EGW WritingsMark 3
Ellen G. White
Read Mark 3 in the BibleMark 3:4
From Heaven With Love
Jesus Deliberately Heals on the Sabbath
HLv 189.2
Jesus told the afflicted man to stand forth, and asked, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?” Mark 3:4. It was a maxim among the Jews that failure to do good when one had opportunity, was to do evil; to neglect to save life was to kill. Thus Jesus met the rabbis on their own ground. “But they were silent. And He looked at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of heart, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” Verse 5, RSV.Mark 3:4-5
The Desire of Ages
Chapter 29—The Sabbath
DA 286.2
Upon another Sabbath, as Jesus entered a synagogue, He saw there a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees watched Him, eager to see what He would do. The Saviour well knew that in healing on the Sabbath He would be regarded as a transgressor, but He did not hesitate to break down the wall of traditional requirements that barricaded the Sabbath. Jesus bade the afflicted man stand forth, and then asked, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?” It was a maxim among the Jews that a failure to do good, when one had opportunity, was to do evil; to neglect to save life was to kill. Thus Jesus met the rabbis on their own ground. “But they held their peace. 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. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.” Mark 3:4, 5.To Be Like Jesus
Do Soul-saving Work on the Sabbath, May 13
BLJ 144.4
Upon another Sabbath, as Jesus entered a synagogue, He saw there a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees watched Him, eager to see what He would do. The Savior well knew that in healing on the Sabbath He would be regarded as a transgressor, but He did not hesitate to break down the wall of traditional requirements that barricaded the Sabbath. Jesus bade the afflicted man stand forth, and then asked, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?” It was a maxim among the Jews that a failure to do good, when one had opportunity, was to do evil; to neglect to save life was to kill. Thus Jesus met the rabbis on their own ground. “But they held their peace. 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. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other” (Mark 3:4, 5).—The Desire of Ages, 285, 286.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)
Ms 140, 1903
18LtMs, Ms 140, 1903, par. 47
On one occasion Jesus entered a synagogue on the Sabbath and saw there a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees watched Him, eager to see what He would do. The Saviour well knew that in healing on the Sabbath He would be regarded as a transgressor, but He did not hesitate to break down the wall of traditional requirements that barricaded the Sabbath. Jesus bade the afflicted man stand forth, and then asked, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath day, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?” It was a maxim among the Jews that a failure to do good, when one had opportunity, was to do evil; to neglect to save life was to kill. Thus Jesus met the rabbis on their own ground. “But they held their peace. 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. And he stretched it out; and his hand was restored whole as the other.” [Mark 3:4, 5.]Mark 3:5
The Story of Jesus
Chapter 11—Sabbathkeeping
SJ 70.3
“And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.” Luke 6:6-9, 11; Mark 3:5.Mark 3:8
The Desire of Ages
Chapter 31—The Sermon on the Mount
DA 298.2
The Sermon on the Mount, though given especially to the disciples, was spoken in the hearing of the multitude. After the ordination of the apostles, Jesus went with them to the seaside. Here in the early morning the people had begun to assemble. Besides the usual crowds from the Galilean towns, there were people from Judea, and even from Jerusalem itself; from Perea, from Decapolis, from Idumea, away to the south of Judea; and from Tyre and Sidon, the Phoenician cities on the shore of the Mediterranean. “When they had heard what great things He did,” they “came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases: ... there went virtue out of Him, and healed them all.” Mark 3:8; Luke 6:17-19.Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing
Chapter 1—On the Mountainside
MB 4.2
Besides the usual crowd from the Galilean towns, there were great numbers from Judea, and from Jerusalem itself; from Perea, and from the half-heathen population of Decapolis; from Idumea, away to the south of Judea, and from Tyre and Sidon, the Phoenician cities on the shore of the Mediterranean. “Hearing what great things He did,” they “came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases; and ... power came forth from Him, and healed them all.” Mark 3:8 , R.V.; Luke 6:17-19 , R.V.From Heaven With Love
Chapter 31—The Sermon on the Mount
HLv 198.2
The Sermon on the Mount, though given especially to the disciples, was spoken in the hearing of the multitude. After the ordination of the apostles, Jesus went to the seaside. In the early morning people had begun to assemble. “When they had heard what great things He did,” they “came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases; ... there went virtue out of Him, and healed them all.” Mark 3:8; Luke 6:17-19.Mark 3:13-14
Gospel Workers (1915 ed.)
Ordination
GW 445.2
It was at the ordination of the twelve that the first step was taken in the organization of the church that after Christ’s departure was to carry on His work on the earth. Of this ordination the record says, “He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would: and they came unto Him. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach.” [Mark 3:13, 14.]...The Acts of the Apostles
Chapter 2—The Training of the Twelve
AA 18.1
It was at the ordination of the Twelve that the first step was taken in the organization of the church that after Christ’s departure was to carry on His work on the earth. Of this ordination the record says, “He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would: and they came unto Him. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach.” Mark 3:13, 14.Jesus, Name Above All Names
Majesty of Heaven, September 18
JNN 276.2
It was at the ordination of the Twelve that the first step was taken in the organization of the church that after Christ’s departure was to carry on His work on the earth. Of this ordination the record says, “He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would: and they came unto Him. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach” (Mark 3:13, 14).Mark 3:13-19
Conflict and Courage
Unity in Diversity, October 9
CC 288.1
And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach. Mark 3:14.CC 288.2
In these first disciples was presented a marked diversity. They were to be the world’s teachers, and they represented widely varied types of character. There were Levi Matthew the publican, called from a life of business activity, and subservience to Rome; the zealot Simon, the uncompromising foe of the imperial authority; the impulsive, self-sufficient, warm-hearted Peter, with Andrew his brother; Judas the Judean, polished, capable, and mean-spirited; Philip and Thomas, faithful and earnest, yet slow of heart to believe; James the less and Jude, of less prominence among the brethren, but men of force, positive both in their faults and in their virtues; Nathanael, a child in sincerity and trust; and the ambitious, loving-hearted sons of Zebedee....CC 288.3
Of the twelve disciples, four were to act a leading part, each in a distinct line. In preparation for this, Christ taught them, foreseeing all. James, destined to swift-coming death by the sword; John, longest of the brethren to follow his Master in labor and persecution; Peter, the pioneer in breaking through the barriers of ages, and teaching the heathen world; and Judas, in service capable of pre-eminence above his brethren, yet brooding in his soul purposes of whose ripening he little dreamed.15Education, 85, 86.CC 288.4
In order successfully to carry forward the work to which they had been called, these disciples, differing so widely in natural characteristics, in training, and in habits of life, needed to come into unity of feeling, thought, and action. This unity it was Christ’s object to secure.... The burden of His labor for them is expressed in His prayer to the Father, “that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us” (John 17:21).16Ibid., 86.CC 288.5
In the apostles of our Lord there was nothing to bring glory to themselves. It was evident that the success of their labors was due only to God. The lives of these men, the characters they developed, and the mighty work that God wrought through them, are a testimony to what He will do for all who are teachable and obedient.17The Desire of Ages, 250.The Desire of Ages
Chapter 30—“He Ordained Twelve”
DA 290.1
“And He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would: and they came unto Him. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach.”DA 290.2
It was beneath the sheltering trees of the mountainside, but a little distance from the Sea of Galilee, that the twelve were called to the apostolate, and the Sermon on the Mount was given. The fields and hills were the favorite resorts of Jesus, and much of His teaching was given under the open sky, rather than in the temple or the synagogues. No synagogue could have received the throngs that followed Him; but not for this reason only did He choose to teach in the fields and groves. Jesus loved the scenes of nature. To Him each quiet retreat was a sacred temple.DA 290.3
It was under the trees of Eden that the first dwellers on earth had chosen their sanctuary. There Christ had communed with the father of mankind. When banished from Paradise, our first parents still worshiped in the fields and groves, and there Christ met them with the gospel of His grace. It was Christ who spoke with Abraham under the oaks at Mamre; with Isaac as he went out to pray in the fields at the eventide; with Jacob on the hillside at Bethel; with Moses among the mountains of Midian; and with the boy David as he watched his flocks. It was at Christ’s direction that for fifteen centuries the Hebrew people had left their homes for one week every year, and had dwelt in booths formed from the green branches “of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook.” Leviticus 23:40.DA 291.1
In training His disciples, Jesus chose to withdraw from the confusion of the city to the quiet of the fields and hills, as more in harmony with the lessons of self-abnegation He desired to teach them. And during His ministry He loved to gather the people about Him under the blue heavens, on some grassy hillside, or on the beach beside the lake. Here, surrounded by the works of His own creation, He could turn the thoughts of His hearers from the artificial to the natural. In the growth and development of nature were revealed the principles of His kingdom. As men should lift up their eyes to the hills of God, and behold the wonderful works of His hands, they could learn precious lessons of divine truth. Christ’s teaching would be repeated to them in the things of nature. So it is with all who go into the fields with Christ in their hearts. They will feel themselves surrounded with a holy influence. The things of nature take up the parables of our Lord, and repeat His counsels. By communion with God in nature, the mind is uplifted, and the heart finds rest.DA 291.2
The first step was now to be taken in the organization of the church that after Christ’s departure was to be His representative on earth. No costly sanctuary was at their command, but the Saviour led His disciples to the retreat He loved, and in their minds the sacred experiences of that day were forever linked with the beauty of mountain and vale and sea.DA 291.3
Jesus had called His disciples that He might send them forth as His witnesses, to declare to the world what they had seen and heard of Him. Their office was the most important to which human beings had ever been called, and was second only to that of Christ Himself. They were to be workers together with God for the saving of the world. As in the Old Testament the twelve patriarchs stand as representatives of Israel, so the twelve apostles were to stand as representatives of the gospel church.DA 291.4
The Saviour knew the character of the men whom He had chosen; all their weaknesses and errors were open before Him; He knew the perils through which they must pass, the responsibility that would rest upon them; and His heart yearned over these chosen ones. Alone upon a mountain near the Sea of Galilee He spent the entire night in prayer for them, while they were sleeping at the foot of the mountain. With the first light of dawn He summoned them to meet Him; for He had something of importance to communicate to them.DA 292.1
These disciples had been for some time associated with Jesus in active labor. John and James, Andrew and Peter, with Philip, Nathanael, and Matthew, had been more closely connected with Him than the others, and had witnessed more of His miracles. Peter, James, and John stood in still nearer relationship to Him. They were almost constantly with Him, witnessing His miracles, and hearing His words. John pressed into still closer intimacy with Jesus, so that he is distinguished as the one whom Jesus loved. The Saviour loved them all, but John’s was the most receptive spirit. He was younger than the others, and with more of the child’s confiding trust he opened his heart to Jesus. Thus he came more into sympathy with Christ, and through him the Saviour’s deepest spiritual teaching was communicated to His people.DA 292.2
At the head of one of the groups into which the apostles are divided stands the name of Philip. He was the first disciple to whom Jesus addressed the distinct command, “Follow Me.” Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. He had listened to the teaching of John the Baptist, and had heard his announcement of Christ as the Lamb of God. Philip was a sincere seeker for truth, but he was slow of heart to believe. Although he had joined himself to Christ, yet his announcement of Him to Nathanael shows that he was not fully convinced of the divinity of Jesus. Though Christ had been proclaimed by the voice from heaven as the Son of God, to Philip He was “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” John 1:45. Again, when the five thousand were fed, Philip’s lack of faith was shown. It was to test him that Jesus questioned, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” Philip’s answer was on the side of unbelief: “Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.” John 6:5, 7. Jesus was grieved. Although Philip had seen His works and felt His power, yet he had not faith. When the Greeks inquired of Philip concerning Jesus, he did not seize upon the opportunity of introducing them to the Saviour, but he went to tell Andrew. Again, in those last hours before the crucifixion, the words of Philip were such as to discourage faith. When Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way?” the Saviour answered, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.... If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also.” From Philip came the response of unbelief: “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.” John 14:5-8. So slow of heart, so weak in faith, was that disciple who for three years had been with Jesus.DA 293.1
In happy contrast to Philip’s unbelief was the childlike trust of Nathanael. He was a man of intensely earnest nature, one whose faith took hold upon unseen realities. Yet Philip was a student in the school of Christ, and the divine Teacher bore patiently with his unbelief and dullness. When the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples, Philip became a teacher after the divine order. He knew whereof he spoke, and he taught with an assurance that carried conviction to the hearers.DA 293.2
While Jesus was preparing the disciples for their ordination, one who had not been summoned urged his presence among them. It was Judas Iscariot, a man who professed to be a follower of Christ. He now came forward, soliciting a place in this inner circle of disciples. With great earnestness and apparent sincerity he declared, “Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.” Jesus neither repulsed nor welcomed him, but uttered only the mournful words: “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.” Matthew 8:19, 20. Judas believed Jesus to be the Messiah; and by joining the apostles, he hoped to secure a high position in the new kingdom. This hope Jesus designed to cut off by the statement of His poverty.DA 294.1
The disciples were anxious that Judas should become one of their number. He was of commanding appearance, a man of keen discernment and executive ability, and they commended him to Jesus as one who would greatly assist Him in His work. They were surprised that Jesus received him so coolly.DA 294.2
The disciples had been much disappointed that Jesus had not tried to secure the co-operation of the leaders in Israel. They felt that it was a mistake not to strengthen His cause by securing the support of these influential men. If He had repulsed Judas, they would, in their own minds, have questioned the wisdom of their Master. The after history of Judas would show them the danger of allowing any worldly consideration to have weight in deciding the fitness of men for the work of God. The co-operation of such men as the disciples were anxious to secure would have betrayed the work into the hands of its worst enemies.DA 294.3
Yet when Judas joined the disciples, he was not insensible to the beauty of the character of Christ. He felt the influence of that divine power which was drawing souls to the Saviour. He who came not to break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax would not repulse this soul while even one desire was reaching toward the light. The Saviour read the heart of Judas; He knew the depths of iniquity to which, unless delivered by the grace of God, Judas would sink. In connecting this man with Himself, He placed him where he might, day by day, be brought in contact with the outflowing of His own unselfish love. If he would open his heart to Christ, divine grace would banish the demon of selfishness, and even Judas might become a subject of the kingdom of God.DA 294.4
God takes men as they are, with the human elements in their character, and trains them for His service, if they will be disciplined and learn of Him. They are not chosen because they are perfect, but notwithstanding their imperfections, that through the knowledge and practice of the truth, through the grace of Christ, they may become transformed into His image.DA 294.5
Judas had the same opportunities as had the other disciples. He listened to the same precious lessons. But the practice of the truth, which Christ required, was at variance with the desires and purposes of Judas, and he would not yield his ideas in order to receive wisdom from Heaven.DA 295.1
How tenderly the Saviour dealt with him who was to be His betrayer! In His teaching, Jesus dwelt upon principles of benevolence that struck at the very root of covetousness. He presented before Judas the heinous character of greed, and many a time the disciple realized that his character had been portrayed, and his sin pointed out; but he would not confess and forsake his unrighteousness. He was self-sufficient, and instead of resisting temptation, he continued to follow his fraudulent practices. Christ was before him, a living example of what he must become if he reaped the benefit of the divine mediation and ministry; but lesson after lesson fell unheeded on the ears of Judas.DA 295.2
Jesus dealt him no sharp rebuke for his covetousness, but with divine patience bore with this erring man, even while giving him evidence that He read his heart as an open book. He presented before him the highest incentives for right doing; and in rejecting the light of Heaven, Judas would be without excuse.DA 295.3
Instead of walking in the light, Judas chose to retain his defects. Evil desires, revengeful passions, dark and sullen thoughts, were cherished, until Satan had full control of the man. Judas became a representative of the enemy of Christ.DA 295.4
When he came into association with Jesus, he had some precious traits of character that might have been made a blessing to the church. If he had been willing to wear the yoke of Christ, he might have been among the chief of the apostles; but he hardened his heart when his defects were pointed out, and in pride and rebellion chose his own selfish ambitions, and thus unfitted himself for the work that God would have given him to do.DA 295.5
All the disciples had serious faults when Jesus called them to His service. Even John, who came into closest association with the meek and lowly One, was not himself naturally meek and yielding. He and his brother were called “the sons of thunder.” While they were with Jesus, any slight shown to Him aroused their indignation and combativeness. Evil temper, revenge, the spirit of criticism, were all in the beloved disciple. He was proud, and ambitious to be first in the kingdom of God. But day by day, in contrast with his own violent spirit, he beheld the tenderness and forbearance of Jesus, and heard His lessons of humility and patience. He opened his heart to the divine influence, and became not only a hearer but a doer of the Saviour’s words. Self was hid in Christ. He learned to wear the yoke of Christ and to bear His burden.DA 296.1
Jesus reproved His disciples, He warned and cautioned them; but John and his brethren did not leave Him; they chose Jesus, notwithstanding the reproofs. The Saviour did not withdraw from them because of their weakness and errors. They continued to the end to share His trials and to learn the lessons of His life. By beholding Christ, they became transformed in character.DA 296.2
The apostles differed widely in habits and disposition. There were the publican, Levi-Matthew, and the fiery zealot Simon, the uncompromising hater of the authority of Rome; the generous, impulsive Peter, and the mean-spirited Judas; Thomas, truehearted, yet timid and fearful, Philip, slow of heart, and inclined to doubt, and the ambitious, outspoken sons of Zebedee, with their brethren. These were brought together, with their different faults, all with inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil; but in and through Christ they were to dwell in the family of God, learning to become one in faith, in doctrine, in spirit. They would have their tests, their grievances, their differences of opinion; but while Christ was abiding in the heart, there could be no dissension. His love would lead to love for one another; the lessons of the Master would lead to the harmonizing of all differences, bringing the disciples into unity, till they would be of one mind and one judgment. Christ is the great center, and they would approach one another just in proportion as they approached the center.DA 296.3
When Jesus had ended His instruction to the disciples, He gathered the little band close about Him, and kneeling in the midst of them, and laying His hands upon their heads, He offered a prayer dedicating them to His sacred work. Thus the Lord’s disciples were ordained to the gospel ministry.DA 296.4
As His representatives among men, Christ does not choose angels who have never fallen, but human beings, men of like passions with those they seek to save. Christ took upon Himself humanity, that He might reach humanity. Divinity needed humanity; for it required both the divine and the human to bring salvation to the world. Divinity needed humanity, that humanity might afford a channel of communication between God and man. So with the servants and messengers of Christ. Man needs a power outside of and beyond himself, to restore him to the likeness of God, and enable him to do the work of God; but this does not make the human agency unessential. Humanity lays hold upon divine power, Christ dwells in the heart by faith; and through co-operation with the divine, the power of man becomes efficient for good.DA 297.1
He who called the fishermen of Galilee is still calling men to His service. And He is just as willing to manifest His power through us as through the first disciples. However imperfect and sinful we may be, the Lord holds out to us the offer of partnership with Himself, of apprenticeship to Christ. He invites us to come under the divine instruction, that, uniting with Christ, we may work the works of God.DA 297.2
“We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4:7, R. V. This is why the preaching of the gospel was committed to erring men rather than to the angels. It is manifest that the power which works through the weakness of humanity is the power of God; and thus we are encouraged to believe that the power which can help others as weak as ourselves can help us. And those who are themselves “compassed with infirmity” should be able to “have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way.” Hebrews 5:2. Having been in peril themselves, they are acquainted with the dangers and difficulties of the way, and for this reason are called to reach out for others in like peril. There are souls perplexed with doubt, burdened with infirmities, weak in faith, and unable to grasp the Unseen; but a friend whom they can see, coming to them in Christ’s stead, can be a connecting link to fasten their trembling faith upon Christ.DA 297.3
We are to be laborers together with the heavenly angels in presenting Jesus to the world. With almost impatient eagerness the angels wait for our co-operation; for man must be the channel to communicate with man. And when we give ourselves to Christ in wholehearted devotion, angels rejoice that they may speak through our voices to reveal God’s love.Mark 3:13-35
From Heaven With Love
Chapter 30—Christ Ordains Twelve Apostles
HLv 192.1
“And He went up into the hills, and called to Him those whom He desired; and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, to be with Him, and to be sent out to preach.” RSV.HLv 192.2
Beneath the sheltering trees of the mountainside, a little distance from the Sea of Galilee, the Twelve were called to the apostolate, and the Sermon on the Mount was given. In training His disciples Jesus chose to withdraw from the confusion of the city to the quiet of the fields and hills, as more in harmony with the lessons of self-abnegation He desired to teach. And during His ministry He loved to gather the people about Him under the blue heavens, on some grassy hillside, or on the beach beside the lake. Here He could turn His hearers from the artificial to the natural. In the growth and development of nature, they could learn precious lessons of divine truth.HLv 192.3
The first step was now to be taken in the organization of the church that after Christ’s departure was to be His representative on earth. No costly sanctuary was at their command, but the Saviour led His disciples to the retreat He loved, and in their minds the sacred experiences of that day were forever linked with the beauty of mountain, vale, and sea.HLv 192.4
Jesus had called His disciples that He might send them forth to declare to the world what they had seen and heard of Him. Their office, the most important to which human beings had ever been called, was second only to that of Christ Himself. They were to work with God for the saving of the world.HLv 193.1
The Saviour knew the character of the men He had chosen; their weaknesses and errors were open before Him. He knew the perils through which they must pass; and His heart yearned over these chosen ones. Alone on a mountain He spent the entire night in prayer for them, while they were sleeping at the foot of the mountain. With the first light of dawn He summoned them to meet Him.HLv 193.2
John and James, Andrew and Peter, with Philip, Nathanael, and Matthew, had been more closely connected with Jesus in active labor than the others. Peter, James, and John stood in still nearer relationship to Him, witnessing His miracles and hearing His words. The Saviour loved them all, but John’s was the most receptive spirit. Younger than the others, with more of a child’s confiding trust, he opened his heart to Jesus. Thus he came more into sympathy with Christ, and through him the Saviour’s deepest spiritual teaching was communicated to His people.HLv 194.2
In happy contrast to Philip’s unbelief was the childlike trust of Nathanael, whose faith took hold upon unseen realities. Yet Philip was a student in the school of Christ, and the divine Teacher bore patiently with his unbelief and dullness. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples, Philip taught with an assurance that carried conviction to the hearers.HLv 194.3
While Jesus was preparing the disciples for ordination, one who had not been summoned urged his presence among them. Judas Iscariot, a professed follower of Christ, came forward, soliciting a place in this inner circle. By joining the apostles he hoped to secure a high place in the new kingdom. He was of commanding appearance, of keen discernment and executive ability, and the disciples commended him to Jesus as one who would greatly assist Him in His work. If Jesus had repulsed Judas, they would have questioned the wisdom of their Master. However, the after-history of Judas would show the danger of allowing worldly consideration to have weight in deciding the fitness of men for the work of God.HLv 194.4
Yet Judas felt the influence of that divine power which was drawing souls to the Saviour. Jesus would not repulse this soul while even one desire was reaching toward the light. The Saviour read the heart of Judas; He knew the depths of iniquity to which, unless delivered by the grace of God, he would sink. In connecting this man with Himself, He placed him where he might, day by day, be brought in contact with His own unselfish love. If he would open his heart to Christ, even Judas might become a subject of the kingdom of God.HLv 195.1
God takes men as they are and trains them for His service, if they will be disciplined and learn of Him. Through the knowledge and practice of the truth, through the grace of Christ, they may become transformed into His image.HLv 195.2
Judas had the same opportunities as had the other disciples. But the practice of the truth was at variance with his desires and purposes, and he would not yield his ideas in order to receive wisdom from Heaven.HLv 195.3
Tenderly the Saviour dealt with him who was to be His betrayer! Jesus presented before Judas the heinous character of greed. Many a time the disciple realized that his character had been portrayed and his sin pointed out; but he would not confess and forsake his unrighteousness. He continued to follow fraudulent practices. Lesson after lesson fell unheeded on the ears of Judas.HLv 195.4
With divine patience Jesus bore with this erring man, even while giving him evidence that He read his heart as an open book. He presented before him the highest incentives for right doing; but evil desires, revengeful passions, dark and sullen thoughts were cherished, until Satan had full control.HLv 195.5
If Judas had been willing to wear the yoke of Christ, he might have been among the chief of the apostles. But he chose his own selfish ambitions and thus unfitted himself for the work God would have given him to do.HLv 195.6
All the disciples had serious faults when Jesus called them. John and his brother were called “the sons of thunder.” Any slight shown to Jesus aroused their indignation. Evil temper, revenge, criticism, were all in John, the beloved disciple. But day by day he beheld the tenderness and forbearance of Jesus and heard His lessons of humility and patience. He opened his heart to the divine influence and learned to wear the yoke of Christ.HLv 196.1
Jesus reproved and cautioned His disciples but John and his brethren did not leave Him. They continued to the end to share His trials and to learn the lessons of His life. By beholding Christ, they became transformed in character.HLv 196.2
The apostles differed widely in habits and disposition. There were the publican, Levi-Matthew; the fiery zealot Simon; generous, impulsive Peter; mean-spirited Judas; Thomas, truehearted, yet timid and fearful; Philip, inclined to doubt; the ambitious, outspoken sons of Zebedee, with their brethren. These were brought together, all with inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil. But in Christ they were to learn to become one in faith, in doctrine, in spirit. They would have their differences of opinion, but while Christ was abiding in the heart, there could be no dissension. The lessons of the Master would lead to the harmonizing of all differences, till the disciples would be of one mind and one judgment. Christ is the great center, and they would approach one another in proportion as they approached the center.HLv 196.3
Jesus gathered the little band close about Him, and kneeling in the midst of them and laying His hands on their heads, offered a prayer dedicating them to His sacred work.HLv 196.4
As His representatives among men, Christ does not choose angels who have never fallen, but human beings, of like passions with those they seek to save. Christ took upon Himself humanity. It required both the divine and the human to bring salvation to the world. So with the servants and messengers of Christ. Humanity lays hold on divine power, Christ dwells in the heart by faith; and through cooperation with the divine, the power of man becomes efficient for good.HLv 197.1
He who called the fishermen of Galilee is still calling men to His service. However imperfect and sinful we may be, the Lord offers us apprenticeship to Christ. Uniting with Him, we may work the works of God.HLv 197.4
Man must be the channel to communicate with man. And when we give ourselves to Christ, angels rejoice that they may speak through our voices to reveal God’s love.From Heaven With Love
Ordained for Sacred Work
HLv 197.2
“We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7, RSV. It is manifest that the power which works through the weakness of humanity is the power of God. Thus we believe that the power which can help others as weak as ourselves can help us.HLv 197.3
Those who are themselves “compassed with infirmity” should be able to “have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way.” Hebrews 5:2. There are souls perplexed with doubt, weak in faith, and unable to grasp the Unseen; but a friend whom they can see, coming in Christ’s stead, can be a connecting link to fasten their trembling faith on Christ.From Heaven With Love
Slow to Believe
HLv 193.3
Philip was the first to whom Jesus addressed the distinct command, “Follow Me.” He had heard John the Baptist’s announcement of Christ as the Lamb of God. He was a sincere seeker for truth, but was slow of heart to believe, as his announcement of Him to Nathanael shows. Though Christ had been proclaimed by the voice from heaven as the Son of God, to Philip He was “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” John 1:45. Again, when the 5000 were fed, Philip’s lack of faith was shown. It was to test him that Jesus questioned, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” Philip’s answer, on the side of unbelief, grieved Jesus: “Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.” John 6:5, 7. Philip had seen Jesus’ works and felt His power, yet he had not faith.HLv 194.1
When the Greeks inquired of Philip concerning Jesus, he did not seize the opportunity of introducing them to the Saviour, but went to tell Andrew. Again, in those last hours before the crucifixion, the words of Philip were such as to discourage faith. When Thomas said, “Lord, ... how can we know the way?” the Saviour answered, “I am the Way... . If ye had known Me, ye would have known My Father also.” From Philip came the response of unbelief: “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.” John 14:5-8.Mark 3:14
From Trials to Triumph
Chapter 2—The Training of the Twelve
TT 12.3
The ordination of the Twelve was the first step in the organization of the church. The record says, “He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach.” Mark 3:14. By these feeble agencies, through His word and Spirit, He designed to place salvation within the reach of all. The words spoken by them as they witnessed would echo from generation to generation till the close of time.Mark 3:17
Education
The Transforming Power of Christ
Ed 87.1
Peter, James, and John sought every opportunity of coming into close contact with their Master, and their desire was granted. Of all the Twelve their relationship to Him was closest. John could be satisfied only with a still near intimacy, and this he obtained. At that first conference beside the Jordan, when Andrew, having heard Jesus, hurried away to call his brother, John sat silent, rapt in the contemplation of wondrous themes. He followed the Saviour, ever an eager, absorbed listener. Yet John’s was no faultless character. He was no gentle, dreamy enthusiast. He and his brother were called “the sons of thunder.” Mark 3:17. John was proud, ambitious, combative; but beneath all this the divine Teacher discerned the ardent, sincere, loving heart. Jesus rebuked his self-seeking, disappointed his ambitions, tested his faith. But He revealed to him that for which his soul longed—the beauty of holiness, His own transforming love. “Unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world,” He said to the Father, “I have manifested Thy name.” John 17:6.From Trials to Triumph
Chapter 53—John, the Beloved Disciple
TT 283.3
John did not naturally possess loveliness of character. He was proud, self-assertive, ambitious for honor, impetuous, and resentful under injury. He and his brother were called “sons of thunder.” Mark 3:17. Evil temper and desire for revenge were in the beloved disciple. But beneath this the divine Teacher discerned the sincere, loving heart. Jesus rebuked his self-seeking, disappointed his ambitions, tested his faith. But He revealed to him the beauty of holiness, the transforming power of love.Mark 3:20-35
The Desire of Ages
Chapter 33—Who Are My Brethren?
DA 321.1
The sons of Joseph were far from being in sympathy with Jesus in His work. The reports that reached them in regard to His life and labors filled them with astonishment and dismay. They heard that He devoted entire nights to prayer, that through the day He was thronged by great companies of people, and did not give Himself time so much as to eat. His friends felt that He was wearing Himself out by His incessant labor; they were unable to account for His attitude toward the Pharisees, and there were some who feared that His reason was becoming unsettled.DA 321.2
His brothers heard of this, and also of the charge brought by the Pharisees that He cast out devils through the power of Satan. They felt keenly the reproach that came upon them through their relation to Jesus. They knew what a tumult His words and works created, and were not only alarmed at His bold statements, but indignant at His denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees. They decided that He must be persuaded or constrained to cease this manner of labor, and they induced Mary to unite with them, thinking that through His love for her they might prevail upon Him to be more prudent.DA 321.3
It was just before this that Jesus had a second time performed the miracle of healing a man possessed, blind and dumb, and the Pharisees had reiterated the charge, “He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.” Matthew 9:34. Christ told them plainly that in attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan, they were cutting themselves off from the fountain of blessing. Those who had spoken against Jesus Himself, not discerning His divine character, might receive forgiveness; for through the Holy Spirit they might be brought to see their error and repent. Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes, the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ; but he who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit is placing himself where repentance and faith cannot come to him. It is by the Spirit that God works upon the heart; when men willfully reject the Spirit, and declare It to be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them. When the Spirit is finally rejected, there is no more that God can do for the soul.DA 322.1
The Pharisees to whom Jesus spoke this warning did not themselves believe the charge they brought against Him. There was not one of those dignitaries but had felt drawn toward the Saviour. They had heard the Spirit’s voice in their own hearts declaring Him to be the Anointed of Israel, and urging them to confess themselves His disciples. In the light of His presence they had realized their unholiness, and had longed for a righteousness which they could not create. But after their rejection of Him it would be too humiliating to receive Him as the Messiah. Having set their feet in the path of unbelief, they were too proud to confess their error. And in order to avoid acknowledging the truth, they tried with desperate violence to dispute the Saviour’s teaching. The evidence of His power and mercy exasperated them. They could not prevent the Saviour from working miracles, they could not silence His teaching; but they did everything in their power to misrepresent Him and to falsify His words. Still the convicting Spirit of God followed them, and they had to build up many barriers in order to withstand its power. The mightiest agency that can be brought to bear upon the human heart was striving with them, but they would not yield.DA 322.2
It is not God that blinds the eyes of men or hardens their hearts. He sends them light to correct their errors, and to lead them in safe paths; it is by the rejection of this light that the eyes are blinded and the heart hardened. Often the process is gradual, and almost imperceptible. Light comes to the soul through God’s word, through His servants, or by the direct agency of His Spirit; but when one ray of light is disregarded, there is a partial benumbing of the spiritual perceptions, and the second revealing of light is less clearly discerned. So the darkness increases, until it is night in the soul. Thus it had been with these Jewish leaders. They were convinced that a divine power attended Christ, but in order to resist the truth, they attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. In doing this they deliberately chose deception; they yielded themselves to Satan, and henceforth they were controlled by his power.DA 323.1
Closely connected with Christ’s warning in regard to the sin against the Holy Spirit is a warning against idle and evil words. The words are an indication of that which is in the heart. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” But the words are more than an indication of character; they have power to react on the character. Men are influenced by their own words. Often under a momentary impulse, prompted by Satan, they give utterance to jealousy or evil surmising, expressing that which they do not really believe; but the expression reacts on the thoughts. They are deceived by their words, and come to believe that true which was spoken at Satan’s instigation. Having once expressed an opinion or decision, they are often too proud to retract it, and try to prove themselves in the right, until they come to believe that they are. It is dangerous to utter a word of doubt, dangerous to question and criticize divine light. The habit of careless and irreverent criticism reacts upon the character, in fostering irreverence and unbelief. Many a man indulging this habit has gone on unconscious of danger, until he was ready to criticize and reject the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”DA 323.2
Then He added a warning to those who had been impressed by His words, who had heard Him gladly, but who had not surrendered themselves for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is not only by resistance but by neglect that the soul is destroyed. “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man,” said Jesus, “he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there.”DA 323.3
There were many in Christ’s day, as there are today, over whom the control of Satan for the time seemed broken; through the grace of God they were set free from the evil spirits that had held dominion over the soul. They rejoiced in the love of God; but, like the stony-ground hearers of the parable, they did not abide in His love. They did not surrender themselves to God daily, that Christ might dwell in the heart; and when the evil spirit returned, with “seven other spirits more wicked than himself,” they were wholly dominated by the power of evil.DA 324.1
When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature. The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan. But unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.DA 324.2
“The last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so,” said Jesus, “shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” There are none so hardened as those who have slighted the invitation of mercy, and done despite to the Spirit of grace. The most common manifestation of the sin against the Holy Spirit is in persistently slighting Heaven’s invitation to repent. Every step in the rejection of Christ is a step toward the rejection of salvation, and toward the sin against the Holy Spirit.DA 324.3
In rejecting Christ the Jewish people committed the unpardonable sin; and by refusing the invitation of mercy, we may commit the same error. We offer insult to the Prince of life, and put Him to shame before the synagogue of Satan and before the heavenly universe when we refuse to listen to His delegated messengers, and instead listen to the agents of Satan, who would draw the soul away from Christ. So long as one does this, he can find no hope or pardon, and he will finally lose all desire to be reconciled to God.DA 325.1
While Jesus was still teaching the people, His disciples brought the message that His mother and His brothers were without, and desired to see Him. He knew what was in their hearts, and “He answered and said unto him that told Him, Who is My mother? and who are My brethren? And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold My mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.”DA 325.2
All who would receive Christ by faith were united to Him by a tie closer than that of human kinship. They would become one with Him, as He was one with the Father. As a believer and doer of His words, His mother was more nearly and savingly related to Him than through her natural relationship. His brothers would receive no benefit from their connection with Him unless they accepted Him as their personal Saviour.DA 325.3
What a support Christ would have found in His earthly relatives if they had believed in Him as one from heaven, and had co-operated with Him in doing the work of God! Their unbelief cast a shadow over the earthly life of Jesus. It was a part of the bitterness of that cup of woe which He drained for us.DA 326.1
The enmity kindled in the human heart against the gospel was keenly felt by the Son of God, and it was most painful to Him in His home; for His own heart was full of kindness and love, and He appreciated tender regard in the family relation. His brothers desired that He should concede to their ideas, when such a course would have been utterly out of harmony with His divine mission. They looked upon Him as in need of their counsel. They judged Him from their human point of view, and thought that if He would speak only such things as would be acceptable to the scribes and Pharisees, He would avoid the disagreeable controversy that His words aroused. They thought that He was beside Himself in claiming divine authority, and in placing Himself before the rabbis as a reprover of their sins. They knew that the Pharisees were seeking occasion to accuse Him, and they felt that He had given them sufficient occasion.DA 326.2
With their short measuring line they could not fathom the mission which He came to fulfill, and therefore could not sympathize with Him in His trials. Their coarse, unappreciative words showed that they had no true perception of His character, and did not discern that the divine blended with the human. They often saw Him full of grief; but instead of comforting Him, their spirit and words only wounded His heart. His sensitive nature was tortured, His motives were misunderstood, His work was uncomprehended.DA 326.3
His brothers often brought forward the philosophy of the Pharisees, which was threadbare and hoary with age, and presumed to think that they could teach Him who understood all truth, and comprehended all mysteries. They freely condemned that which they could not understand. Their reproaches probed Him to the quick, and His soul was wearied and distressed. They avowed faith in God, and thought they were vindicating God, when God was with them in the flesh, and they knew Him not.DA 326.4
These things made His path a thorny one to travel. So pained was Christ by the misapprehension in His own home that it was a relief to Him to go where it did not exist. There was one home that He loved to visit,—the home of Lazarus, and Mary, and Martha; for in the atmosphere of faith and love His spirit had rest. Yet there were none on earth who could comprehend His divine mission, or know the burden which He bore in behalf of humanity. Often He could find relief only in being alone, and communing with His heavenly Father.DA 327.1
Those who are called to suffer for Christ’s sake, who have to endure misapprehension and distrust, even in their own home, may find comfort in the thought that Jesus has endured the same. He is moved with compassion for them. He bids them find companionship in Him, and relief where He found it, in communion with the Father.DA 327.2
Those who accept Christ as their personal Saviour are not left as orphans, to bear the trials of life alone. He receives them as members of the heavenly family; He bids them call His Father their Father. They are His “little ones,” dear to the heart of God, bound to Him by the most tender and abiding ties. He has toward them an exceeding tenderness, as far surpassing what our father or mother has felt toward us in our helplessness as the divine is above the human.DA 327.3
Of Christ’s relation to His people, there is a beautiful illustration in the laws given to Israel. When through poverty a Hebrew had been forced to part with his patrimony, and to sell himself as a bondservant, the duty of redeeming him and his inheritance fell to the one who was nearest of kin. See Leviticus 25:25, 47-49; Ruth 2:20. So the work of redeeming us and our inheritance, lost through sin, fell upon Him who is “near of kin” unto us. It was to redeem us that He became our kinsman. Closer than father, mother, brother, friend, or lover is the Lord our Saviour. “Fear not,” He says, “for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.” “Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.” Isaiah 43:1, 4.DA 327.4
Christ loves the heavenly beings that surround His throne; but what shall account for the great love wherewith He has loved us? We cannot understand it, but we can know it true in our own experience. And if we do hold the relation of kinship to Him, with what tenderness should we regard those who are brethren and sisters of our Lord! Should we not be quick to recognize the claims of our divine relationship? Adopted into the family of God, should we not honor our Father and our kindred?From Heaven With Love
Chapter 33—How Jesus Related to Family Problems
HLv 213.1
The sons of Joseph were far from being in sympathy with Jesus in His work. The reports in regard to His life and labors filled them with dismay. They heard that He devoted entire nights to prayer, that through the day He was thronged by people, and did not even take time to eat. His friends felt He was wearing Himself out; they were unable to account for His attitude toward the Pharisees; and some feared that His reason was becoming unsettled.HLv 213.2
His brothers felt keenly the reproach that came upon them through their relation to Jesus. They were indignant at His denunciation of the Pharisees. He must be persuaded to cease this manner of labor, and they induced Mary to unite with them, thinking that through His love for her they might prevail on Him to be more prudent.HLv 213.3
The Pharisees had reiterated the charge, “He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.” Matthew 9:34. Christ told them that those who spoke against Himself, not discerning His divine character, might receive forgiveness; through the Holy Spirit they might see their error and repent. But he who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit is placing himself where repentance cannot come to him. When men willfully reject the Spirit, and declare it to be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them.HLv 213.4
The Pharisees did not themselves believe the charge they brought against Jesus. Those dignitaries had heard the Spirit’s voice in their own hearts declaring Him to be the Anointed of Israel. In His presence they had realized their unholiness and longed for righteousness. But after rejecting Him, it would be too humiliating to receive Him as the Messiah. To avoid acknowledging truth, they tried to dispute the Saviour’s teaching. They could not prevent Him from working miracles, but they did everything in their power to misrepresent Him. Still the convicting Spirit of God followed them, and they had to build up barriers to withstand the mightiest agency that can be brought to bear upon the human heart.HLv 214.1
God does not blind the eyes of men or harden their hearts. He sends them light to correct their errors; by rejection of this light the eyes are blinded and the heart hardened. Often the process is almost imperceptible. But when one ray of light is disregarded, there is a partial benumbing of spiritual perceptions, and the second revealing of light is less clearly discerned. So the darkness increases, until it is night in the soul. Thus it had been with these Jewish leaders. They attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. In doing this they deliberately chose deception, and henceforth were controlled by Satan’s power.HLv 214.2
Closely connected with Christ’s warning in regard to the sin against the Holy Spirit is a warning against idle and evil words. Words are an indication of character. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Words also have power to react on the character. Men are influenced by their own words. Often under a momentary prompting by Satan, they give utterance to that which they do not really believe; but the expression reacts on the thoughts, and they come to believe what was spoken at Satan’s instigation. Having once expressed an opinion or decision, often they are too proud to retract it. They try to prove themselves right, until they believe they are.HLv 214.3
It is dangerous to utter a word of doubt, dangerous to question and criticize light. Careless and irreverent criticism reacts upon the character, fostering irreverence and unbelief. Many a man has gone on until he was ready to criticize and reject the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”HLv 215.1
Then Jesus added a warning to those who had been impressed by His words, but had not surrendered themselves for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return unto my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there.”HLv 215.2
Many in Christ’s day, as today, through the grace of God were set free from evil spirits that held dominion over the soul. They rejoiced in the love of God but did not surrender themselves to God daily, that Christ might dwell in the heart; and when the evil spirit returned, with “seven other spirits more wicked than himself,” they were wholly dominated by the power of evil.HLv 215.3
When the soul surrenders to Christ, a new power takes possession of the heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which he holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept by heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan.HLv 215.4
But unless we yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. It is not necessary deliberately to choose the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not cooperate with heavenly agencies, Satan will make the heart his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless vitally connected with God, we can never resist self-love and temptation to sin. We may for a time leave off bad habits, but without moment by moment surrender to Christ and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.HLv 216.1
“The last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” There are none so hardened as those who have slighted the invitations of mercy. The most common manifestation of the sin against the Holy Spirit is in persistently slighting Heaven’s invitation to repent.HLv 216.2
In rejecting Christ the Jewish people committed the unpardonable sin; and by refusing the invitation of mercy, we may commit the same error. We put the Prince of life to shame before Satan and before the heavenly universe when we refuse to listen to His delegated messengers, and instead listen to agents who would draw the soul away from Christ. So long as one does this, he can find no pardon, and will finally lose all desire to be reconciled to God.HLv 216.3
While Jesus was still teaching the people, His disciples brought the message that His mother and brothers were outside and desired to see Him. “But He replied to the man who told Him, ‘Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?’ and stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother.’” RSV.HLv 216.4
All who receive Christ by faith are united to Him by a tie closer than human kinship. As a believer and doer of His words, His mother was more nearly and savingly related to Him than through her natural relationship. His brothers would receive no benefit from their connection with Him unless they accepted Him as their personal Saviour.HLv 217.1
Their unbelief was a part of the bitterness of that cup of woe which He drained for us.HLv 217.2
The enmity kindled in the human heart against the gospel was most painful to Jesus in His home. His brothers looked on Him as in need of their counsel. They thought that if He would speak things acceptable to the Pharisees, He would avoid disagreeable controversy. They thought He was beside Himself in claiming divine authority. They knew that the Pharisees were seeking occasion to accuse Him, and they felt He had given them sufficient occasion.HLv 217.3
They could not fathom the mission He came to fulfill, and therefore could not sympathize with Him in His trials. Their coarse, unappreciative words showed that they had no true perception of His character. Instead of comforting Him, their spirit and words wounded His heart. His sensitive nature was tortured, His motives misunderstood, His work uncomprehended.HLv 217.4
His brothers often presumed to think that they could teach Him who understood all truth. They freely condemned that which they could not understand. They thought they were vindicating God, when God was with them in the flesh, and they knew Him not.HLv 217.5
These things made Jesus’ path thorny. So pained was Christ by the misapprehension in His own home that it was a relief to go where it did not exist. He loved to visit the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, for in the atmosphere of faith and love His spirit had rest. Yet often He could find relief only in being alone and communing with His Father.HLv 217.6
Those who are called to endure misapprehension and distrust for Christ’s sake in their own homes may find comfort in the thought that Jesus endured the same. He bids them find companionship in Him and relief in communion with the Father.HLv 218.1
Those who accept Christ are not left as orphans, to bear trials alone. As members of the heavenly family, He bids them call His Father their Father. He has toward them an exceeding tenderness, far surpassing what our father or mother felt toward us in our helplessness.HLv 218.2
When through poverty a Hebrew had been forced to sell himself as a bondservant, the duty of redeeming him fell to the one nearest of kin. See Leviticus 25:25, 47-49; Ruth 2:20. So the work of redeeming us fell on Him who is “near of kin” to us. Christ became our kinsman. Closer than father, mother, brother, friend, or lover is the Lord our Saviour. We cannot understand this love, but we can know it to be true in our own experience.Mark 3:22-30
Ellen G. White: The Early Years: 1827-1862 (vol. 1)
Early Arguments for the Spirit of Prophecy
1BIO 77.1
But prejudiced and unbelieving persons find it just as convenient to call it mesmerism and ascribe the power to the devil, as the unbelieving Pharisees did. Matthew 10:25; 12:24. Is not this the sin against the Holy Ghost? See Mark 3:22, 29, 30. That power which is manifested in her, as far exceeds the power of mesmerism as Moses did the magicians of Egypt. The devil has as much power to imitate and counterfeit the work of God as he did in Moses’ time, and the people can be deceived if they will.Mark 3:28-29
Mark 3:31-32
Mark 3:32-35
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 7 (1891-1892)
Lt 9, 1891
7LtMs, Lt 9, 1891, par. 7
“We are laborers together with God; ye are God’s husbandmen, ye are God’s building.” [1 Corinthians 3:9.] The disinterested love manifested in the life of Christ was the means of drawing many to Him. All who are imbued with the Spirit of Christ will look upon those who in self-denial and self-sacrifice are doing His work, as did Christ when the information was brought to Him, “Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.” He had a lesson to give right at this point, a lesson which was to have a telling influence through the ages. “And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.” [Mark 3:32-35.]Mark 3:35
This Day With God
Heaven in Your Heart, November 7
TDG 320.1
For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. Mark 3:35.EGW Writings — Ellen G. White. Ellen G. White Estate · all rights reserved
Mark 3:1-35
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 40, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 40, 1897, par. 15
The four apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all bear record that Jew and Gentile, rulers, kings, and governors, priests and people, all classes and tongues, were represented in rejecting and crucifying Christ, the Son of God, a man who was innocent, and against whom they could find no proof. The synagogue of Satan, the prince of darkness and his evil agents, united in a desperate companionship with disloyal, evil men. They resolved to put the whole power of their corrupt energies to work to put out of the world the light of truth.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 15 (1900)
Lt 53, 1900
15LtMs, Lt 53, 1900, par. 4
In our Bible, we might ask, Why need Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Gospels, why need the Acts of the Apostles, and the variety of writers in the Epistles, go over the same thing?15LtMs, Lt 53, 1900, par. 6
We are not to feel that we must speak the very same things, giving the same representation in the same words, and yet there is to be unity in the diversity. All the different testimonies unite to form one whole, as the books of the Bible are brought together, and bound under one cover. But should Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John go off on some tangent, contradicting each other’s testimony, then there would be confusion. In the presentation of truth by different minds, there is to be unity in diversity.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)
Ms 91, 1903
18LtMs, Ms 91, 1903, par. 15
Why do we need a Matthew, a Mark, a Luke, a John, a Paul, and all these other writers who have borne their testimony in regard to the life of the Saviour during His earthly ministry? Why could not one of the disciples have written a complete record, and thus have given us a connected account of Christ’s life and work? The Gospels differ. One writer brings in points that another does not bring in. If these points are essential, why did not all these writers mention them? It is because the minds of men differ and do not comprehend all things in exactly the same way. Some Scripture truths appeal much more strongly to the minds of certain persons than to others; some points appear to be much more important to some than to others. The same principle applies to speakers. Some speakers dwell at considerable length on points that others would pass by quickly or not mention at all. Thus the whole truth is presented more clearly by several than by one. In the Gospels the records blend in one harmonious whole.