Mark 3:7-8

[7] But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, [8] And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

What is the context of Mark 3:7-8?

Jesus Encounters a Large Crowd (Mark 3:7-12 true)
Jesus Heals Crowds by the Sea (Mark 3:7-12 true)
A Great Multitude Follows Jesus (Mark 3:7-12 true)
Ministering to the Multitude (Mark 3:7-12 true)
A Great Crowd Follows Jesus (Mark 3:7-12 true)
Crowds Follow Jesus .( F .) (Mark 3:7-12 true)
Crowds Follow Jesus (Mark 3:7-12 true)
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-12 true)

What does Mark 3:7-8 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The sea to which Jesus withdrew was the Sea of Galilee. He went there rather than to the areas farther south where it would have been easier for His enemies to harass Him. Jesus withdrew because of the religious leaders" plot to kill Him ( Matthew 12:15).

Mark put the disciples in the emphatic first position in the Greek text. They shared Jesus" breach with the religious leaders. They would be the objects of His preparation for future ministry because of Jesus" coming death.

Mark described many people coming to Jesus from all over Jewish Palestine. Jerusalem was in Judea to the south. Idumea, named only here in the New Testament, was the old Edomite territory southeast of Judea. People also came from the east side of the Jordan River (Perea and the Decapolis) and from the Mediterranean coast to the northwest. It is interesting that these locations form something of an outline of this Gospel. Jesus first ministered in Galilee (chs1-6), then in Tyre, Sidon, and the Decapolis (ch7), and finally in Jerusalem (chs10-16). ^[1] Notably absent were people from Samaria, the land of Jewish iconoclasts who separated from the other Jews.