And they come to a house, and the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
και συνερχεται παλιν οχλος ωστε μη δυνασθαι αυτους μητε αρτον φαγειν
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
In contrast, to validate that same wisdom, the relentless opposition it faced, growing in intensity with each passing day, escalated to alarming levels. Certain Pharisees from Jerusalem (Mk. 3:22) started to openly disseminate among the Galilean people remarks about Jesus that mirrored the malicious claims they had previously made regarding John.
The Gospel of Mark does not specify the exact miracle that the scribes and Pharisees spoke against when they accused Jesus. We can infer from their statement, ‘He (Jesus) will cast out demons by the prince of demons’ (22), that their remarks were directed at His healing of someone possessed by an evil spirit. Mark presents Jesus' explanation quite succinctly, omitting the detailed accounts found in Matthew 12:27-28, 33-37, and the Lord's response to those who sought a sign from heaven.
Despite its brevity, Mark's account enriches the narratives of the other Gospel writers, highlighting that the events occurred in a house—specifically the one where Jesus and His disciples shared meals—indicating it was difficult to have even a simple meal of bread due to the throngs of people present (3:20). He notes that the fervor of Christ was seen by those nearby as an excessive display, prompting His family to come and safeguard Him from perceived threats posed by His adversaries.
Luke recounts this episode in a similarly succinct manner as Matthew, omitting Jesus' remarks concerning the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-30), along with comments on the origin of such blasphemous speech and accountability for it (Matthew 12:33-37). However, Luke includes two unique details: the story of a woman who, enthralled by Jesus' conversation, called out with great enthusiasm to commend His mother (11:27-28), and the Lord's teaching concerning the lamp and the healthy eye (33-36).
The neighbors of the Lord may have perceived His condition based on hearsay, thus leading His family to seek Him out in what they deemed a protective gesture. The uncertainty remains as to whether they interpreted His enthusiasm positively or negatively; the latter is more likely given that even His own brothers struggled with belief during His ministry (John 7:6). Mark's further narrative concerning the arrival of Jesus' mother and brothers—where He indicates that His true family comprises those who follow Him—supports this interpretation.
The phrase “exēlthōn” indicates they left from the house, though the specific location of this event remains unclear.
When the apostles began their mission to spread the Gospel, they could no longer be firsthand witnesses to the events surrounding Jesus Christ that unfolded while they were away. As a result, we possess very limited knowledge of this phase of the Savior's ministry, and what little we do know comes from the Evangelists, who clearly documented accounts from others who accompanied the Lord closely. In Capernaum, the Evangelist Mark notes that subsequent to the Apostles' departure to preach—though the exact timing is uncertain—Jesus returned to a house. Based on the context provided by Mark's continuing narrative, we can infer that He returned to Capernaum, the place where He made His home after leaving Nazareth (Matthew 4:13), and where the Blessed Virgin Mary and her relatives resided. Upon His return to Capernaum, Jesus drew large crowds seeking healing from their infirmities; so many people gathered that neither He nor His disciples found time to eat.
"Enter the dwelling": once more to Capernaum, similar to Mark 2:1. - "There was no opportunity to eat bread": due to the throngs of people, meaning either the crowd was so large that there was no space to arrange a table for a meal, or the many who sought to learn left no time for eating, or perhaps it was a combination of both circumstances.
Upon the Lord's return to Capernaum, the miraculous healing of a man possessed by demons served as a catalyst for the Pharisees and scribes to utter blasphemies against Him, which they sought to propagate among the populace. This afflicted man was both blind and mute, with the evil spirit obstructing all avenues to faith—sight, hearing, and speech—as noted by Blessed Theophylact. However, in His compassion, the Lord delivered the man, expelling the unclean spirit, enabling him to see, hear, and speak once more. The onlookers, filled with wonder at this divine act, questioned among themselves, "Is this the Christ, the Son of David?" In the meantime, Jesus and His disciples entered a house to partake in a meal, but the crowd was so vast that they had no opportunity to eat.
Among those Pharisees and scribes who witnessed the miracle were individuals who had come from Jerusalem, and together they devised a new scheme against Jesus. First, the envious began to circulate the notion that He was deranged, leading His neighbors to attempt to bring Him away. When they could not refute the miracle witnessed by all, they instead claimed that He cast out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 16 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS