Mark 3:17-27

17 James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder” ),

18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot ),

19 Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

20 One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat.

21 When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

22 But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”

23 Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked.

24 “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse.

25 Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.

26 And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive.

27 Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek whom he named Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder.
• [b]. Greek the Cananean, an Aramaic term for Jewish nationalists.
• [c]. Greek Beelzeboul; other manuscripts read Beezeboul; Latin version reads Beelzebub.