Mark Chapter 3

Mark Chapter 3, from the Gospel of Mark, is as follows below.

There are some excellent learning points in this chapter for a young reader:

• appointed (phonetic - two times, plus a variation in appointee)
• the names of each of the disciples and several of their fathers to be pronounced phonetically
• "Bartholomew" - this disciple's name is a terrific long phonetic word having 4 syllables
• this chapter explains simply that good is better than evil, and has a pro-life statement of good
• many words with an "-ed" ending, which are excellent practice
• many words with a "silent e" that creates a long vowel before it

Chapter 3

Jesus returned to the synagogue, and noticed a man with a crippled hand.

They [the Pharisees] were watching Jesus to see if they might catch and accuse him of healing on the Sabbath. Jesus told the man with the crippled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."

Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: doing good or evil? Saving a life, or killing one?" And they didn't answer. Jesus looked around at them, feeling anger and pity for the hardness of their hearts, and said to the injured man, "Open your hand." He then opened and held out his hand, and it was as good as new. The Pharisees then fled from the scene to plot with the Herodians against Jesus, and plan how they might destroy him.

Jesus then departed for the quiet of a lake, but crowds from Galilee and Judea followed him, and crowds went to Jesus from Jerusalem, Idumea, Tyre and Sidon, and from beyond the Jordan River, after hearing of his great deeds for the sick. Jesus asked His students for a small boat that would enable him to keep a distance from pressing crowds. Jesus had healed many people, so that many diseased persons pressed on Him trying to touch Him.

Upon seeing Jesus, evil spirits fell down before him crying, "You are the Son of God!" But Jesus strictly commanded them not to tell others who he was.

He then walked up a mountain, calling whomever He wanted to follow him, and they did. He appointed twelve men as Apostles, to be with him, so he could send them to preach to the world, and to have the authority to throw demons out of people. Jesus gave the surname of Peter to Simon. He also appointed James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, and called them "Boanerges," which means "The Sons of Thunder": His other appointees were Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who was to betray Jesus: and they all entered a house but the crowd pressed upon them so much that they could not even eat.

When Jesus's own family heard of this, they went to rescue him, saying, "He is out of his mind." Some scribes from Jerusalem came also, smearing Jesus by saying "He has Beelzebub and throws out demons by calling on the leader of demons!"

But Jesus called them together and taught in parables, and asked "How can Satan cast out Satan? A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Nor can a house divided against itself stand. So if Satan were divided against himself, he could not stand, and would perish. No one can break into a well-armed man's house to destroy his property, unless he first tie the man down. Only then can he damage his home. I tell you: all the sons of men will be forgiven their sins and their blasphemies, whatever they might be: But any man who blasphemes against the Divine Guide will never be forgiven, but risks eternal damnation." This Jesus told them because they lied, "He has an evil spirit."

His mother and his brothers, who were standing outside, asked to see him. The crowd around Jesus said to him, "Your mother and brothers are outside, looking for you." To which He responded, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?" Then, looking around at the gathered crowd, he said, "You are My mother and My brothers! Whoever does what God wants, qualifies as My brother, sister or mother."