Mark 16:15-18 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 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.”
Mark 16:15-18 “E disse loro: «Andate per tutto il mondo, predicate il vangelo a ogni creatura. 16 Chi avrà creduto e sarà stato battezzato sarà salvato; ma chi non avrà creduto sarà condannato. 17 Questi sono i segni che accompagneranno coloro che avranno creduto: nel nome mio scacceranno i demòni, parleranno in lingue nuove, 18 prenderanno {in mano} dei serpenti, anche se berranno qualche veleno non ne avranno alcun male, imporranno le mani agli ammalati ed essi guariranno».
Jesus gives His final earthly address to the disciples here. It is recorded in the other Gospels and becomes the centerpiece and motivation for the events that unfold in the book of Acts. It has been called “the great commission”. This commission from the Father is what Jesus had been doing and was now passing on to the disciples who still had lingering doubts of Jesus and the resurrection. In the previous verse, Jesus rebukes them for their lack of belief in the testimony of others. Whether they are ready to hear it or not, Jesus answers their concerns by giving them two closing commands. He tells them where they should go and what they should do.
First, where should they go? The answer was everywhere. The message of Jesus could not be confined to a middle-eastern patch of land or to a band of only Jewish followers of Jesus. Everywhere meant the message must go to the Gentiles.
Second, what should they do? The answer was to preach to everyone. Jesus goes from general to specific here. What would happen when they preached? Like the ministry of Jesus, some would listen and be saved and some would refuse and, therefore, be condemned. Signs would accompany the believers as they preached: deliverance from evil testifying to victory over Satan; speaking in new tongues as fulfilled in the day of Pentecost and onward; if they were caught in a situation with deadly snakes or if someone tried to poison them, they would not be harmed; and finally, healing of the sick would authenticate the ministry of preaching the Good News.
The last verse of Mark tells us that they obeyed this great commission and history records that these disciples preached all over the known world with signs accompanying their preaching. We all are believers today because someone obeyed the great commission. Hallelujah!
Pray with me: Lord, I see how you molded these disciples to change the world in their lifetime despite their spiritual ups and downs. Help me to also follow the simple plan to go and expect Your signs to be with me as well.
