Mar 3:7-6:6 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Mark 3:7-12: 3:7-12 Jesus’ departure to the lake (the Sea of Galilee) sets the scene for 4:1–5:43 . The multitude that came to see John the Baptist (1:7 ) was surpassed by the multitude that came to see Jesus. • Idumea was a region in southern Judea that had been occupied by the Edomites after the Exile. • Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast that Jesus later visited (7:24 , 31 ).

Summary for Mark 3:7-12: 3:7-12 ^a Jesus’ departure to the lake (the Sea of Galilee) sets the scene for 4:1–5:43 ^b. The multitude that came to see John the Baptist (1:7 ^c) was surpassed by the multitude that came to see Jesus.

• Idumea was a region in southern Judea that had been occupied by the Edomites after the Exile.

• Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast that Jesus later visited (7:24 ^d, 31 ^e).
3:9 ^f The boat probably belonged to Peter and Andrew or to James and John. The crowd’s desire to see Jesus was so great that he needed to escape the crush of people (4:1 ^g; 5:24 ^h, 31 ⁱ).
3:10 ^j Jesus healed many people that day; perhaps he healed all the sick (cp. Matt 12:15 ^k).
Summary for Mark 3:11-12: 3:11-12 ^l The evil spirits knew who Jesus was (1:34 ^m; see also 1:22 ⁿ; 5:7 ^o), but Jesus did not want his identity revealed.
Summary for Mark 3:13-19: 3:13-19 ^p The scene now changes to a mountain, and Mark tells how Jesus called his disciples, which is reminiscent of God’s call of Old Testament prophets (Exod 3:14-22 ^q; 1 Sam 3:4-14 ^r; Jer 1:5-19 ^s).
Summary for Mark 3:14-15: 3:14-15 ^t Jesus appointed twelve to represent Israel’s twelve tribes and to proclaim that the Kingdom of God had arrived. He called them apostles (Greek apostoloi, “emissaries”). He chose them to accompany him and to be sent out (Greek apostellō) to preach and to cast out demons. They represented Jesus and were endowed with his authority.
Summary for Mark 3:16-18: 3:16-18 ^u Simon and Andrew were brothers, as were James and John (1:16-20 ^v).

• Peter is the Greek equivalent of the Aramaic kepa’, meaning “rock.”
3:17 ^w but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”: This nickname probably speaks of their character (cp. Luke 9:53-54 ^x).
3:18 ^y Philip is fifth on all four lists of the twelve disciples (Matt 10:1-4 ^z; Luke 6:12-16 ^aa; Acts 1:13 ^ab); James the son of Alphaeus (not the son of Zebedee and brother of John) is always ninth. Bartholomew might be Nathanael (John 1:43-51 ^ac), and Matthew is probably Levi, the tax collector (Mark 2:14 ^ad; Matt 9:9 ^ae). Although Thomas is referred to as “the twin” (John 11:16 ^af; 20:24 ^ag; 21:2 ^ah), nothing else is said in the New Testament about this. Thaddaeus (Matt 10:3 ^ai) is missing from Luke’s list; he might be Judas, the son of James (Luke 6:16 ^aj; Acts 1:13 ^ak). That a government official (Matthew) and an anti-government activist (Simon ... the zealot) were among the twelve apostles testifies to Jesus’ ability to change people’s hearts and overcome natural antagonism.
3:19 ^al Identifying Judas as Iscariot suggests that Mark wanted to avoid confusing him with another Judas (Luke 6:16 ^am; Acts 1:13 ^an). Iscariot probably comes from ’ish (“man of”) qeriyoth (“Kerioth,” a town in Judea).

• who later betrayed him: See Mark 14:10-11 ^ao, 43-46 ^ap.
Summary for Mark 3:20-35: 3:20-35 ^aq This story about Jesus and his family (3:20-21 ^ar and 31-35 ^as) brackets a controversy story about Jesus’ exorcisms (3:22-30 ^at); this arrangement identifies Jesus’ family with the religious leaders in opposing him. 3:20 ^au That Jesus and the disciples can’t find time to eat emphasizes Jesus’ great popularity with the crowds (3:7-9 ^av).
3:21 ^aw He’s out of his mind: Mark does not explain whether the attempt by Jesus’ family to seize him was motivated by sincere but misguided concern, or by hostility. Jesus’ brothers and sisters were not among his followers until after his resurrection (3:31-35 ^ax; John 7:3-5 ^ay; 1 Cor 15:7 ^az mentions James, the brother of Jesus, who became a leader of the Jerusalem church, Acts 15:13-21 ^ba).
3:22 ^bb The teachers of religious law (see study note on 1:22) from Jerusalem attributed Jesus’ apparent madness to his being possessed by Satan (Greek Beelzeboul; see study note on Matt 10:25). Jesus’ opponents credited his miracle-working ability to Satan (as in the rabbinic work, Sanhedrin 3:43a, where miracle-working is ascribed to sorcery).
Summary for Mark 3:23-27: 3:23-27 ^bc Jesus showed the absurdity of this charge by giving several analogies. Satan would not undo his own work.
3:27 ^bd Jesus provided a better explanation for his ability to cast out demons: Someone stronger than Satan had arrived (1:7 ^be) and was able to loot Satan’s house. Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God (1:1 ^bf), was introducing God’s Kingdom and rescuing people from Satan’s power.
Summary for Mark 3:28-30: 3:28-30 ^bg The phrase I tell you the truth introduces many of Jesus’ sayings and gives emphasis to what follows (see also 8:12 ^bh; 9:1 ^bi, 41 ^bj; 10:15 ^bk, 29 ^bl; 11:23 ^bm; 12:43 ^bn; 13:30 ^bo; 14:9 ^bp, 18 ^bq, 25 ^br, 30 ^bs).

• All sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but there is a sin with eternal consequences—blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to attribute the work of God to an evil spirit. Resisting and denouncing the work of God in this way prevents the convicting work of the Spirit that leads to repentance, saving faith in God, and pardon for sin (see study notes on Matt 12:31-32; cp. Heb 6:4-6 ^bt; 1 Jn 5:16-17 ^bu).
Summary for Mark 3:31-35: 3:31-35 ^bv Mark resumes from 3:20-21 ^bw.

• Your mother and your brothers: Jesus’ brothers are commonly understood to have been children born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus’ birth (see also 6:3 ^bx; Matt 1:25 ^by; 12:46 ^bz; John 19:26-27 ^ca); some interpreters instead believe that they were either Joseph’s children by an earlier marriage or Jesus’ cousins, due to the Roman Catholic belief that Mary was perpetually a virgin.
Summary for Mark 3:33-34: 3:33-34 ^cb In God’s Kingdom, one’s true relatives are determined not by blood but by a faith relationship (see also 10:29-30 ^cc).
3:35 ^cd Doing God’s will includes repentance from sin, faith in God, and following Jesus (1:15 ^ce, 18 ^cf, 20 ^cg).

‏ Mark 4

Summary for Mark 4:1-34: 4:1-34 ^ch In this section Mark collects a number of Jesus’ teaching parables. 4:1 ^ci Jesus again uses a boat to avoid the press of the crowd when he is teaching (3:9 ^cj; Luke 5:2-3 ^ck).
4:2 ^cl Parables are often stories (Luke 15:11-32 ^cm; 18:1-8 ^cn) but can also be proverbs (Mark 3:24-25 ^co; Luke 4:23 ^cp), similes and metaphors (Matt 5:14 ^cq; 10:16 ^cr), riddles (Mark 7:15 ^cs; 14:58 ^ct), comparisons (Matt 13:33 ^cu; Luke 15:3-7 ^cv), examples (Luke 10:30-35 ^cw; 12:16-21 ^cx), or allegories (Mark 4:3-9 ^cy; 12:1-12 ^cz).
Summary for Mark 4:3-9: 4:3-9 ^da The collection begins with the longest parable and its interpretation (4:13-20 ^db), focusing on various types of soil as an analogy for various conditions of the human heart.
4:10 ^dc The scene changes from Jesus’ teaching a very large crowd from a boat to his being alone with the twelve disciples and ... others. Their question concerns all the parables (4:33-34 ^dd), not just this one.
Summary for Mark 4:11-12: 4:11-12 ^de Jesus’ real followers were permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God—namely, that the Kingdom of God had come (1:14-15 ^df) and that Christ, the Son of God, was in their midst (1:1 ^dg). For outsiders, it all seemed like riddles.

• Jesus’ reply to the disciples’ question suggests that the parables were intended to prevent outsiders from understanding them, so that they would be unable to repent and be forgiven. The quotation from Isa 6:9-10 ^dh (Greek version) suggests that it was an intentional judgment on the hearers. Jesus’ teaching in parables, and the resultant unbelief of outsiders, fulfilled what the Scriptures had predicted. The sensitive nature of Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God (a theme that would have made Roman authorities very uneasy) made teaching in parables useful in defusing this issue.
4:13 ^di If Jesus’ hearers could not understand the parable, they might lack the grace of citizenship in Christ’s Kingdom. However, even the insiders required Jesus’ explanation.
Summary for Mark 4:14-20: 4:14-20 ^dj The interpretation of the parable of the four soils is allegorical. The farmer represents a preacher of God’s word (4:14 ^dk). The four types of soil that receive the seed represent different responses to the preaching of the word. The point of this parable and its interpretation is that hearers should be good soil and heed God’s word (4:9 ^dl). Only those who produce fruit and endure to the end will be saved (13:13 ^dm; 8:35 ^dn; Rev 2:10-11 ^do).
Summary for Mark 4:21-25: 4:21-25 ^dp These sayings are connected with the exhortation to hear (4:9 ^dq, 23-24 ^dr) and with the distinction between insiders and outsiders (4:11-12 ^ds, 24-25 ^dt). They illustrate what citizens of the Kingdom will do. 4:21 ^du A lamp is lighted to shine and give people light, not to remain hidden. Citizens of the Kingdom are responsible for putting the light of the Good News on a stand (4:17 ^dv).
Summary for Mark 4:22-23: 4:22-23 ^dw One day the lamp (i.e., Jesus; cp. John 8:12 ^dx) will shine his light on everything that is hidden, on every thought and secret action (Mark 13:26 ^dy; 14:62 ^dz; see Phil 2:10-11 ^ea). The time to listen is before this occurs (Mark 4:9 ^eb).
4:24 ^ec Those who listen and respond will be given more understanding, but those outside (4:11-12 ^ed) will have greater darkness (2 Cor 3:14-16 ^ee).
Summary for Mark 4:26-34: 4:26-34 ^ef Mark now gives additional seed parables (cp. 4:3-20 ^eg). Their common theme is the secret of the Kingdom of God (4:11 ^eh). The parables of the seed growing secretly (4:26-29 ^ei) and of the mustard seed (4:30-32 ^ej) describe different stages of the seed-growth process. The Kingdom of God is hidden (4:21 ^ek), but growth is certain (4:26-29 ^el) and the result will be glorious (4:32 ^em).
Summary for Mark 4:26-29: 4:26-29 ^en This parable focuses on the seed and its inevitable growth.

• Just as the earth produces the crops on its own, the consummation of God’s Kingdom does not depend on human action.

• The leaf blade, the heads of wheat, and the ripened grain describe normal stages in a seed’s growth.
4:29 ^eo Harvest time is analogous to the final inauguration of God’s Kingdom. A sickle is a frequent symbol of the final judgment (Jer 50:16 ^ep; Joel 3:13 ^eq; Rev 14:14-19 ^er).
Summary for Mark 4:30-32: 4:30-32 ^es Jesus contrasts a very small beginning with a large result. The mustard seed is proverbially small (see Matt 17:20 ^et).
Summary for Mark 4:33-34: 4:33-34 ^eu Mark’s summary of this section indicates that 4:3-32 ^ev is a collection of parables, not a chronological description of Jesus’ teaching on a specific day.

• Jesus’ private explanation of the parables to the disciples shows that they were not outsiders, even though they sometimes lacked understanding (cp. 4:13 ^ew).
Summary for Mark 4:35-5:43: 4:35–5:43 ^ex The three miracle stories in this section are connected by a shared location (the Sea of Galilee), the presence of the disciples, the use of a boat, and a common theme, Who is this man? (4:41 ^ey).
Summary for Mark 4:35-41: 4:35-41 ^ez This passage focuses on the greatness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus’ authority over natural forces demonstrated his divinity.

• the other side: The eastern side of the Sea of Galilee was the region of the Gerasenes (5:1 ^fa).

• The fact that other boats followed shows Jesus’ fame.
4:38 ^fb Jesus was probably asleep under the stern, using a bag of ballast sand as a pillow. In 1986, a boat dating from Jesus’ time was discovered in the mud near the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is 26½ feet long, 7½ feet wide, and 4½ feet deep, with an elevated stern. It could hold up to fifteen people.
Summary for Mark 4:39-40: 4:39-40 ^fc The disciples still lacked faith in Jesus (4:41 ^fd), despite their numerous opportunities to experience his power and authority (1:21-34 ^fe, 40-45 ^ff; 2:1-12 ^fg; 3:1-5 ^fh).
4:41 ^fi The disciples were absolutely terrified—a frequent response to Jesus in Mark (5:15 ^fj, 33 ^fk; 6:50 ^fl; 9:32 ^fm; 10:32 ^fn; 11:18 ^fo; 16:8 ^fp).

• Who is this man? Readers already know that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (1:1 ^fq, 11 ^fr, 24 ^fs; 3:11 ^ft).

‏ Mark 5

Summary for Mark 5:1-20: 5:1-20 ^fu Jesus and the disciples arrived at the other side of the lake, completing the journey begun in 4:35 ^fv. As in 1:21-28 ^fw and 3:11 ^fx, the demons truly recognized (1:34 ^fy) that Jesus was the Son of the Most High God. For the first time in the Gospel of Mark, a Gentile was the recipient of Jesus’ healing ministry (see study note on 5:10-13; cp. 7:24-30 ^fz). 5:1 ^ga The region of the Gerasenes: Textual and geographical problems make the exact location uncertain. Manuscript evidence supports Gerasa, a city in this region located thirty-seven miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee (5:13 ^gb). Some manuscripts read “Gadarenes”; Gadara was five miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee. A few manuscripts read “Gergesenes”; the town of Gergesa was located on a steep bank on the Sea of Galilee’s eastern shore.
Summary for Mark 5:2-5: 5:2-5 ^gc Mark focuses on Jesus. The evil spirit had great strength, but Jesus’ authority was even greater (5:6-13 ^gd).
Summary for Mark 5:6-8: 5:6-8 ^ge Despite the man’s horrible condition, Jesus’ coming provided him a glimmer of hope; he ran and knelt before Jesus, seeking help.

• Son of the Most High God: Evil spirits know Jesus’ true identity (1:24 ^gf, 34 ^gg; 3:11 ^gh).

• There was no struggle; Jesus was in charge and the evil spirit obeyed the Master. Torture is the final judgment awaiting evil spirits (Matt 8:29 ^gi; Luke 8:31 ^gj).
5:9 ^gk A legion was a Roman military unit of 5,000–6,000 men. Here it describes the presence of many evil spirits.
Summary for Mark 5:10-13: 5:10-13 ^gl The spirits’ persistent begging shows Jesus’ mastery over them. They were permitted to enter a herd of about 2,000 pigs, whose presence marks this as Gentile territory. Some have focused on the economic loss of the pigs or have speculated about why Jesus let the demons destroy them, but Mark and his readers were interested in how Jesus saved the man.
Summary for Mark 5:15-16: 5:15-16 ^gm The contrast between the former and present condition of the man who had been possessed was a testimony of Jesus’ saving power.
5:17 ^gn The frightened people asked Jesus to go away. Fear and amazement are frequent responses to the mighty acts of Jesus (cp. 1:22 ^go, 27 ^gp; 2:12 ^gq; 4:41 ^gr; 6:50-51 ^gs). The response to Jesus’ saving work varied (cp. 4:14-20 ^gt).
5:18 ^gu Unlike his neighbors (5:17 ^gv), the man experienced God’s grace and wanted to go with him (literally to be with him; see 3:14 ^gw).
Summary for Mark 5:19-20: 5:19-20 ^gx Jesus’ mission for the man was to tell others the great things the Lord had done for him. Mark thus identifies Jesus as the Lord.

• tell them everything: Unlike other occasions, Jesus did not try to keep his identity secret (see 3:11-12 ^gy), perhaps because it was less dangerous in this Gentile area.

• Ten Towns: See study note on Matt 4:24-25.
Summary for Mark 5:21-43: 5:21-43 ^gz Two healing miracles are connected by the need for faith (5:34 ^ha, 36 ^hb). The story of Jairus’s daughter brackets the story of the healing of the woman who had constant bleeding (5:25-34 ^hc; see Mark Book Introduction, “Literary Features”), during which Jairus’s sick daughter died (5:35-43 ^hd).
Summary for Mark 5:21-22: 5:21-22 ^he As Jesus arrived in Galilee on the other (i.e., west) side of the lake, ... a leader of the local synagogue named Jairus approached him. Jairus organized the worship services at the synagogue (cp. Acts 13:15 ^hf) and represented the Jewish community to the outside world.
5:23 ^hg The father wanted Jesus to heal her physically (literally that she might be saved; see 3:4 ^hh; 5:28 ^hi, 34 ^hj; 6:56 ^hk; 10:52 ^hl; 15:30-31 ^hm).
Summary for Mark 5:24-34: 5:24-34 ^hn As Jesus goes to Jairus’s home with a great crowd following, Mark introduces a woman in the crowd who suffered from constant bleeding. This condition not only brought poor health, but made her ceremonially unclean and thus unable to participate in the normal life of the community (see Lev 15:25-27 ^ho). She was a model of the kind of faith that Jairus should have.
Summary for Mark 5:27-29: 5:27-29 ^hp The woman’s faith (5:34 ^hq) convinced her that just touching Jesus’ clothing would bring healing; this took place immediately.
Summary for Mark 5:33-34: 5:33-34 ^hr The woman responded in fear—not from guilt, but from the realization that she had experienced a mighty miracle from God. Unlike the fear of the Gerasenes (5:15-17 ^hs), her fear was positive and brought Jesus’ blessing. She experienced God’s grace and salvation.
Summary for Mark 5:35-43: 5:35-43 ^ht Since Jairus had left home, his daughter had died. Jesus reassured Jairus that, despite the death of his daughter and the seeming hopelessness of the situation, Jairus should not be afraid but have faith in Jesus.
5:36 ^hu Just have faith: As the woman had (5:28 ^hv).
5:37 ^hw Peter, James, and John became Jesus’ inner circle (see 3:16-17 ^hx; 9:2 ^hy; 14:33 ^hz).
5:38 ^ia The commotion and weeping and wailing confirmed the report of the messengers and dramatized the hopelessness of the situation. Such outbursts of grief were typical of funerals in Jesus’ day, where professional mourners were often hired (cp. Matt 9:23 ^ib).
5:39 ^ic Sleep is a metaphor for death (John 11:11 ^id; 1 Thes 4:13-15 ^ie). The child isn’t dead because she will be resurrected—she’s only asleep and will shortly “wake up” and resume her life. The same Greek word translated here as “sleep” refers to death in Matt 27:52 ^if; Acts 7:60 ^ig; 13:36 ^ih; 1 Cor 15:6 ⁱⁱ, 18 ^ij, 20 ^ik, 51 ^il; 1 Thes 4:13-15 ^im.
5:40 ⁱⁿ Because the crowd did not understand Jesus’ words, they laughed at him, knowing that the girl had died. He made them all leave, probably to keep them from discouraging the parents any further.
5:41 ^io Mark translates Talitha koum for his Greek-speaking readers as Little girl, get up! The Aramaic terms are not magical; they are simply the actual words Jesus spoke when he raised the little girl, since Aramaic was his native language. The Aramaic terms that Mark records probably come from learning the story in Aramaic in Jerusalem.
5:42 ^ip Jesus’ authority over death was demonstrated when the little girl immediately stood up and walked around, with no need for recuperation. The transformation was instant and absolute.
5:43 ^iq The miracle is followed by a command not to tell anyone what had happened (see 3:11-12 ^ir).

• give her something to eat: The Lord of nature, demons, illness, and death is also concerned with the daily needs of his creatures.

‏ Mark 6:1-6

Summary for Mark 6:1-6: 6:1-6 ^is Nazareth’s rejection of Jesus contrasts ironically with the faith displayed by others, and the miracles he couldn’t do contrasts with the power displayed elsewhere.
Summary for Mark 6:1-2: 6:1-2 ^it The people’s amazement at Jesus’ teaching was due to the wisdom of his teaching and his power to heal and cast out demons.

• Where did he get: His quiet years in Nazareth had not prepared them to accept him as an authoritative teacher and healer.
Summary for Mark 6:3-4: 6:3-4 ^iu The residents of Nazareth thought of Jesus only as a carpenter (literally craftsman).

• He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary: One expects “son of Joseph”; this phrasing probably indicates that Joseph had died by this time.

• brother ... his sisters: See study note on 3:31-35.

• They were deeply offended: They thought Jesus was claiming to be someone he could not possibly be.
Summary for Mark 6:5-6: 6:5-6 ^iv Faith and healing are frequently connected in Mark (2:5 ^iw; 5:34 ^ix, 36 ^iy; 9:23-24 ^iz; 10:52 ^ja). Jesus’ miracles were not performances but the partial realization of God’s Kingdom; entrance to that Kingdom and its benefits require repentance and faith (1:15 ^jb).

• A few sick people were healed, but the unbelief that Jesus encountered in his own village amazed him, a unique occurrence.

• This section of Mark (3:7–6:6a ^jc) speaks of Jesus’ rejection by his family (3:21 ^jd, 31-35 ^je), the scribes (3:22 ^jf), and the people of Gerasa (5:17 ^jg); it ends with rejection by people in his hometown (6:1-6a ^jh). Along the way, a few people believed and were healed. This ending is similar to the ending of the previous section (1:14–3:6 ^ji).
Summary for Mark 6:6-13: 6:6–8:21 ^jj Jesus’ mission and the disciples’ misunderstanding are prominent themes in this section. 6:6 ^jk This summary of Jesus’ healing and preaching ministry introduces an account concerning the disciples. Jesus’ teaching from village to village probably took place around the Sea of Galilee and perhaps in Capernaum (see 2:1 ^jl).