in Jesus' words, he responded not knowing what would happen (cf to how believers are called to "walk by faith, not by sight" 2 Cor 5:7). His faith was manifest in his obedience, as true faith always is. Jesus commanded. He obeyed. His obedience brought blessing, in this case healing of his paralyzed limb. When Jesus commands do I obey? Note that Jesus' performance of healing on the Sabbath is another illustration of His claim to be “Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28+). D L Moody - Every conversion is a miracle. The sinner can no more “believe” than this man could raise his withered hand, without power being given from on high. Stretch...stretched (1614)(ekteino from ek = out + teino = to stretch) means stretch out literally, as a gesture with one's hand stretched out. Jesus' stretched His hands out "toward His disciples" (Mt 12:49), to Peter drowning (Mt 14:31), to the leper (Mk 1:41, Mt 8:3, Lk 5:13, cf healing in Acts 4:30). Ekteino is used of the stretching out of Paul's hand as he prepared to offer his verbal defense (Acts 26:1). Ekteino is used in all three synoptic accounts of Jesus telling the lame man to stretch out his hand (Mt 12:13, Mk 3:5, Lk 6:10). Was restored (600)(apokathistemi from apo = from + kathistemi = to set in order, appoint) means literally to restore to an earlier condition. It indicates complete restoration, a return to a former condition. Apokathistemi in secular Greek was a medical technical term for restoring to health (to cure or recovery from illness) and has that meaning in the three synoptic uses (Mt 12:13, Mk 3:5, 8:5, Lk 6:10) It is interesting that this verb is used in the Septuagint to describe restoration of Nebuchadnezzar's reason after God humbled him for 7 years of eating grass. (Da 4:36+) If you are reading this and you are not a follower of Jesus Christ, than you have a "withered heart" not a withered hand. The good news is that Jesus is still in the business of healing "withered hearts" and is willing and able to give you a new heart and a new spirit. Ezekiel 36:26-27+ says " I will give you (THIS IS THE NEW COVENANT GIVEN TO ISRAEL BUT APPLICABLE TO ALL WHO WILL HEAR AND COME AND RECEIVE) a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone (A HARD HEART LIKE THE PHARISEES) from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." Healing Anger - “PURE” ANGER IS A GIFT FROM GOD, holding the power to heal, to cleanse, to make positive change, to give life. Anger can only do these things, though, when tempered with compassion and when rightly focused. This is the kind of anger that drove Jesus to heal on the Sabbath. It is not the kind of anger most of us entertain most of the time. (David Baker) Brian Bill suggests the following action steps... 1. We should be angry about sin. The Bible says that we’re to be angry in a righteous kind of way. Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be angry and do not sin.” When you see a child abused you should be angry. When you hear about abortion it should make your mad. We should be angry about evil and how our culture is sliding south. There’s a place for holy indignation. But we also need to be very careful. I like what Tim Challies says about righteous anger: “Does God allow his people to express anger? Yes, he does. But only under these circumstances: You are reacting against actual sin, you are more concerned with the offense against God than the offense against yourself, and you are expressing your anger in ways consistent with Christian character.” And I would add that most of us could stand to be angrier about our own sins instead of covering them up or excusing them or cozying up to them. 2. It’s even better to grieve greatly about sin. I’ve been asking God to break me and make me weep more, especially for my own sins. It’s working because I cry all the time. I don’t want to just get mad; I also want to get sad about sin. Here’s a good prayer to pray: “Lord, break my heart with the things that break your heart.” Psalm 119:136: “My eyes shed streams of tears because people do not keep your law!” I long for the kind of heart Paul had for the lost as seen in Romans 9:2 and Ro 10:1: “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart...My heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” Is there such a thing as an angry leader? Indeed, Jesus had this quality, and when we use it rightly, we follow Him. In Mark 3:5, Jesus looked “at them in anger.” Holy anger is the counterpart to love. Both are part of the nature of God. Jesus’ love for the man with the withered hand aroused His anger against those who would deny him healing. Jesus’ love for God’s house made Him angry at the sellers and buyers who had turned the temple into a “den of robbers” (Matthew 21:13). Great leaders—people who turn the tide and change the direction of events—have been angry at injustice and abuse that dishonors God and enslaves the weak. Wilberforce moved heaven and earth to emancipate slaves in England and eliminate the slave trade—and he was angry! F. W. Robertson described his sense of anger on one special occasion: “My blood was at the moment running fire, and I remembered that once in my life I had felt a terrible might; I knew and rejoiced to know that I was inflicting the sentence of a coward’s and a liar’s hell.” Martin Luther claimed he “never did anything well until his wrath was excited, and then he could do anything well.” But holy anger is open to abuse. Many who feel it allow anger to become their downfall. Bishop Butler teaches six conditions that make anger sinful: • When, to favor a resentment or feud, we imagine an injury done to us. • When an injury done to us becomes, in our minds, greater than it really is. • When, without real injury, we feel resentment on account of pain or inconvenience. • When indignation rises too high and overwhelms our ability to restrain. • When we gratify resentments by causing pain or harm out of revenge. • When we are so perplexed and angry at sin in our own lives that we readily project anger at the sin we find in others. Paul argues for holy anger when he repeats the advice of Psalm 4:4: “In your anger do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). This anger is not selfish and does not center on the pain you currently feel. To be free of sin, such anger must be zealous for truth and purity, with the glory of God its chief objective. (J Oswald Sanders) Steven Cole discusses this nameless paralyzed man's faith - The man with the withered hand pictures how we should respond when Jesus stomps on our toes. He could have refused to do what Jesus asked because of fear of the Pharisees. They easily could take out their anger on him: “You know what our law states. Why didn’t you wait and come back tomorrow for healing? This upstart Jesus is just undermining our heritage and way of life! You shouldn’t have gone along with Him!” But the man wanted to be healed even if it meant enduring the wrath of the Pharisees. He could have refused to obey Jesus out of embarrassment, as I’ve already said. When Jesus asked him to stretch out his hand, he could have thought, “Is He mocking me? He knows that my problem is precisely that I cannot stretch out my hand!” He could have thought of a lot of excuses why he couldn’t do what Jesus asked him to do. But instead, recognizing his own impotence and need, he believed and obeyed Jesus. He was instantly healed. There were several elements in his obedient faith that we must follow. First, he recognized and admitted his need and inability. He didn’t angrily say, “Why are you singling me out? I’m no different than anyone else here.” He didn’t deny or camouflage his problem. He didn’t offer to go fifty-fifty in helping Jesus solve the problem. If you want Jesus to heal your soul, you must admit, “I am a hopeless, helpless sinner. My thoughts, my attitudes, my words, and my deeds have continually violated Your holy Word. I cannot save myself. Lord, I need Your powerful Word to save me.” Second, he believed in Christ’s ability to heal him. This isn’t stated, but it’s implicitly behind his action. Probably he had heard how Jesus had healed the paralytic. He knew how Jesus had healed everyone who gathered at Peter’s door one evening. He had just heard Jesus teach. Now Jesus was looking directly at him. He knew and believed that Jesus had the power from God to heal him. Even so, we must look at the records of Jesus’ life and ministry and come to the conclusion that He is who He claimed to be. He is God in human flesh, the only Mediator between sinners and a holy God. He is able to save my soul. Third, he acted in obedience to Christ’s command. Jesus commanded him to do something impossible: “Stretch out your hand!” But with the command, Jesus imparted the power and ability to obey it. The man obeyed and was instantly healed. Jesus commands sinners to do something impossible: Repent and believe in the gospel (Mk 1:15). If you will look to Him and cry out, “Lord, I cannot repent and believe by my ability, but grant me repentance and faith by Your grace,” He will do it and you will be instantly saved. Although the text does not say so, I agree with G. Campbell Morgan’s insight (The Westminster Pulpit [Baker], 1:294) that Jesus didn’t heal this man so that he could wrap his healed hand in a bandage and protect it, but so that he could use it. By exercising and using it, he would maintain the new strength. Even so, when the Lord has delivered us from our sins, He expects us to use our healed lives in service for His glory. Conclusion - Morgan also points out that the only man in the synagogue that Jesus sought out was the man with the greatest need. If you have a problem, it does not exclude you from Jesus. Rather, it makes you the target of His gracious call. You may have an embarrassing problem that you would rather not face up to and you certainly don’t want to expose it in public. But Jesus says to you, “Arise and stand in the midst! Admit that you have a sin problem.” He just kinda sorta stomps on your aorta! But if you will respond in obedient faith, He will say, “Stretch out your hand!” He will impart the power of His salvation, and you will be changed in your heart to the praise of the glory of His saving grace. When Jesus stomps on your toes, don’t resist Him. Respond with obedient faith and He will save you and use you for His glory. (Luke 6:6-11 When Jesus Stomps on Your Toes) Mark 3:5 - A TIME FOR ANGER - And when he had looked round about on them with anger.... Mark 3:5. It is time we rediscovered how much the Bible has to say about the wrath of God. It is time we remembered our Lord's look of anger, His driving the traders out of the temple, His denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees. It is time we called to mind that He will return in vengeance on His adversaries (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). It is the other side of love and, if there is a place for it in God's heart, there is room for it in the hearts of His people if for the same reason and expressed in the same way. We need an outbreak of holy indignation! (Vance Havner) Grieved People 1. A GRIEVED SAVIOUR Mark 3:5 2. A GRIEVED DISCIPLE John 21:17 3. A GRIEVED APOSTLE Acts 16:18 4. A GRIEVED BROTHER Rom. 14:15 5. A GRIEVED PROPHET Dan. 7:15 6. A GRIEVED SINNER Mark 10:22 7. A GRIEVED GOD Heb. 3:17 What Can Cause Grief? 1. MUCH WISDOM Eccl. 1:18 2. SIN Gen. 6:6; 1 Cor. 4:10; Heb. 3:17 3. REBELLION Ps. 78:40; Isa. 63:10 4. ENCOURAGING AN ENEMY Neh. 13:4–8 5. HARDNESS Mark 3:5 6. BEREAVEMENT 1 Sam. 30:6 7. THE NEEDY Job 30:25 1. PROCLAIMED IN PROPHECY Isaiah 53:3, 4 2. CONFIRMED BY MARK Mark 3:5 3. OBSERVED IN HIS ATTITUDE Matthew 26:37 4. ACKNOWLEDGED TO DISCIPLES Matthew 26:38 5. INDICATED IN HIS PRAYER Matthew 26:39 6. EXPRESSED IN HIS CRY Matthew 27:46 7. MANIFESTED IN WEEPING Luke 19:41; John 11:35 The Compassion of Christ 1. CHRIST HAD COMPASSION ON THE MULTITUDES Matt. 9:36 2. CHRIST HAD COMPASSION ON THE HUNGRY MULTITUDES Mark 8:2 3. CHRIST HAD COMPASSION ON THE LEPERS Mark 1:40, 41 4. CHRIST HAD COMPASSION ON THE BLIND Matt. 20:34 5. CHRIST HAD COMPASSION ON THE BEREAVED Luke 7:12, 13 6. CHRIST HAD COMPASSION ON THE AFFLICTED Mark 3:5 7. CHRIST HAD COMPASSION ON THE SINFUL AND THE LOST Luke 15:1, 2 (Golden Nuggets) Jesus Persecuted By: R. G. Lee “Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus” John 5:16 INTRODUCTION: Truly, Jesus could say on many occasions what David said on one occasion: “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul” (Psalm 143:3). I. JESUS RECEIVED PERSECUTION FROM THE HEARTS OF MEN That means that some hated Him. Even as “from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:21–22), so from the hearts of men came against Jesus a persecuting hatred. Jesus knew of this hatred. We find evidence of that in Mark 3:5: “And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, stretch forth thine hand.” II. JESUS ENDURED TONGUE PERSECUTION “And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him” (Luke 16:14). “Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest” (John 18:24). Jesus was sent to Caiaphas who declared Him to be a blasphemer—to Caiaphas who had toward Jesus “a perpetual sneer astride his lips.” Their tongues found pleasure in labelling Him a glutton and a wine-bibber. (Luke 7:33, 34). And their tongues, set on fire of hell, twisted His sayings and misquoted Him and made false reports about Him. What persecution of tongue! III. JESUS SUFFERED THE PERSECUTION OF DEATH-PLOTTING VIOLENCE He lived “in the agony of lonely dedications renewed at every stage and in the midst of constant rejection of affection.” To men Jesus gave His heart of love, His sensibilities. Yet records of what men did against Him fill us with horror. “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him” (John 10:31). (Golden Nuggets) Mark 3:6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
Marcos 3
Robertson says "Strokes or scourges, terms used by us today as a paralytic stroke, the influenza scourge." The KJV renders it "as many as had plagues."
Marcos 3
Robertson - Picture of Satan plundering the demons, the very tools (skeuē) by which he carried on his business. A reductio ad absurdum. Jesus is the Conqueror of Satan, not in league with him. Mark 3:28 “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; NET Mark 3:28 I tell you the truth, people will be forgiven for all sins, even all the blasphemies they utter. GNT Mark 3:28 Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πάντα ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ ἁμαρτήματα καὶ αἱ βλασφημίαι ὅσα ἐὰν βλασφημήσωσιν· NLT Mark 3:28 "I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, KJV Mark 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: ESV Mark 3:28 "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, NIV Mark 3:28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. ASV Mark 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: CSB Mark 3:28 I assure you: People will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they may blaspheme. NKJ Mark 3:28 "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; NRS Mark 3:28 "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; YLT Mark 3:28 'Verily I say to you, that all the sins shall be forgiven to the sons of men, and evil speakings with which they might speak evil, NAB Mark 3:28 Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. NJB Mark 3:28 'In truth I tell you, all human sins will be forgiven, and all the blasphemies ever uttered; GWN Mark 3:28 "I can guarantee this truth: People will be forgiven for any sin or curse. BBE Mark 3:28 Truly, I say to you, The sons of men will have forgiveness for all their sins and for all the evil words they say: Mt 12:31,32 Lu 12:10 Heb 6:4-8 10:26-31 1Jn 5:16 Mark 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passage: Matthew 12:31-32+ - “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. GOOD NEWS FORGIVENESS AVAILABLE One could subtitle this verse "The Pardonable Sin" (or sins). NOTE: For more detailed discussion of the unpardonable sin see commentary on Matthew 12:31-32. Truly (Verily) - In English the adverb truly in simple terms is used to emphasize that what one is saying is true and solemn. It emphasizes sincerity and seriousness of what follows. In Greek the word is our well known "amen" which we usually put at the end of a prayer to emphasize "so be it." But Jesus always puts it at the beginning of the sentence or clause (see 13 uses below in Mark) to emphasize that what He is saying is valid and binding. Amen is a strong affirmation emphasizing what Jesus is going to say is solemn, is true, is absolutely authoritative and is reliable. We might also say that Jesus' use of Truly is like a call to the audience to "Listen up! Pay attention!" Truly (KJV = Verily)(281)(amen) is a solemn formula of affirmation, found only in the Gospels, always on the lips of Jesus and always introduces a statement of solemn import. Hiebert adds "Verily, literally “amen,” is a Hebrew word meaning truth or verity. It thus means “surely,” “of a truth,” and “truly.” It is always followed by I say unto you, indicating that Jesus is speaking from His own authority. The formula thus conveys the thoughts of truthfulness and authority, the equivalent of the Old Testament “As I live, saith the Lord.” By its use here Jesus solemnly guaranteed His antagonists of the truth of the profound assertion He was about to make." Mark uses amen in earnest admonitions by Jesus. Thus the phrase "Truly I say" is found 13 times in Mark's Gospel. Mk. 3:28; Mk. 8:12; Mk. 9:1; Mk. 9:41; Mk. 10:15; Mk. 10:29; Mk. 11:23; Mk. 12:43; Mk. 13:30; Mk. 14:9; Mk. 14:18; Mk. 14:25; Mk. 14:30.
Marcos 3
Robertson says; “One’s heart goes out to Mary who has to go back home without even seeing her wondrous Son. What did it all mean to her at this hour?” Mark 3:35 “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” NET Mark 3:35 For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." GNT Mark 3:35 ὃς [γὰρ] ἂν ποιήσῃ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, οὗτος ἀδελφός μου καὶ ἀδελφὴ καὶ μήτηρ ἐστίν. NLT Mark 3:35 Anyone who does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." KJV Mark 3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. ESV Mark 3:35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother." NIV Mark 3:35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." ASV Mark 3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. CSB Mark 3:35 Whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother." NKJ Mark 3:35 "For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother." NRS Mark 3:35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." YLT Mark 3:35 for whoever may do the will of God, he is my brother, and my sister, and mother.' NAB Mark 3:35 (For) whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." NJB Mark 3:35 Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.' GWN Mark 3:35 Whoever does what God wants is my brother and sister and mother." BBE Mark 3:35 Whoever does God's pleasure, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. does: Mt 7:21 Joh 7:17 Jas 1:25 1Jn 2:17 3:22,23 Mark 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passage: Mt 12:50+ “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” THE WONDERFUL WORD "WHOEVER" While Jesus had stretched out His hand toward the disciples to identify them as His true spiritual kin, Jesus now says that His true eternal spiritual family is not limited to the Twelve (minus one). There is a similar passage in (Luke 8:19-21+) - "And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” 21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who who hear the word of God and do (present tense - as their lifestyle) it.” Both Mt 12:46–50 and Mk 3:31–35 place this event, before the parable of the soils,but Luke places it in chapter 8 because it fits the theme of the section of his Gospel, especially underscoring the importance of properly hearing the word. For whoever does the will of God, - Jesus presents a striking contrast with the Scribes who not only did not do the will of God but resisted the will of God and blasphemed the Holy Spirit. One could misuse this passage to teach "works based salvation" (which is of course not genuine salvation), but from many other NT passages, the only one who can do the will of God is the one who has been born again, born from above by the Spirit of God (Jn 3:3-8+). The key in this passage is does the will of God. In other words Jesus is saying that it is not profession of being His disciple that identifies one who is truly spiritually related to Him, but it is active obedience ("possession" so to speak). Notice the pronoun whoever (KJV - whosoever) which flings open the gates of the Gospel to any and all who would come by grace through faith and enter through those gates into the Kingdom of God! As Paul says "for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” (Ro 10:13+) At another time Jesus declared "If anyone is willing to do (present tense - not perfectly but habitually a habit which is enabled by the Holy Spirit) His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself." (Jn 7:17) Jesus' half-brother James echoed Jesus' words declaring "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty (REMEMBERING THAT GOD'S WILL IS FOUND IN GOD'S WORD), and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. (Jas 1:25+) James also gave a command to his readers which was in the form of a warning - "But prove (present imperative - only possible as we rely on the Holy Spirit to obey) yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers (akroates) who delude (paralogizomai in the present tense indicating one is continually in a state of spiritual deception, a dangerous place because of the truth of James 4:14+) themselves.(James 1:22+) THOUGHT - As Martin Luther once said "The world does not need a definition of religion as much as it needs a demonstration." Oswald Chambers added that "One step forward in obedience is worth years of study about it." This reminds me of the parishioner who met the preacher at the door after the service and said, “Pastor, that was a wonderful sermon.” To which the pastor replied, “Well, that remains to be seen, doesn’t it?” This should be our approach, not just to learn it but to live it! How are you doing dear follower of Jesus? Are you doing the will of God? Are you Jesus' brother or sister? Have you been born again? Superficial hearing without Spirit enabled doing is like the breezes that ripple the surface of the ocean, but do not affect the tides or the gulf stream. Being an auditor of the Word is dangerous. Being a doer of the Word is a delight. An auditor is someone who listens attentively, one who attends a course but doesn't take it for credit. Auditor describes a university student registered for a course without credit and without obligation to do work assigned to the class. To audit a class is to attend it and hear but not to do the prescribed work and so to not receive credit for taking the course. Don't "audit" Jesus' course entitled "How to Obtain Eternal Life!" Take it for credit, eternal credit! (Acts 16:31+). Hiebert comments on the KJV version "For whosoever shall do the will of God" - Shall do sums up the individual’s entire life as united in doing God’s will. Not a profession of discipleship but active obedience establishes the relationship. Whosoever indicates that the relationship is not limited to natural ties but is open to all alike. All who are His kin are characterized by their obedience to the Father’s will. Such “a ministry of servanthood produces offspring for the ‘family of God’ (Jn 1:12+) far beyond the number of our blood relatives.” (Ibid) John