The Great Omission: Part 4

Mark 16:18; they will take up serpents….


We must understand that in this passage Jesus is not advocating or condoning the practice of handling snakes in religious ceremonies as was and probably still is the custom of some churches and religions. He is speaking metaphorically here as He frequently did in His parables. The passage is not talking about being foolish and tempting fate or putting God to the test.

Have you or anyone you know ever been in a church where they engage in the practice of snake handling? What was your/their reaction?

“Take up” in this passage means to “remove”, “take away”, or “cast away”. Think back to Genesis; how did Satan appear in the Garden of Eden? In the form of a serpent. That’s where Jesus was going in this metaphor. The serpent comes to each of us every day in the form of temptation, bad thoughts and attitudes, and tries to deter us from our walk with The Lord.

What Jesus is saying in this metaphor is that once someone becomes a believer they will be able to recognize the serpents in their lives and have His power and authority to cast them away.

In what ways has or does the serpent show up in your life? When he does, do you recognize it and cast him away?

As believers we have the two best tools to possibly help us identify and deal with the serpents that rear their ugly heads in our lives, God’s Word and the Holy Spirit who lives in the heart of each and every believer. He is our guide.

There is one way, and only one way in which this passage can refer to the actual, literal contact with snakes. That is in the context of missionaries or ministry workers in foreign countries who may have travel through wilderness areas and have occasion to run across snakes in their paths. Sometimes they may even be bitten by these snakes if they do not see them. In these instances

Have you or anyone you know been on the mission field and encountered poison snakes that had to be removed from your path? What was that experience like?

God gives these men and women grace and authority to literally remove these snakes from their path, thus taking them out of harms way. This is the ONLY time this passage can be used to justify the literal handling of poisonous snakes, and, as I stated earlier, IS NOT a license for Christians to tempt God. If you play with fire you will get burned and if you play with snakes you will get bitten.

In part 5 we will discuss the fourth sign. Mark 16:18 “and if they drink (or eat) anything deadly it will by no means hurt them.

Be thinking about this between now and part 5:

Does this passage give believers the license to tempt God and fate?

What are some practical applications in which this passage could be taken literally instead of metaphorically?