ROOTED - Friday, June 12, 2026
Mark 16:17, 18
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 with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it
will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they
will recover.”
Reflection: Earliest Manuscripts
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
Textual Criticism is the field of study (or,
better put: the professional discipline) that analyzes old manuscripts. Trained
professionals in this field, as it relates to the 1000’s of biblical
manuscripts, determine which manuscripts are likely the most accurate. That is,
since we have no “original” writings of Paul, for example, great care is given
to determine what Paul most likely said (since we have hundreds of copies of his
writing through the first few centuries, some of which have slight
disagreements). Make sense? In most cases, the older manuscripts are most
likely the most accurate. Why? Because it is closer to the time Paul actually
wrote. Again… does this make sense? This is not true in all cases, but it is a
good principle. Often manuscripts are the same age and disagree in what they
say. Textual Criticism will determine, based on particular criteria, which
manuscript is the more accurate.
Mark 16 represents one of these big controversies. While MOST of
the manuscripts of the book of Mark contain Mark 16:9-20, the absolute oldest
do not. So, this is a bit of a pickle. The vast majority of manuscripts contain
it… so that is strong evidence that Mark originally wrote these words. However,
a few very old manuscripts do not. This also represents strong evidence. Flip a
coin!!!!! We do not know for certain if the scripture text above was actually
written by Mark. So, some translations contain this text, and some do not. Here
is what we do know… what God is calling us to be, as a church, is a church that
shows evidence of a miraculous God working in our midst and for others. To be
fair, I am not drinking poison anytime soon. But I do expect that miraculous
things should not be the exception in a good and healthy church. The end of Mark
reminds us that God is necessarily at work through his church, and miraculously
so.
Lord God, work through Timberlake Church to do the work of God in
our community… as we have faith to see you work miraculously through us.
As Pastor Jesse concludes his time on staff, our Rooted devotionals will also be taking a break for a season. Thank you for joining us on this journey through God's Word.