Mark 3 · The Lantern

Once again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man with a withered hand was there.

He who raises wheat out of the ground with many stalks from one grain, He that makes the tree that is cut down send forth fresh branches, He that made Aaron's dry rod put forth buds, will raise us up in glory; He that raised Him up that had the palsy whole, and healed him that had the withered hand, He that supplied a defective part to him that was born blind from clay and spit…

(ubi sup.) But mystically, the man with a withered hand shows the human race, dried up as to its fruitfulness in good works, but now cured by the mercy of the Lord; the hand of man, which in our first parent had been dried up when he plucked the fruit of the forbidden tree, through the grace of the Redeemer, Who stretched His guiltless hands on the tree of the cross, has been r…

After confounding the Jews, who had blamed His disciples, for pulling the ears of corn on the sabbath day, by the example of David, the Lord now further bringing them to the truth, works a miracle on the sabbath; showing that, if it is a pious deed to work miracles on the sabbath for the health of men, it is not wrong to do on the sabbath things necessary for the body: he says…

In order to accuse Jesus, they were watching to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.

Then Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand up among us.”

And He asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” But they were silent.

In the synagogue of the Jews was a man who had a withered hand. If he was withered in his hand, the ones who stood by were withered in their minds. And they were not looking at the crippled man nor were they expecting the miraculous deed of the one who was about to work. But before doing the work, the Savior ploughed up their minds with words.

(de Con. Evan. ii. 35) But some one may wonder how Matthew could have said, that they themselves asked the Lord, if it was lawful to heal on the sabbath-day; when Mark rather relates that they were asked by our Lord, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath-day, or to do evil?

Therefore the Lord also asks the Jews: "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good?" — reproaching them for hindering Him from doing good.

Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored.

But Jesus, deeply grieved in heart at the hardness of their hearts, said in effect: "Let the ones who see continue to see. Let the ones who refuse to hear do what they want to do. Let the ones who are hard in heart become stone. But let your right hand become full and tender.

Note also the word "was restored"; there was a time when we had our hands, or active powers, healthy — namely, when the transgression had not yet been committed; but from the time our hand reached out for the forbidden fruit, it became withered with respect to the doing of good. But it will again return to its former healthy state when we stand in the midst of the virtues.

Or else it means the avaricious, who, being able to give had rather receive, and love robbery rather than making gifts. And they are commanded to stretch forth their hands, that is, let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hand the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. (Eph. 4:28)

At this, the Pharisees went out and began plotting with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,

Jerusalem, Idumea, the region beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to Him when they heard what great things He was doing.

Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him.

For He had healed so many that all who had diseases were pressing forward to touch Him.

And when the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!”

But He warned them sternly not to make Him known.

Then Jesus went up on the mountain and called for those He wanted, and they came to Him.

(in Marc. i. 16) After having forbidden the evil spirits to preach Him, He chose holy men, to cast out the unclean spirits, and to preach the Gospel; wherefore it is said, And he went up into a mountain, &c. (Luke 6) (ubi sup.) For it was not a matter of their choice and zeal, but of Divine condescension and grace, that they should be called to the Apostleship.

(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) He also instructs the Prelates of the Church to pass the night in prayer before they ordain, that their office be not impeded. When therefore, according to Luke, it was day, He called whom He would; for there were many who followed Him.

Or spiritually, Christ is the mount, from which living waters flow, and milk is procured for the health of infants; whence the spiritual feast of fat things is made known, and whatsoever is believed to be most highly good is established by the grace of that Mountain.

He appointed twelve of them, whom He designated as apostles, to accompany Him, to be sent out to preach,

and to have authority to drive out demons.

These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (whom He named Peter),

A name is a designation that sums up and describes the particular character of the one named.… For when the character of "Abram" was changed, he was called "Abraham." So when "Simon" was changed, he was called "Peter." And when "Saul" stopped persecuting Christ, he was named "Paul." In the case of God, however, whose character is eternally unchangeable and always remains unalte…

(ubi sup.) And the reason that the Lord willed that he should at first be called otherwise, was that from the change itself of the name, a mystery might be conveyed to us. Peter then in Latin or in Greek means the same thing as Cephas in Hebrew, and in each language the name is drawn from a stone.

Thus from obedience, which Simon signifies, the ascent is made to knowledge, which is meant by Peter.

James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),

Thunder here refers to the preaching of the gospel. For as a heavenly shout occurs like a voice of thunder, surpassing all human power, in the same way also the preaching of the gospel, which is a heavenly happening, does not consist of human strength. The gospel did not fill the world by human planning, but by divine power.

And James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James (it is understood from the previous verses that he called them to him when he went up into the mountain). And he gave them the names Boanerges, which means sons of thunder.

James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother. Namely, James who has supplanted all the desires of the flesh, and John, who received by grace what others held by labour. There follows: And he surnamed them, Boanerges. (Gen. 27:36. v. Aur. Cat. in Matt.

Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,

and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.

When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”

And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”

So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?

Now as for the Lord's saying: "Satan cannot drive out Satan," lest perhaps anyone using the name of some of the lowest powers when driving out a demon should think this opinion of the Lord's to be false, let him understand the point of this saying: Satan does spare the body or the senses of the body, but he tempts the senses for the purpose of dominating the will of the man in…

He refutes the hateful Jews with irrefutable examples. How is it possible, he says, for a demon to cast out demons, when even in ordinary houses we see that as long as those living in them are at peace, the houses stand well, but as soon as division occurs in them, they fall?

(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) The blasphemy of the Scribes having been detailed, our Lord shows that what they said was impossible, confirming His proof by an example. Wherefore it says, And having called them together unto him, he said unto them in parables. How can Satan cast out Satan?

If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand.

If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand.

And if Satan is divided and rises against himself, he cannot stand; his end has come.

Indeed, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

For as in the beginning he enticed man to transgress his Maker's law, and thereby got him into his power; yet his power consists in transgression and apostasy, and with these he bound man [to himself]; so again, on the other hand, it was necessary that through man himself he should, when conquered, be bound with the same chains with which he had bound man, in order that man, be…

(in Marc. i. 17) The Lord has also bound the strong man, that is, the devil: which means, He has restrained him from seducing the elect, and entering into his house, the world; He has spoiled his house, and his goods, that is men, because He has snatched them from the snares of the devil, and has united them to His Church.

(non occ.) And because He has already shown by an example that a devil cannot cast out a devil, He shows how he can be expelled, saying, No man can enter into a strong man's house, &c.

Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter.

But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.”

Jesus made this statement because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him,

(non occ.) From this it is manifest that His brethren and His mother were not always with Him; but because He was beloved by them, they come from reverence and affection, waiting without. Wherefore it goes on, And the multitude sat about him, &c.

(ubi sup.) The brothers of the Lord must not be thought to be the sons of the ever-virgin Mary, as Helvidius sayp, nor the sons of Joseph by a former marriage, as some think, but rather they must be understood to be His relations.

Because the relations of the Lord had come to seize upon Him, as if beside Himself, His mother, urged by the sympathy of her love, came to Him; wherefore it is said, And there came unto him his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.

and a crowd was sitting around Him. “Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking for You.”

But Jesus replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”

For Jesus, our Creator and Redeemer, pretends not to know His mother, and indicates who is His mother and who are His relatives not through kinship of the flesh, but through union of the spirit, saying: "Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?

But the Lord answers: It will be of no benefit to My Mother to be My Mother if She does not possess all the virtues within Herself. Likewise, kinship will be of no benefit to My brothers. For only those are true relatives of Christ who do the will of God.

(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) But another Evangelist says, that His brethren did not believe on Him. With which this agrees, which says, that they sought Him, waiting without, and with this meaning the Lord does not mention them as relations. Wherefore it follows, And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother or my brethren?

Looking at those seated in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!

For whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother.”

(non occ.) By this, the Lord shows that we should honour those who are relations by faith rather than those who are relations by blood. A man indeed is made the mother of Jesus by preaching Himq; for He, as it were, brings forth the Lord, when he pours Him into the heart of his hearers.

But since he who does the will of the Father is called sister and brother of the Lord, on account of both sexes who are gathered to the faith, this is not surprising; yet it is greatly to be wondered how one is also called mother. For he deigned to call his faithful disciples brothers, saying: Go, announce to my brothers.

But let us be assured that we are His brethren and His sisters, if we do the will of the Father; that we may be joint-heirs with Him, for He discerns us not by sex but by our deeds. Wherefore it goes on: Whosoever shall do the will of God, &c.

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