Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – John 19-21
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Mark 16:15-18
Jesus: Go out into the world and share the good news with all of creation. Anyone who believes this good news and is ceremonially washed will be rescued, but anyone who does not believe it will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: they will be able to cast out demons in My name, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, drink poison without being harmed, and lay their hands on the sick to heal them.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Mark gives us a little different version of the Great Commission than Matthew. We like to recite Matthew’s better. I wonder why? Don’t we like the aspect of casting out demons, speaking in new languages, taking up serpents, drinking poison and healing the sick? Don’t those sound pretty exciting in what are mostly hum-drum routine days for most of us?
We get up, get dressed, go to work or school. We see the same people most of the time and go about our daily business without much change from day to day. Don’t you think it would shake things up a bit if we saw some of the things Jesus says will follow us if we believe in Him and these signs follow us around? So what happened? Why don’t we see any of these things except in some of the fringe groups that we usually call a little crazy.
We don’t talk about exorcism. Demons are just fairy tales, right? Some think speaking in tongues is a sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence, but most think speaking in different languages is just one of many gifts and view the gift differently than those denominations that view it as the only real evidence of God’s indwelling presence, so some call that group a little odd.
Snake handlers? Well, God cursed them in the Garden of Eden and I guess He did a good thing. I have no desire to handle snakes, especially poisonous ones. Doing so on purpose? Yep, just about everyone I know thinks that borders on the not so sane side. But there are some that pick out this verse and stand on it as something we should be doing. So they take them to worship services with them. Just don’t expect me to be in those services, okay?
Drinking poison? Another one of those that isn’t the norm. If the body is God’s temple, I don’t want to be pouring poison in it on purpose. Now healing the sick, I’d like to see a lot more of that, but we don’t seem to call people together to lay on hands and pray for the sick do we. We ask the preacher to do that, but do we, as believers do what Jesus said to do and lay hands on the sick to heal them? Not very often.
So what happened? Why don’t we do these things? Why do we like the Matthew version so much better than this one? First, we need to consider that some of those crazy sounding things, taking up serpents, drinking poison, maybe even casting out demons are for our physical protection. Remember Jesus said we would be hated because of His name. His earliest followers were thrown in prison, stood before kings and authorities. Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake on the island of Malta and some of those early leaders were forced to drink poison in Rome’s attempt whip out this new group they could blame for their troubles.
Through the centuries, God has, on occasion, used His miraculous power to let His children overcome such sure means of physical death. He intervened many times for many people to demonstrate His mighty power and bring glory to His name. Because He is God, He can circumvent the normal processes of this world and do things we cannot imagine. As Jesus said, anything is possible for God. So He can make the bite of a deadly snake nothing more than a sting. He can change the effects of a deadly poison to a sweet tasting nectar as easily as He changed the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Anything is possible for Him. And sometimes He does those things for His children.
So why don’t we get together over the sick, lay hands on them, and ask for His healing? Is it because we don’t believe? Why don’t we share the message of the good news with all creation? Are we afraid? Of what? If He can change the nature of snake venom and poison, why should we be afraid to share the message? Who should we fear? Jesus told us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Do we really believe? We might say we do, but if we really believe, we be doing what He said to do. Not just make disciples, but going about boldly, without fear, healing the sick, casting out demons, not worrying about poisons, or snakes, or anything else Satan might throw at us to try to distract us from the mission Jesus sent us out to do. Spread the word, Jesus died that we might live.
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