Help in undestanding a strange passage

[upbeatjonm]

I heard that there is a fringe protestant group whose members regularly handle deadly snakes, etc, to prove God’s power. The verse they rely upon is:

Mark 16:18
they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

I’ve never heard the Church’s take on this verse. Seems strange to me. Is this meant literally?

 

[Fidelis]

The Navarre Bible says the following;

17-18. In the early days of the Church, public miracles of this kind happened frequently. There are numerous historical records of these events in the New Testament (cf., e.g., Acts 3:1-11; 28:3-6) and in other ancient Christian writings. It was very fitting that this should be so, for it gave visible proof or the truth of Christianity. Miracles of this type still occur, but much more seldom; they are very exceptional. This, too, is fitting because, on the one hand, the truth of Christianity has been attested to enough; and, on the other, it leaves room for us to merit through faith. St. Jerome comments: “Miracles were necessary at the beginning to confirm people in the faith. But, once the faith of the Church is confirmed, miracles are not necessary” (“Comm. in Marcum, in loc.”). However, God still works miracles through saints in every generation, including our own.

 

[lak611]

From Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible:

Mar 16:18 -
They shall take up serpents - When it is necessary for the sake of establishing religion, they shall handle poisonous reptiles without injury, thus showing that God was with them to keep them from harm. This was literally fulfilled when Paul shook the viper from his hand. See Act_28:5-6.

 

[Conciliar]

Mark 16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

I am not a linguist, but my inclination is to think that there may well be a connection between the notion of casting out demons, the handling of “serpents,” and Genesis 3. It seems widely acknowledged that Mark wrote in Greek. Did he use a word that is the equivilant of the Hebrew word as transliterated “nahash,” as found in Genesis? Perhaps someone here knows.

God promises enmity between the seeds of the woman and the serpent in Gen 3:15. Jesus is telling His listeners that they are His seed, and as such will be able to oppose the Evil One in His name.

As for “drinking any deadly thing,” the Greek word used for drink here seems to mean a “taking into one’s body,” and not necssarily ingesting liquid specifically. Taking “deadly things” into one’s body in the mind of the 11 Jewish men to whom Jesus was speaking would call to mind the Jewish dietary laws. This was perhaps one way of telling them that the Old Law has been fulfilled, and that the works of the Old Law as expressed in the dietary restrictions would be no more. These words also harken back to Eden as well, when eating the forbidden fruit caused spiritual death, a death that had been destroyed by Jesus, giving life to His followers …

 

[John_Hiner]

I heard that there is a fringe protestant group whose members regularly handle deadly snakes, etc, to prove God’s power. The verse they rely upon is:

Mark 16:18
they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

I’ve never heard the Church’s take on this verse. Seems strange to me. Is this meant literally?

Laudatur Iesus Christus.

I would like to suggest a metaphorical reading: This may refer to the ability to engage with false doctrines without succumbing to them. Aristotle is reputed to have said that it is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without accepting it. This is necessary as a means of engaging other belief traditions and even heresies in a loving way. This ability is part of St. Thomas Aquinas’ work in engaging critically and in dialogue with Islam. It is also necessary for inter-denominational and inter-religious discussions and dialogue.

This reading seems consonant with the literal meaning of “speaking in new tongues” which occurs in the verse immediately preceding the one cited.

Spiritus Sapientiae nobiscum.

John Hiner