GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
MARK 16:20
Click to listen to this devotion.
20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them, confirming his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Mark began his book with a title: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Here at the book’s end, we don’t have the ending of the gospel. We have an end to “The beginning of the gospel.” The gospel did not end with the ascension of Jesus, because his disciples went out to preach everywhere. The Lord continued to work with them through the power of his Word and through miracles that accompanied their preaching.
The Scriptures give us a few insights into where some of the disciples went. In the earliest months after the ascension, the Apostles remained in Jerusalem, even beyond Pentecost when they preached together in the temple (Acts 2:1-41). To the three thousand converts that were made at Pentecost, many more were added in the weeks and months that followed (Acts 2:41). As the group of Christians in the city continued to grow, there was a complaint about those who were of Hebrew descent overlooking the newer Greek converts in the matter of the daily distribution of food for their widows and orphans (Acts 6:1). This was when the Twelve Apostles (they had replaced Judas with Matthias) called seven more men to help them. It was these men, including Philip and Stephen, who began to reach out beyond Jerusalem and into Samaria and beyond. Peter, too, left Jerusalem for Joppa and Caesarea (Acts 9:32-10:48). We learn that James was martyred (killed) for his faith by King Herod (Acts 12:1-2). Many years later, we find that John the Apostle was exiled (by the Emperor or his representative) to the island of Patmos, where he saw the vision that he wrote down as the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:9). All of these details are presented in Scriptures and about them there can be do dispute. We might add that when Peter wrote his first letter, it was addressed to “God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bythinia” (1 Peter 1:1), which is a fair list of the main regions of Asia Minor. When the ancient writers Origen and Eusebius spoke about this, they only added that they thought Thomas had gone “to Parthia as his field of labor.”
The gospel traveled throughout the world. The preaching of the Apostles in many languages at Pentecost spread the gospel among nations and languages to the north, south, east and west of Judea. Philip took the gospel to Samaria (Acts 8) and shared Christ with an official of Ethiopia. After Paul’s conversion at Damascus, the former opponent of Christ became the most enthusiastic missionary in the church, traveling throughout Asia Minor, Greece, and even to Rome and Spain.
By the time of the deaths of Paul and Peter in 68 AD, most of the New Testament had been written. John completed his five books (one Gospel, three letters and the Revelation), the final parts of the Bible, before his death around 100 AD. After the completion of the holy Scriptures, there seem to have been fewer and fewer miracles. The text of the Bible was and is sufficient to answer most of the questions that people have about God’s plan of salvation. Certain points that some people raise do not have a bearing on our faith but are asked more out of curiosity (such as which day of creation were the angels made), and they remain the subject of pious speculation. But everything we need to know about God’s will, God’s plan, and God’s actions for our benefit are presented in his holy word. A true student of the Bible will never stop learning from the Scriptures. They are, as Paul teaches, “Useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Our Lord Jesus Christ still accompanies us today. The miracle of Baptism, the miracle of being brought to faith, and the miracle of the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ, still accompany the gospel wherever it goes.
We conclude with these statements, received by the Holy Christian Church, and accepted and taught in all our churches as true and summary statements about God, about God’s holy will, and about the way of salvation.
About the Triune God: “This is the true Christian faith, that we worship one God in three persons, and three persons in one God without confusing the persons or dividing the divine substance, for the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is still another, but there is one Godhead” (Athanasian Creed, 3-6). We believe that God the Father almighty is “maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible” (Nicene Creed, first article). We believe that Jesus Christ, is “his only Son, our Lord” (Apostles’ Creed, second article), and that the Holy Spirit “is the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, and who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, and who spoke through the propehts” (Nicene Creed, third article).
About the person and work of Christ, “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death. All this he did that I should be his own, and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he has risen from death and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.” (Explanation of the Second Article, Small Catechism II:4). Here in these words, summarized from the Scriptures, are the definition of God, the will of God for the ages, and the way of salvation for all mankind. The Apostles’ Creed also concludes with three comforting sentences for all human hearts, centered in our faith and the reason for our Christian religion: “I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Amen.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
16:20 This translation includes verses 9-20 because they are included in the vast majority of Greek manuscripts that have been handed down to us. Evidence for the existence of this long ending extends back to the 2nd century. In the early centuries of the church, these verses were read in worship services on Easter and Ascension Day. One early manuscript (Codex Aleph) and some early translations omit verses 9-20, and a few manuscripts have a different ending. Another early manuscript, Codex B (Vaticanus) leaves space for this longer ending, suggesting that the copyist knew about these verses but did not have a Greek copy on hand.
Listen or watch Bible classes online.
Archives at St Paul’s Lutheran Church and Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel:
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Mark 16:20 Conclusion