The Gospel for April 26, 2004
Mark 16:15-20
And he said to them, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’ And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven; there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.
A Study
We need to recall that new authorship of this work, attributed to Mark, is believed to begin with verse 9. The Oxford Bible Commentary has much to say about the two different endings that have been "found" for Mark, neither of which is in early complete manuscripts. After much commentary about the motivation for either of the two prevalent endings for Mark, the Commentary does not comment on vv. 9-20!
Perhaps the following excerpt will provide the justification for the ending, if it is an add-on, as well as a concise explanatory if it is authentic:
"Among the signs of the messianic era, Isaiah predicted that the sick would be healed and that mute tongues would speak (Is 35:5–6), and that God’s people would be witnesses for him (Is 43:10). The powers here attributed to believers are the sort that characterize many of the Old Testament prophets (cf. this theme in Acts).... Both Jewish and Greek readers could relate to the idea of an ascension of a great hero to heaven (like Heracles or, in postbiblical Jewish tradition, Moses), but for Jesus to sit at God’s right hand goes beyond this idea—it means that Jesus reigns as God’s agent (Ps 110:1). -- Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. 1993. The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament . InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Ill.
A Reflection
This is yet another reminder of the fragile knowledge upon which the early fathers built the Canon of the New Testament, and a testament itself to their bravery in the face of what they surely recognized as their hopeless ignorance.
Yet in prayer and study, and no doubt in vainglorious egotism in some cases, they concluded their work. Constantine had his bibles and they were all the same, and all "approved." This was perhaps the earliest case ever made for the separation of Church and State. For all the good that he did in stopping the persecution of the early church and early Christians, Constantine set a precedent of the State's involvement in the Church which persists to this day in far too many countries. The inverse -- Church involvement in affairs of State -- is equally abhorrent. One need look at the Crusades and today's fundamentalist Mullahs to see much of the bad that both sides of this coin reflect.
Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have
done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole
creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life,
and for the mystery of love.
We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for
the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best
efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy
and delight us.
We thank you also for those disappointments and failures
that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the
truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast
obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying,
through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life
again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and
make him known; and through him, at all times and in all
places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.
-- Book of Common Prayer 1979
10:59:41 PM 
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