Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good evening, dear ones.

I can’t believe I’m still awake with my little bald head still working. Maybe I’ve been stimulated by the topic of snakes? I don’t know.

I need to take off in the morning with the boom truck before 8am to help a guy install a big power pole…in harmony with the power company disconnecting the power lines. I’m definitely involved in diversity. I think that’s more fun than just doing one thing. But I definitely choose to keep my one woman…and my one faith. No room for diversity there.

Have a good night.

Love, Dad/Ray.

That snake couldn’t appreciate what was going on. All he knew was that he was nicely coiled up inside that partially decomposed hunk of wood, sleeping soundly, till he felt some movement—then suddenly his whole world was on fire! He sensed he had to act fast and get out of there. On his way out he met with a human hand and instinctively did what vipers do when hot and bothered—he bit. What a mistake! At least he bit the wrong human if he was to survive. That hand lifted him right up over the flames and—sizzle!

Paul, in this setting, was a credible demonstration of Mark 16:17-18: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name…they will take up snakes with their hands…” I do not view with equal credibility those whackos who represent the Christian cult of snake handlers. Just for amusement, I Googled “snake handling church” and clicked on “images.” Good grief! Bizarre! I sure didn’t see anything there that I can imagine attracting anyone to a Biblical faith. They actually use rattlesnakes in some of their worship exercises—as though messing around with tame snakes is a convincing demonstration of spiritual power and divine protection. I wonder if they ever go out in the wild and pick up black mambas. I also wonder if they ever consider demonstrating their divine protection by doing the next thing in that list—“and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all…” (Mark 16:18). I mean, if they’re going to intentionally pick up snakes to prove their supernatural power, why don’t they also intentionally drink deadly poison to prove the same? It’s all kind of crazy. And if we don’t intentionally pursue a HEART AFTER GOD as role-modeled by Paul, we also risk being duped by some form of crazy.

So, why didn’t Paul die from snakebite right there? For one thing, the Sovereign Lord wasn’t quite finished with him yet. I have to conclude that the Lord had in mind a more significant way for Paul to die than from snakebite on Malta. Besides, the divine announcement to Paul while still on the ship was, “You must stand trial before Caesar” (27:24). So violent storm, ship wreck, and snakebite would not be allowed to alter that decree.

PS: Relative to the passage I’ve mentioned in Mark 16, I find this note in my NIV Bible to be significant and, in a way, encouraging: “The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.”