003:001 At another time, when He went to the synagogue, there was a man
there with one arm shrivelled up.
003:002 They closely watched Him to see whether He would cure him
on the Sabbath--so as to have a charge to bring against Him.
003:003 "Come forward," said He to the man with the shrivelled arm.
003:004 Then He asked them, "Are we allowed to do good on the Sabbath,
or to do evil? to save a life, or to destroy one?"
They remained silent.
003:005 Grieved and indignant at the hardening of their hearts,
He looked round on them with anger, and said to the man,
"Stretch out your arm." He stretched it out, and the arm
was completely restored.
003:006 But no sooner had the Pharisees left the synagogue than they
held a consultation with the Herodians against Jesus,
to devise some means of destroying Him.
003:007 Accordingly Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the Lake,
and a vast crowd of people from Galilee followed Him;
003:008 and from Judaea and Jerusalem and Idumaea and from beyond
the Jordan and from the district of Tyre and Sidon there came
to Him a vast crowd, hearing of all that He was doing.
003:009 So He gave directions to His disciples to keep a small
boat in constant attendance on Him because of the throng--
to prevent their crushing Him.
003:010 For He had cured many of the people, so that all who had any
ailments pressed upon Him, to touch Him.
003:011 And the foul spirits, whenever they saw Him, threw themselves
down at His feet, screaming out: "You are the Son of God."
003:012 But He many a time checked them, forbidding them to say
who He was.
003:013 Then He went up the hill; and those whom He Himself chose
He called, and they came to Him.
003:014 He appointed twelve of them, that they might be with Him,
and that He might also send them to proclaim His Message,
003:015 with authority to expel the demons.
003:016 These twelve were Simon (to whom He gave the surname of Peter),
003:017 James the son of Zabdi and John the brother of James
(these two He surnamed Boanerges, that is 'Sons of Thunder'),
003:018 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son
of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaean,
003:019 and Judas Iscariot, the man who also betrayed Him.
003:020 And He went into a house. But again the crowd assembled,
so that there was no opportunity for them even to snatch a meal.
003:021 Hearing of this, His relatives came to seize Him by force,
for they said, "He is out of his mind."
003:022 The Scribes, too, who had come down from Jerusalem said,
"He has Baal-zebul in him; and it is by the power of the Prince
of the demons that he expels the demons."
003:023 So He called them to Him, and using figurative language He
appealed to them, saying, "How is it possible for Satan
to expel Satan?
003:024 For if civil war breaks out in a kingdom, nothing can make
that kingdom last;
003:025 and if a family splits into parties, that family cannot continue.
003:026 So if Satan has risen in arms and has made war upon himself,
stand he cannot, but meets his end.
003:027 Nay, no one can go into a strong man's house and carry off
his property, unless he first binds the strong man, and then
he will plunder his house.
003:028 In solemn truth I tell you that all their sins may be pardoned
to the sons of men, and all their blasphemies, however they
may have blasphemed;
003:029 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, he remains
for ever unabsolved: he is guilty of a sin of the Ages."