Mark 3:11-35

11Whenever people with evil spirits saw him, they would fall down in front of him and shout, “You are the Son of God!”

12He gave them orders not to tell people who he was.

13Jesus went up a mountain, called those whom he wanted, and they came to him.

14He appointed twelve whom he called apostles. They were to accompany him and to be sent out by him to spread ⌞the Good News⌟.

15They also had the authority to force demons out of people.

16He appointed these twelve: Simon (whom Jesus named Peter),

17James and his brother John (Zebedee’s sons whom Jesus named Boanerges, which means “Thunderbolts”),

18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,

19and Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Jesus).

20Then Jesus went home. Another crowd gathered so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat.

21When his family heard about it, they went to get him. They said, “He’s out of his mind!”

22The experts in Moses’ Teachings who had come from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebul is in him,” and “He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons.”

23Jesus called them together and used this illustration: “How can Satan force out Satan?

24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last.

25And if a household is divided against itself, that household will not last.

26So if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot last. That will be the end of him.

27“No one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property. First he must tie up the strong man. Then he can go through the strong man’s house and steal his property.

28“I can guarantee this truth: People will be forgiven for any sin or curse.

29But whoever curses the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is guilty of an everlasting sin.”

30Jesus said this because the experts in Moses’ Teachings had said that he had an evil spirit.

31Then his mother and his brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone to ask him to come out.

32The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.”

33He replied to them, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

34Then looking at those who sat in a circle around him, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers.

35Whoever does what God wants is my brother and sister and mother.”