1Jesus went into the synagogue again, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.
2They watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath, so they could accuse him.
3Jesus told the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
4Then Jesus asked the people, “Is it right to do good on the Sabbath, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” But they remained silent.
5Jesus looked at them with anger, deeply distressed by their stubborn hearts, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as good as new.
6The Pharisees left and immediately began to plot with the Herodians against Jesus, trying to figure out how to kill him.
7Jesus went with his disciples to the Sea of Galilee, and a large crowd followed him from Galilee and Judea.
8People also came from Jerusalem, Idumea, across the Jordan River, and the areas around Tyre and Sidon. A huge crowd came to him when they heard about all the amazing things he was doing.
9Because of the large crowd, Jesus told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him so they wouldn’t crush him.
10He had healed so many people that everyone with an illness was pushing forward to touch him.
11Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God!”
12But he strictly ordered them not to tell people who he was.
13Jesus went up on a mountain and called those he wanted to be with him, and they came to him.
14He appointed twelve men so they could be with him and so he could send them out to preach.
15and to be able to heal illnesses and cast out demons:
16Simon, whom he named Peter;
17James, Zebedee’s son; John, James’s brother, and he called them Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder;
18Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, Alphaeus’s son; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot;
19and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed him. Jesus then went into a house.
20Once again, such a large crowd gathered that they couldn't even eat.
21When his family heard about it, they went to get him because they said, “He’s lost his mind.”
22The religious scholars who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “He casts out demons by the power of the chief demon.”
23Jesus called them over and spoke to them using parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot survive.
25If a family is divided against itself, that family cannot survive.
26If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot survive, but will come to an end.
27But no one can break into a strong man’s house and steal his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; only then can he rob his house.
28I assure you, all sins committed by humans will be forgiven, including any insults they may say against God;
29but whoever insults the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of a sin that lasts forever.”
30— This was because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.”
31His mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone in to call him.
32A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you.”
33He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
34Looking at those who were sitting around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
35Because whoever does what God wants is my brother, my sister, and my mother.”