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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_3:7-12
7Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. 9And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; 10for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. 11Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, "You are the Son of God!" 12And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was.
Mar_3:7-8 Jesus' growing popularity was another reason for the opposition from the religious leaders (cf. Mat_12:15-16; Luk_6:17-19).
Mar_3:8 "Idumea" This refers to the national lands of ancient Edom which was the home area of Herod.
▣ "beyond the Jordan" This refers to the area called Perea in the trans-Jordan region. This was one of three regions identified as responsible to the Mosaic Law (i.e., Judah, Galilee, and the land on the other side of the Jordan [i.e., Perea, cf. Baba Bathra Mar_3:2]). It was officially defined as the land between the Jabbok and Arnon rivers (in the OT, Ammon and Moab).
▣ "the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon" This refers to the ancient kingdom of Phoenicia.
▣ "a great number of people" Apparently these were a mixture of Jews and Gentiles.
Mar_3:9 "a boat" This refers to a small row boat.
▣ "ready for Him all the time" This boat was always available lest the crushing crowd push Him into the sea (cf. Mar_1:45).
Mar_3:10 "pressed around Him" Literally this is "falling against." Every sick person wanted to touch Him (cf. Mar_5:25-34). This crowd looked like the waiting room of a county hospital's emergency room.
Mar_3:11 There is a series of three imperfect verbs in this verse which shows Jesus' ongoing confrontation with the demonic. See hyperlink at Mar_1:25.
▣ "Son of God" These demons were not witnesses for Jesus' benefit, but to accentuate the crowd's misconceived expectations. This led to the charge in Mar_3:22 that Jesus' power came from Satan (cf. Mat_9:34; Mat_10:25; Mat_11:18). The Jewish leaders could not challenge Jesus' power, so they impugned the source of His authority.
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Mar_3:12 This is the continuing emphasis on "the Messianic Secret" in Mark. Jesus, by word and deed, is fully revealed as the Messiah early in Mark, but because of the misunderstanding of (1) the Jewish leadership (i.e., Messiah as national hero restoring Israel to world prominence) and (2) the crowd (i.e., Messiah as miracle worker), Jesus admonishes several different people not to broadcast their knowledge of Him. The gospel is only finished after His life, death, resurrection, and ascension.