(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better…and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see why)
Focus Question:
What about snake handling in Mark 16?
Intro:
Well, happy Black Friday to you. I hope you got a chance to catch yesterday’s little Thanksgiving reflection and, more importantly, that God gave you a chance to experience the romance of the ordinary.
Today’s focus question — What about snake handling? — comes from the very end of Mark, where there’s a curious passage that only appears once in the Bible, and is a reeeally good time to talk about how you might respond when somebody’s perspective about Christianity is based on something weird…like handling snakes and drinking poison.
NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT:
Our NT segment today finishes up the book of Mark, and it’s useful to remember that Mark has a somewhat perplexing ending. As scholars note, it’s most likely that the original manuscript ended at 16:8, but our Bibles have an additional 12 verses…12 verses that come with an asterisk in just about every Bible version except some (though not all) King James Versions.
Passage: Mark 15:21-16:20
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 47
Words: ~994
OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT:
Daniel 9 is another of those cryptic visions which is perhaps even more cryptic than some others. We, of course, read it all, praying that God will guide us by the power of His Spirit, which is something He has promised to do. That said, I’m also a big fan of finding trusted scholars who can tackle more than we can in our short time here…if you want one, shoot me a note; I know of a guy that I trustwho spends about and hour per chapter unpacking it, and I’d be happy to pass along a couple links.
Passage: Daniel 9
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 27
Words: ~849
Wisdom SEGMENT:
Passage: Proverbs 11:6-9
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 4
Words: ~64
The bottom line:
So what do we do with this piece of our Bible that’s still there, but the footnotes tell us it probably wasn’t part of the original manuscript.
First, I’d remember that just because it may have been added doesn’t mean that it’s not true. That said, let’s do two things…one, I’ll share with you a perspective on the snake handling and poison-drinking thing content itself, and two (if not more importantly), a perspective on how you might respond to someone who asks about weird stuff like this.
So what about this weirdness?
16:17–18 As the disciples fulfilled their commission, and indeed as others believed and went on to spread the gospel, miraculous signs would accompany them. As with Jesus’ miracles, these signs would authenticate the source of their power and draw people to belief. At times, God would miraculously intervene on behalf of his followers. While some people have misinterpreted the notion of “picking up snakes” as thinking that one’s faith is demonstrated by handling rattlesnakes, the writer seems to have in mind incidents like the one described in Acts 28:1–6, where Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake without being harmed. The same could happen for someone who accidentally drank deadly poison. This does not mean, however, that we should test God by putting ourselves in dangerous situations.(1)
In fact, I’d argue that’d even be sinful. Even Jesus responded to Satan saying we shouldn’t do stupid crap to test God. With regard to this passage, then, it’s one thing to recognize what God can do; it’s another thing to say it’s a promise that all believers will experience it (just like we don’t assume all believers, just because it’s possible, will speak in tongues).
Now, how might we approach it in conversation?
One, remember that some things in the Bible are more clear, and some are less so. We’re absolutely certain that Jesus rose from the dead, we’re less certain about interpreting Daniel 9.
Second, we first interpret the Bible with the Bible, and this goes with the first point. We learn of Jesus’ resurrection in multiple places, but there are no other passage about drinking poison. We might hold something like that a bit more loosely.
Finally, what, then, do we make the basis of the Christian life? The things we’re more certain about which also happen to be those things that pertain to the purpose of the whole Bible. But should we build a life or church practice out of something more obscure or less certain? Sadly, there are plenty of times in history when people have done that, but then history is full of stories of people who have majored in the minors. It’s a distraction from who Jesus is, why He came, and why everyone of us needs Him.
The story of the whole Bible is of God revealing himself to us, revealing our own selves and our own junk to us, understanding that we need a Savior, and that Jesus conquered death and sin on the cross as a free offer to all. So snake-handling and poison-drinking aside, what are you going to do about Jesus?
I love you. Amen? Amen.
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 229.