SHOULD MARK 16:9-20 BE INCLUDED IN THE BIBLE?

When I was in Seminary, I remember one of my professors talking about how the pastors at their church had been walking through the book of Mark and had spent a number of meetings debating whether or not to even teach the last twelve verses or to just skip it altogether – to avoid it like the plague, sweep it under the rug, pretend that it’s not even there, just ignore it and don’t draw attention to it and fly under the radar hoping that no one will notice. Even more recently, I was speaking with a pastor from another state who asked whether or not I would be preaching out of this text when we arrived at the conclusion of the book. Obviously, I said yes, but what is crazy is that he was not excited about that decision.

I know, I thought and felt the same thing too! This is mind-boggling to say the least, but it brings up the infamous question and thus warrants a bit of discussion:

SHOULD MARK 16:9-20 BE INCLUDED IN THE BIBLE?

This is actually an incredibly controversial question in many churches today and the reason is because the translation team inserted a note between verses eight and nine. To be clear, what they wrote is not part of Scripture, but simply acts as a way to communicate to the reader that not everyone sees eye-to-eye on the passage that follows. This was their way of covering their bases by being as faithful as possible in transferring the biblical text from Greek to English. What they wrote has caused quite the stir among evangelicals today…so here it is: “Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9-20.”

Wait…what!? Then what are we supposed to do!?

Great question! First, there is no need to panic. I promise it will be okay because it is not nearly as bad as some people try to make it out to be. Thus, the level of response this parenthetical note has often received over the years is largely unwarranted.

So, let us address why this is true and then talk about why you can still trust God’s Word.

WHY DO “SOME” MANUSCRIPTS NOT CONTAIN THIS PASSAGE?

The reason why “some” [key word] of the earlier manuscripts end with verse eight is not really that clear. It could be, and is perhaps likely, that John Mark, the recorder of this book, did truly end his account with verse eight. To be honest, there are many biblical scholars who hold to this view and, if that is the case, then he most certainly had his reasons – use of literary devices, attempting to drive home a point and force a response, maybe he died or he no longer had access to the Apostle Peter, so on and so forth. There really is no end to the amount of speculations people have come up with to try and explain why Mark may have ended the book with the women running away in fear and not telling anyone about the risen Christ.

All that to say, nobody knows why this is the case. Just as nobody knows why verses nine through twenty were potentially added shortly thereafter…or by whom. Until we get to heaven and ask Mark directly, it is all speculation. Which forces us to ask the question:

If [another key word] 16:9-20 was not written by Mark but indeed by someone else, would that make it any less a part of Scripture? Does that ultimately matter in the grand scheme of things?

As we will see below, the answer is “no.”

WHY YOU CAN TRUST MARK 16:9-20 AS THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD!

The point of this chapter is to prove that there is nothing that could prevent Jesus from defeating the grave (16:1-8) and there is nothing that can prevent this Gospel from going global (16:9-20). Thus, the way the book of Mark ends at verse twenty is brilliantly done in revealing that Jesus is the Serpent-Crushing Servant-Leader Savior!

There is nothing in this passage that contradicts Scripture or is contrary to the nature and character of God.

The vast majority of this text is directly quoted, referenced, or exemplified throughout the rest of Scripture. Thus, it serves as an additional testimony of these things and is in full agreement.

Even secular non-Christian scholars admit the Bible has been incredibly well preserved since its initial recording. This would include passages like this.

Though not infallible, several of the early Church fathers acknowledged, supported, and recognized this portion as Scripture: Justin Martyr (ca. 165 AD), Irenaeus (ca. 202 AD), Tertullian (ca. 220 AD). This also places the dating of some of the earliest manuscripts including this addition to be all the way back in the mid-100’s AD!

Ultimately speaking, it does not matter if John Mark recorded this portion of the account or not because God is the Author…not Mark. Therefore, Mark is not the standard for what constitutes Scripture – that is up to the Holy Spirit and He alone makes that decision. An example of this is also seen back in the book of Deuteronomy which was very clearly written by Moses, yet nearly everyone would agree that Moses did not write the last twelve verses of that book but someone later [probably Joshua] came in and finished it out.

Therefore, this is really more of a question about what you believe regarding God’s sovereignty than anything else. Do you believe and trust that God is sovereign over all human affairs and has personally overseen, preserved, and protected His Word since the day He revealed it…or do you not? If you do, then this text will cause you no problems, but if you don’t then passages like this will likely be used by the enemy to stir up doubt.

CONCLUSION

So let me conclude by asking again, but in another way: “Do you believe the LORD God is big enough to preserve and protect the transmission of His Word?” If not, then you’ve got much bigger problems than simply questioning the reliability of this passage. At that point everything is up for debate and nothing in life is sure. But if you say you do believe that but don’t agree that this passage is Scripture, then you also have much bigger problems to worry about because you believe that God has sovereignly allowed His Word to be tainted by passages that are not His Word…thus, how can you trust anything you read because at that point nothing is sure.

What’s the truth? Mark 16:9-20 is the Word of the LORD, whether people want to accept it or not. This is the portion of Scripture that God has faithfully preserved throughout the age of the Church in order to reveal that there was absolutely nothing that could prevent Jesus from defeating the grave and there is absolutely nothing that can prevent this Gospel from going global!

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