WORD From The Woods
This week we will finish up our study in the Gospel of Mark. The 12 verses that we're looking at today are in brackets in most modern translations because there is a lot of debate as to whether or not they were part of Mark's original gospel account. Let's take a look at this passage and then I'll share some thoughts on it.
Mark 16:9-20
[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]
As I said, there is a lot of debate as to whether or not Mark's original Gospel account ended with verse 8 or if it included verses 9-20, which is known as the "longer ending of Mark." The reason that there is some question about this passage's authenticity, is that it's not found in some of the oldest and most reliable manuscript evidence that we have found to date. It's thought by most scholars that this passage was added later because of the abrupt ending of Mark with verse 8. Whether or not this was written by Mark himself under the direction of the Holy Spirit doesn't really matter to me, what does matter is whether or not it is in concert with the rest of scripture or whether it contradicts it. I think this is a great opportunity to talk about how we should read the bible in general. We must always read a scripture in light of scripture and we must look at the context of large portions of scripture, rather than looking at it in small bits. This passage is a perfect example, the reason that I'm not worried about it and most scholars aren't, is that it doesn't say anything that isn't in complete harmony with the rest of scripture. There has been some obscure teaching based on verse 18 that says believers will be able to pick up snakes and drink poison without being harmed, but a clear reading of scripture in light of scripture will lead you to Acts 28:3-4, where Paul is bitten by a venomous viper and is protected by The Lord as a sign to confirm his apostolic authority. These non-normative miracles surrounded the apostles in the early stages of the Church after Pentecost as God's way of saying to the world that the apostles were indeed sent by the one true God. You see here how someone could take just these 12 verses in Mark and come up with an obscure doctrine of letting snakes bite people or drink poison to test God, but when we look to the whole of scripture we can understand what was really being taught. The fact that the authenticity of this passage is questioned shouldn't shake our confidence that the modern bible translations we have are God's inerrant word. As I've said, this passage is in harmony with the rest of scripture, and with the thousands of very old manuscripts that have been discovered and the science of textual criticism, we can be sure that what we have in our modern translations is God's word. It's vitally important to us as followers of Jesus, that we learn to accurately and responsibly study God's word. Always remember to interpret scripture in the light of other scripture and take into account the greater context of a passage by reading it in large portions rather than singling out small bits and pieces. I've included some commentary from the ESV Study Bible below to give you some more information about this passage in Mark.
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-
-Commentary from the ESV Study Bible-
16:9–20 “Longer Ending of Mark.” Some ancient manuscripts of Mark's Gospel contain these verses and others do not, which presents a puzzle for scholars who specialize in the history of such manuscripts. This longer ending is missing from various old and reliable Greek manuscripts (esp. Sinaiticus and Vaticanus), as well as numerous early Latin, Syriac, Armenian, and Georgian manuscripts. Early church fathers (e.g., Origen and Clement of Alexandria) did not appear to know of these verses. Eusebius and Jerome state that this section is missing in most manuscripts available at their time. And some manuscripts that contain vv. 9–20 indicate that older manuscripts lack the section. On the other hand, some early and many later manuscripts (such as the manuscripts known as A, C, and D) contain vv. 9–20, and many church fathers (such as Irenaeus) evidently knew of these verses. As for the verses themselves, they contain various Greek words and expressions uncommon to Mark, and there are stylistic differences as well. Many think this shows vv. 9–20 to be a later addition. In summary, vv. 9–20 should be read with caution. As in many translations, the editors of the esv have placed the section within brackets, showing their doubts as to whether it was originally part of what Mark wrote, but also recognizing its long history of acceptance by many in the church. The content of vv. 9–20 is best explained by reference to other passages in the Gospels and the rest of the NT. (Most of its content is found elsewhere, and no point of doctrine is affected by the absence or presence of vv. 9–20.) With particular reference to v. 18, there is no command to pick up serpents or to drink deadly poison; there is merely a promise of protection as found in other parts of the NT (see Acts 28:3–4; James 5:13–16). (See The Reliability of the New Testament Manuscripts.)
This week we will finish up our study in the Gospel of Mark. The 12 verses that we're looking at today are in brackets in most modern translations because there is a lot of debate as to whether or not they were part of Mark's original gospel account. Let's take a look at this passage and then I'll share some thoughts on it.
Mark 16:9-20
[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]
As I said, there is a lot of debate as to whether or not Mark's original Gospel account ended with verse 8 or if it included verses 9-20, which is known as the "longer ending of Mark." The reason that there is some question about this passage's authenticity, is that it's not found in some of the oldest and most reliable manuscript evidence that we have found to date. It's thought by most scholars that this passage was added later because of the abrupt ending of Mark with verse 8. Whether or not this was written by Mark himself under the direction of the Holy Spirit doesn't really matter to me, what does matter is whether or not it is in concert with the rest of scripture or whether it contradicts it. I think this is a great opportunity to talk about how we should read the bible in general. We must always read a scripture in light of scripture and we must look at the context of large portions of scripture, rather than looking at it in small bits. This passage is a perfect example, the reason that I'm not worried about it and most scholars aren't, is that it doesn't say anything that isn't in complete harmony with the rest of scripture. There has been some obscure teaching based on verse 18 that says believers will be able to pick up snakes and drink poison without being harmed, but a clear reading of scripture in light of scripture will lead you to Acts 28:3-4, where Paul is bitten by a venomous viper and is protected by The Lord as a sign to confirm his apostolic authority. These non-normative miracles surrounded the apostles in the early stages of the Church after Pentecost as God's way of saying to the world that the apostles were indeed sent by the one true God. You see here how someone could take just these 12 verses in Mark and come up with an obscure doctrine of letting snakes bite people or drink poison to test God, but when we look to the whole of scripture we can understand what was really being taught. The fact that the authenticity of this passage is questioned shouldn't shake our confidence that the modern bible translations we have are God's inerrant word. As I've said, this passage is in harmony with the rest of scripture, and with the thousands of very old manuscripts that have been discovered and the science of textual criticism, we can be sure that what we have in our modern translations is God's word. It's vitally important to us as followers of Jesus, that we learn to accurately and responsibly study God's word. Always remember to interpret scripture in the light of other scripture and take into account the greater context of a passage by reading it in large portions rather than singling out small bits and pieces. I've included some commentary from the ESV Study Bible below to give you some more information about this passage in Mark.
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-
-Commentary from the ESV Study Bible-
16:9–20 “Longer Ending of Mark.” Some ancient manuscripts of Mark's Gospel contain these verses and others do not, which presents a puzzle for scholars who specialize in the history of such manuscripts. This longer ending is missing from various old and reliable Greek manuscripts (esp. Sinaiticus and Vaticanus), as well as numerous early Latin, Syriac, Armenian, and Georgian manuscripts. Early church fathers (e.g., Origen and Clement of Alexandria) did not appear to know of these verses. Eusebius and Jerome state that this section is missing in most manuscripts available at their time. And some manuscripts that contain vv. 9–20 indicate that older manuscripts lack the section. On the other hand, some early and many later manuscripts (such as the manuscripts known as A, C, and D) contain vv. 9–20, and many church fathers (such as Irenaeus) evidently knew of these verses. As for the verses themselves, they contain various Greek words and expressions uncommon to Mark, and there are stylistic differences as well. Many think this shows vv. 9–20 to be a later addition. In summary, vv. 9–20 should be read with caution. As in many translations, the editors of the esv have placed the section within brackets, showing their doubts as to whether it was originally part of what Mark wrote, but also recognizing its long history of acceptance by many in the church. The content of vv. 9–20 is best explained by reference to other passages in the Gospels and the rest of the NT. (Most of its content is found elsewhere, and no point of doctrine is affected by the absence or presence of vv. 9–20.) With particular reference to v. 18, there is no command to pick up serpents or to drink deadly poison; there is merely a promise of protection as found in other parts of the NT (see Acts 28:3–4; James 5:13–16). (See The Reliability of the New Testament Manuscripts.)