John Calvin Commentary Mark 3:20

"And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread." — Mark 3:20 (ASV)

And they come into the house. Mark undoubtedly covers a somewhat extended period of time, as he moves from the miracles to that wicked conspiracy which Christ's relatives formed with each other, to bind him as if he were a madman. Matthew and Luke mention only a single miracle as having given the Pharisees an opportunity for slander; but since all three agree on this last clause, which is contained in Mark’s narrative, I have thought it proper to insert it here.

It is astonishing that such wickedness should have been found among Christ's relatives, who ought to have been the first to aid him in advancing the kingdom of God. When they see that he has already gained some reputation, their ambition leads them to desire that he should be admired in Jerusalem, for they urge him to go up to that city, so that he might show himself more openly (John 7:3–4).

But now that they perceive him to be hated by the rulers on one hand, exposed to numerous slanders on another, and even despised by most of the people—to prevent any injury, envy, or dishonor from coming upon the whole family, they plan to lay hands on him, and bind him at home, as if he were a person who suffered from mental derangement; and, as it appears from the Evangelist's words, this was their actual belief.

From this we learn, first, how great the blindness of the human mind is in forming such perverse judgments about the glory of God when it is openly displayed. Certainly, in all that Christ said and did, the power of the Holy Spirit shone magnificently; and if others had not clearly perceived it, how could it be unknown to his relatives, who were intimately acquainted with him? But because Christ’s way of acting did not please the world, and was so far from winning its favor that it exposed him to the resentment of many, they claimed that he was deranged.

Let us learn, in the second place, that the light of faith does not come from flesh and blood but from heavenly grace, so that no one may boast in anything other than the regeneration of the Spirit, as Paul tells us:

If any man wishes to be considered to be in Christ,
let him be a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).