The chapter starts with Jesus healing a man with a shrivelled hand in a synagogue on a Sabbath causing the usual consternation with the Pharisees. Jesus retorted asking whether he should do good or evil on a Sabbath, but the Jews didn't answer. This angered Jesus to see such stubborn hearts. Crowds kept following Jesus from wide-ranging places seeking at least to touch Jesus to be healed, and evil spirits always fell down before Jesus declaring he was the Son of God, but Jesus told them to shut up. Then Jesus went up into the hills where he designated 12 apostles: 1. Simon (whom Jesus gave the name Peter). 2. James son of Zebedee. 3. His brother John. (Jesus called these 2 Boanerges - sons of thunder). 4. Andrew. 5. Philip. 6. Bartholomew. 7. Matthew (Levi). 8. Thomas. 9. James son of Alphaeus. 10. Thaddaeus. 11. Simon the Zealot. 12. Judas Iscariot. Then Jesus was so besieged by a crowd that Jesus and the disciples couldn't even eat, and Jesus' family said he "was out of his mind". Teachers of the law said he was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub! Jesus rebuffed this saying "how can Satan drive out Satan"? He rebuked them for such aggressive criticism saying "whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven". Then came further contact between Jesus and his family, but Jesus showed his supreme commitment to his mission saying: "Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother".
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