“And he said to them, ‘Go ye into 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 damned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents; and if they drink any deadly drug, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’” (Mark 16)
Some ancient codices, instead of this synodal conclusion to the Gospel of Mark, contain a more abbreviated version, which reads: “And everything that they (the women) were entrusted with, they briefly proclaimed to Peter and his companions. Then Jesus appeared and sent through them, from the rising (of the sun) to the setting, a holy and unceasing message of eternal salvation. Amen.”
There is also a brief conclusion to the Gospel of Mark in Blessed Jerome’s work “Against Pelagius,” which continues chapter 16, verse 14. In this conclusion, the apostles, responding to the Lord’s reproach for their lack of faith, point to the power of Satan, from which they ask Christ to deliver them. The same idea is expressed in a Christian literary work discovered in Egypt in 1907 and known as the “Logia.” Here, Christ, in addition to what Jerome has already stated, tells the apostles that He will soon defeat all hostile forces.
These facts show that our ancestors were not shy about adding supposedly Jesus’ words to the Gospels. They likely did so out of conviction that they were accurately reflecting Christian teaching. Among disputed passages, such as the one cited above, how can we determine whether Jesus actually spoke these words? Asking the right questions can help. Do the passage’s assertions logically align with other words of Jesus that are not subject to interpretation?
Jesus did indeed command the apostles to preach wherever possible, from the very beginning of their three-year ministry. But what about those who believed but were not baptized in water? If they were baptized, say, in sand for lack of water? Are such people condemned? Clearly not, since the primary element of salvation, according to Jesus, is faith. All rituals are secondary. The phrase betrays later church requirements.
Jesus then allegedly gives a list of signs and wonders that the vast majority of believers have not seen and do not see. Moreover, the reference to the possibility of picking up snakes and drinking poison can be understood as a temptation of God. Jesus never mentioned in his ministry that believers would always be accompanied by signs and wonders. In most cases, people live modest lives, maintaining their faith without miracles and signs of this kind. Such miracles are certainly possible, but in practice, they are extremely rare. What Jesus did say was that those who believe in Him will experience internal, genuine signs, expressed in love and wisdom.
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