Jesus Heals a Man with a Withered Hand

1Once again Jesus went into ⁴³the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand.

2Now the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath, so that they could accuse him.

3And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Rise and come forward.”

4Then Jesus said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

5After looking around at them with anger, grieved by the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out yoʋr hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was ⁴⁴restored, becoming as sound as the other.

6Then the Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against Jesus as to how they might destroy him.

A Great Multitude Follows Jesus

7But Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed ⁴⁵him, and also from Judea,

8Jerusalem, Idumea, and beyond the Jordan. A great multitude of people from around Tyre and Sidon also came to him when they heard about everything he was doing.

9Then he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, so that the crowd would not crush him.

10For he had healed many, so that all who had afflictions were pressing toward him to touch him.

11Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they would fall down before him and cry out, “Yoʋ are the Son of God.”

12But he would strictly warn them not to make him known.

The Twelve Apostles

13Afterward Jesus went up on the mountain and called for those whom he wanted, and they came to him.

14He appointed ⁴⁶twelve so that they might be with him and so that he might send them out to preach

15and to have authority to ⁴⁷heal diseases and cast out demons.

16He ⁴⁸appointed Simon (whom he gave the name Peter);

17James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (whom he gave the name Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder);

18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the ⁴⁹Cananite,

19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Jesus and Beelzebul Then ⁵⁰they entered a house,

20and ⁵¹a crowd came together again, so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat bread.

21When his family heard about it, they went out to restrain him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

22But the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the ruler of demons he casts out demons.”

23So Jesus called them over and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?

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

25And if a house is divided against itself, that house ⁵²cannot stand.

26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but has come to an end.

27⁵³No one can enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

28“Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter.

29But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is ⁵⁴subject to eternal judgment.”

30He said this because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

31Then Jesus' ⁵⁵brothers and mother came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called for him.

32There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and they said to him, “Behold, yoʋr ⁵⁶mother, yoʋr brothers, and yoʋr sisters are outside looking for yoʋ.”

33But he answered them, “Who is my mother, ⁵⁷or my brothers?”

34And looking around in a circle at the people sitting there, he said, “Behold, these are my mother and my brothers!

35⁵⁸For whoever does the will of God is my brother and ⁵⁹my sister and ⁶⁰mother.”