This document summarizes Mark 3:7-35, which contains four scenes: 1) A large crowd comes to Jesus for healing; 2) Jesus appoints the twelve apostles to preach and cast out demons; 3) Jesus' family thinks he is out of his mind and tries to seize him; 4) The Pharisees accuse Jesus of possessing demons. The document emphasizes that Jesus' true family are those who do God's will and that we should come to Jesus to hear his message, not just for physical healing.

1. The Essential Jesus as
Revealed in the Gospel of Mark

2. February 14th

3. Sharpening Our Focus on Christ!
Five passages each week to help us
“fix our eyes upon Jesus!”

5. The Essential Jesus as
Revealed in the Gospel of Mark

6. Mark 3:7-35
Mark’s signature word?
- “immediately” (42 times)
Mark’s primary audience?
- Romans (“get it done!” mindset)

7. Mark 3:7-35 (Four scenes)
A Great Crowd (vv. 7-12, 20)
A Pivotal Decision (vv. 13-19)
A Concerned Family (vv. 21; 31-35)
A Vicious Charge (vv. 22-30)

8. Scene 1: A Great Crowd
Mark 3:7
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the
sea . . .
Mark 3:6
The Pharisees went out and immediately
held counsel with the Herodians against
him, how to destroy him.

9. Scene 1: A Great Crowd
Mark 3:7-8
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the
sea and a great crowd followed, from
Galilee and Judea 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.

10. Tyre and
People were Sidon
flocking to
Jesus from
ALL over
Palestine
(and beyond!)
A hindrance?
IDUMEA

11. Scene 1: A Great Crowd
Mark 3:9-10
And he told his disciples to have a boat
ready for him because of the crowd, lest
they crush him . . . for he had healed
many, so that all who had diseases
pressed around him to touch him.

12. Scene 1: A Great Crowd
What was Jesus primary
ministry, that of healing
the sick OR heralding the
gospel?

13. Scene 1: A Great Crowd
Mark 1:14-15
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came
into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of
God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the gospel.”

14. Scene 1: A Great Crowd
SO it was in this way that this great
crowd pressing upon Jesus was actually
hindering him in his mission: they
came to touch him, NOT to hear him!

15. Scene 1: A Great Crowd
- Was a very large crowd.
- Contained more than just “the locals.”
- Was a desperate crowd filled with
hurting people.
- Contained some who were afflicted by
demons.

16. Scene 1: A Great Crowd
Mark 3:11-12
And whenever the unclean spirits saw
him, they fell down before him and cried
out, “You are the Son of God.” And he
strictly ordered them not to make him
known.

17. Scene 2: A Pivotal
Decision (vv. 13-19)
Mark 3:13
And he went up on the mountain and
called to him those whom he desired, and
they came to him.
1. To quiet his spirit
2. To gain God’s wisdom

18. Scene 2: A Pivotal
Decision (vv. 13-19)
Mark 3:14-15
And he appointed twelve (whom he also
named apostles) so that they might be
with him and he might send them out to
preach and have authority to cast out
demons.

19. Scene 2: A Pivotal
Decision (vv. 13-19)
Mark 3:16-17
He appointed the twelve: Simon (to
whom he gave the name Peter); James
the son of Zebedee and John the brother
of James (to whom he gave the name
Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);

20. Scene 2: A Pivotal
Decision (vv. 13-19)
Mark 3:18-19
Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew,
and Matthew, and Thomas, and James
the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and
Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot,
who betrayed him.

21. Scene 2: A Pivotal
Decision (vv. 13-19)
1. Nothing extraordinary
about these men!
2. Church tradition tells
us that every single
one of these apostles
were martyred for
their faith in Christ!

22. Mark 3:7-35 (Four scenes)
A Great Crowd (vv. 7-12, 20)
A Pivotal Decision (vv. 13-19)
A Concerned Family (vv. 21; 31-35)

23. Scene 3: A Concerned
Family (vv. 21; 31-35)
Mark 3:20
Then he went home, and the crowd
gathered again, so that they could not
even eat.

24. Scene 3: A Concerned
Family (vv. 21; 31-35)
Mark 3:21
And when his family heard it, they went
out to seize him, for they were saying,
“He is out of his mind.”

25. Mark 3:7-35 (Four scenes)
Scene 4: A Vicious Charge (vv. 22-30)
- The “Unpardonable Sin”

26. Scene 3: A Concerned
Family (vv. 21; 31-35)
Mark 3:31
And his mother and his brothers came,
and standing outside they sent to him
and called him.
In Mark 6:3 – Mark identifies four of
these brothers as being James, Joses,
Judas and Simon

27. Scene 3: A Concerned
Family (vv. 21; 31-35)
Mark 3:32
And a crowd was sitting around him, and
they said to him, “Your mother and your
brothers are outside, seeking you.”

28. Scene 3: A Concerned
Family (vv. 21; 31-35)
Mark 3:33-34
And he answered them, “Who are my
mother and my brothers?” And looking
about at those who sat around him, he
said, “Here are my mother and my
brothers! For whoever does the will of
God, he is my brother and sister and
mother.”

29. The bonds
that hold us
together are
soaked in the
blood of
Jesus Christ!

30. Mark 3:7-35 (Four scenes)
A Great Crowd (vv. 7-12, 20)
A Pivotal Decision (vv. 13-19)
A Concerned Family (vv. 21; 31-35)
A Vicious Charge (vv. 22-30)

31. Today’s Takeaways
1. How often are we like the crowd …
coming to Jesus thinking of only the
needs of our body while neglecting
the more important needs of our
soul?

32. Today’s Takeaways
Mark 8:36-37
For what does it profit a man to gain
the whole world and forfeit his
soul? For what can a man give in
return for his soul?

33. Today’s Takeaways
1. How often are we like the crowd …
coming to Jesus thinking of only the
needs of our body while neglecting
the more important needs of our
soul?

34. Today’s Takeaways
2. When faced with stress that
threatens to undo us, we need to
follow the example of Jesus:
Get away AND get with God!

35. Today’s Takeaways
3. Do we cherish the relationships we
have with one another in Christ? Do we
see our church as “family” and act
accordingly?

36. The bonds
that hold us
together are
soaked in the
blood of
Jesus Christ!