And these signs will follow those who believe

 

"The Ascension of our Lord" by John La Farge, 1888 [mural painting]. The Church of the Ascension in the City of New York.  (Note the reddish tint in Christ's robes.)

 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  

After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.  

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into the all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.

 

- Mark 16:9–20 

 

Yesterday we read that when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

 

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  Once again, we observe that this news that Christ is risen is so far beyond the context of what the disciples know and expect that they did not believe Mary Magdalene.  This is despite the fact of Christ's repeated predictions that He would rise after three days.   Of today's entire reading, my study Bible reports that there are two early manuscripts which do not contain this section of Mark's Gospel (Mark 15:9-20).  But nearly all other manuscripts ever discovered have all of these verses.  They are canonized Scripture, and they are considered by the Church to be inspired, authoritative, and genuine.  

 

 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.  That Christ appeared in another form teaches us about the resurrection.  My study Bible comments that our Lord's resurrected body transcends not only physical space and time, but also appearance.  It notes that He was sometimes recognizable to His disciples, while at other times He was not.    This seems to be a possible reference to the story told in the Gospel of Luke of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).  Note again that the rest did not believe them either.  

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into the all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."  This is known as the Great Commission.  It is our Lord's final commandment given on earth.  My study Bible comments that it is to be lived out in the Church until Christ's return.  To make disciples, it says, cannot be done in the strength of human beings, but only in the power of God.  The power of the Resurrection is not only for Christ Himself, but it is given to all believers for Christian life and mission. 

"And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  New tongues is a reference to the ability to speak in languages that one has not learned in order to edify others in worship (1 Corinthians 14), as well as to preach the gospel (Acts 2:1-11).   To take up serpents, my study Bible says, is a reference primarily to spiritual battle against demons (Luke 10:19).  So, therefore, Christ is promising to deliver believers from the powers of sin.  This would also include certain physical protection.  For example, St. Paul was bitten by a serpent and suffered no harm (Acts 28:3-6), and according to tradition, Barsabas Justus (Acts 1:23) was forced by unbelievers to drink poison and survived.  Nonetheless, my study Bible adds, while God's grace can protect believers from both physical and spiritual harm, to test God by deliberately committing harmful acts against oneself is a grave sin (Deuteronomy 6:16; Matthew 4:7).  

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.    The Ascension of Christ is celebrated forty days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).  My study Bible comments that this event fulfills the type given when Elijah ascended in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11) and marks the completion of Christ's glorification and lordship over all creation.  At the Incarnation, it notes, Christ brought His divine nature to human nature.  Then, in the mystery of the Ascension, Christ brings human nature to the divine Kingdom.  He reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in His glorified body, which reveals His glorified human nature -- even human flesh -- to be worshiped by the entire angelic realm.  At Vespers of Ascension, an Orthodox hymn declares, "The angels were amazed seeing a Man so exalted."   In some icons of the Ascension, Christ's white robes have a red tint to indicate the shedding of His blood for the redemption of the world, and the ascent of that life-giving blood into heaven (Isaiah 63:1-3; see also Psalm 24:7-10).  

Jesus speaks of these signs among believers:  "In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  If we take a close look at these things, they are fundamental outcomes of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  In John's Gospel, in Christ's Farewell Discourse (His final teaching to the disciples, John 14 - 17), Jesus says the following about the coming of the Holy Spirit, whom He calls the Helper here:   "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."  If we look carefully, we see Jesus explicitly speaking about issues of truth and of judgment.  To cast out demons is part of this work, to speak with new tongues in order to edify and to teach and to spread the spiritual truth of the gospel, is to participate in this work.  To take up serpents is, as my study Bible says, an image of protection against the demonic;  and that would include the powers of sin and of evil.  To drink poisons is related to the demonic and the image of a serpent or venomous snake:  certainly this can also apply to lies, false doctrines, heresies, all kinds of things counter to the truth of the gospel and in opposition to the things that are truly good for human beings to take in.  What is poisonous or venomous is that which destroys life, leading to death -- and the powers of death are associated with evil and with all that is in opposition to the good, to Christ who is the Prince of life (Acts 3:14).  To lay hands on the sick, and to help them to recover, is to correct the things that ail human beings.  Spiritually it is parallel not simply to bringing the good of the gospel, but to correcting the things that do harm, the poisons, the errors and the lies, misleading half-truths, all the ways in which the life of the world is diminished and harmed, and death comes into the life of the world.  Let us note that Jesus does not use the word "poison" or "venom" here, but the word deadly, indicating by what action we understand something is bad for the life of the world.  So, therefore, Christ's Ascension, and His final teaching to the disciples -- and therefore to all of us -- is all about the effects of the Holy Spirit, and the work and action of the Holy Spirit, which is to correct, to reprove, to bring judgment, and even to identify what is evil and harmful to life in order to bring protection for the good and the life-giving.  Let us consider the powerful truths here which are given to us as signs that must accompany faith and all that must happen in the work of faith in His name.