Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 3:21

"And when his friends heard it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself." — Mark 3:21 (ASV)

Jesus was again being pressed by the crowds, demanding his undivided attention. When Jesus’ family heard that he was so engrossed by his work that he failed even to care for his physical needs, they decided to go to him and “take charge of him,” fearing that overwork had affected him mentally. They were planning to take him back to Nazareth.

Jesus’ family was located in Nazareth, while Jesus himself was probably in Capernaum. To allow time for travel, Mark fills in the gap with the Beelzebub controversy.