Mark 3 Footnotes

3:13-19 The twelve apostles are listed four times in the NT (see Mt 10:2-4; Lk 6:13-16; Ac 1:13), and every list is essentially the same with the exception of Thaddeus and Simon. Luke gave these names as Judas and Simon the Zealot (Jn 14:22). The variations in the nickname of Simon are due to its expressions in Aramaic (qan’ana = “zealot”) and Greek (zelotes = “zealot”). It must be assumed that Judas son of James had a second name or nickname, Thaddaeus, used here by Mark. Similarly, Bartholomew is a patronymic, literally meaning “son of Talmai,” and it is conjectured that his first name was Nathanael (Jn 1:45). The Gospels report faithfully that Jesus chose Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve. This points to the integrity of the early church in preserving accurately details that would be omitted in an account whose concern was image rather than truth.

3:22 This statement is reflected in rabbinic recollection of the ministry of Jesus: “On the eve of Passover Yeshu [Jesus] was hanged. And an announcer went out in front of him for fourteen days [saying], ‘He is going to be stoned, because he practiced sorcery and led Israel astray!’ ” (b. Sanh. 43a, see 107b; b. Sota 47a; t. Sabb. 11:15; see Justin, Dial. 69:7). The quote is from the earliest period of compilation of rabbinic traditions (ca AD 70–200) and shows a clear polemic against Christianity, but it nevertheless confirms that Jesus was remembered as a miracle worker opposed by the keepers of Jewish tradition.

3:31-35 Jesus’s language in this passage would have been shocking to his audience. Family relationships were very important in first-century Palestinian society. But Jesus was not being rude; he was making two forceful and related points. First, his family had come to take control of him (vv. 20-21), and he was distancing himself from obligations to family honor for the sake of his greater calling. Second, he commended those who make a similar choice. He underscored in the strongest terms the pursuit of God’s will as the highest value. Jesus’s family eventually came to be his followers (Ac 1:14).