Mark 3:20–35

Jesus and Beelzebul

²⁰Then he went home, and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat.^{* 21}When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.”^{* 22}And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.”^{* 23}And he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?^{* 24}If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ²⁶And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. ²⁷But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.^*

²⁸“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter,^{* 29}but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin”—³⁰for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

The True Kindred of Jesus

³¹Then his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.^{* 32}A crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers^d are outside asking for you.” ³³And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ³⁴And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”