Nothing Has Been Wasted

In one paragraph

This message was a careful walk through the end of Mark's Gospel, specifically the bracketed passage Mark 16:9-20. Pastor Carl used it as an opportunity to explain what textual criticism is, why certain passages carry brackets in modern Bible translations, and why that should increase rather than shake a reader's confidence in Scripture. The brackets around Mark 16:9-20 in some Bible translations...

Read together

1. Mark 16:9-20 the disputed ending of Mark, examined verse by verse throughout the sermon
2. Matthew 28:1 compared to Mark 16:9 on the first day of the week resurrection account
3. Luke 8:2 Mary Magdalene identified as the one from whom seven demons had gone out
4. Luke 8:1-3 Jesus traveling with the twelve and women who supported his ministry, including Mary Magdalene
5. Luke 24:11 the women's report appeared as nonsense and the disciples would not believe them
6. Matthew 28:18-20 the Great Commission compared to Mark's version
7. John 3:17-18 God did not send his son to judge the world but that the world might be saved through belief
8. Acts 2:38-40 Peter calls the crowd to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
9. Colossians 2:9-12 in Christ you are circumcised and buried with him in baptism
10. 1 Peter 3:20-21 Noah and the ark used as a type of baptism, which is an appeal to God for a good conscience
11. Acts 22:14-16 Ananias tells Saul to get up and be baptized and wash away his sins by calling on his name
12. Acts 5:16 people from cities around Jerusalem brought sick and those tormented by unclean spirits and all were healed
13. Acts 2:1-4 day of Pentecost, rushing wind, tongues of fire, disciples spoke in different languages
14. Acts 28:3-6 Paul shipwrecked on Malta, a viper fastened on his hand but he suffered no harm
15. Luke 10:17-20 the seventy-two return saying demons are subject to them; Jesus says he gave them authority over snakes and scorpions and to rejoice their names are written in heaven
16. Acts 3:7-9 Peter grasps the lame beggar by the hand, raises him up, and he walks and leaps and praises God
17. Luke 24:50-51 Jesus led them to Bethany, lifted his hands, blessed them, and was carried up into heaven
18. Acts 1:7-9 Jesus tells disciples they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes and they will be his witnesses; he is lifted up and a cloud takes him
19. Acts 1:11 two men in white tell the disciples Jesus will return in the same way they watched him go
20. Hebrews 10:12 Christ offered one sacrifice for sins for all time and sat down at the right hand of God
21. Hebrews 12:1-2 run with endurance looking to Jesus who endured the cross and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
22. Colossians 3:1 if raised with Christ, seek things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God
23. Acts 2:33 Christ exalted at the right hand of God poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
24. Acts 7:55-56 Stephen full of the Holy Spirit sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God before being stoned
25. John 7:53-8:11 the woman caught in adultery, noted as the other disputed passage not found in the two oldest manuscripts

Talk about it

1. Pastor Carl spent time explaining textual criticism and why some passages appear in brackets in our Bibles. How does understanding that process affect your confidence in the Bible you hold in your hands?
2. The sermon walked through the differences between the Textus Receptus and the critical text, and noted that the practical difference comes down to two stories. Were you aware of this debate before today, and how have you handled it when you have encountered bracketed passages in your Bible?
3. Regarding Mark 16:16, Pastor Carl looked at the thief on the cross and several other passages to work through the relationship between belief and baptism. How do you understand baptism in your own faith, and how does the rest of scripture shape that understanding?
4. Pastor Carl read from Luke 10 where Jesus tells the 72 not to rejoice that spirits are subject to them, but that their names are written in heaven. What does that priority say to us about how we measure what matters in our own walk with God?
5. The sermon closed with the Lord's Supper and the reminder that every time we take communion we recall the death of Christ as a covering for sin. What does it mean to you personally to take communion as part of a congregation, rather than alone?