Mark 16:20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

The ending of the Gospel of Mark has various problems. It is universally agreed that the book as a whole is Peter’s recollections, recorded by Mark, but it would appear that he stopped very abruptly at 16:8, which leaves us without any encounters with Jesus Himself after His resurrection, but just the angel telling the women that Jesus had risen. It just occurred to me that it could be that Peter’s personal encounter with Jesus at this point was just too intense and personal for him to talk about. (1 Corinthians 15:5) However, that was just too abrupt for some early copyist, and verses 9-20 were added. That said, with the sole exception of drinking poison, (verse 18) everything mentioned is either in other Gospels or in Acts. Sadly, some groups have used the things mentioned to “prove” their faith, which is a direct violation of God’s command, as even Jesus quoted to the devil. (Luke 4:12) That most famously includes the “snake handlers” of eastern Kentucky, but it also includes some Pentecostal groups who hold that you aren’t really saved if you don’t have the gift of tongues. (verse 17) This is just another kind of legalism, which delights only the devil. All of that said, I believe this verse 20 is anointed by God and worth having all the other difficulties. I love that it says, “The Lord worked with them.” We aren’t on our own! Just as He said in the Great Commission, (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus is with us always, to the end of the age. Paul, though he encountered Jesus only after the resurrection in non-physical ways, was very aware of this, and mentioned it in several of his letters. And since Jesus is as much alive today as He was when He told Thomas to touch him, (John 20:24-31) He is just as available to work with us as He was with Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate. (Acts 3) We have a real danger of reading the Bible and thinking, “That was back then.” This addendum to Mark was written perhaps a hundred or more years after the resurrection, but God was still confirming His Word through believers, and He does it even today.

When I was first introduced to the Charismatic Movement back in the ‘70s I heard this part of Mark quoted a lot. Coming from a line of Bible scholars, that bothered me a lot! There were plenty of other more direct sources that could have been quoted, but some people just seemed to like this part. That doesn’t mean that the things mentioned here are invalid. I’ve never knowingly drunk poison, but when I was a child I had a pet yama kagashi snake, which I have learned only in recent years is actually poisonous! (I thought mamushi were the only poisonous snakes in Japan, as did my parents, so we treated it like a garter snake.) It never bit me, and actually liked to be inside my shirt while I did my homework, enjoying my body warmth. That had nothing to do with faith! I have experienced supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit and seen people healed when I laid hands on them and prayed. I have experienced that Jesus does indeed work with us and confirm His Word, and I want to see that more and more, so that more and more people may repent and believe for their own salvation.

Father, Thank You for this reminder. Thank You that You don’t leave us as orphans. (John 14:18) May I so live that Holy Spirit always feels welcome, working fully in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!