They Shall Take Up Serpents

When Jesus said believers would “take up serpents” in Mark 16:18, He isn’t talking about handling them on purpose like present day snake handlers do in eastern Tennessee/Kentucky. When the devil proposed to Jesus a parallel (jumping off the pinnacle of the temple) in Matt 4:5-7, Jesus responded “It is written … Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

Instead Jesus is talking about like what happened to Paul in Acts 28:3-6 – a viper bit him while he was working, but it did not affect his health. God miraculously enabled him to survive the poisonous bite with no ill effects. Not only did that divine power keep Paul safe, but it served as a sign to those he was teaching. But Paul certainly didn’t pick up that snake intentionally.

It is the same with the seventy having the “power to tread on serpents and scorpions” in Luke 10:19. It is not talking about handling snakes and scorpions on purpose, but it is talking about God’s supernatural protection if the disciples happened to be bitten by such poisonous creatures.

Now I have heard about gospel preachers challenging Pentecostal preachers in public debate to handle snakes on purpose, and I understand the dare was super effective with some audiences, but nonetheless it is a false argument for the truth. Just because an argument might be effective with an audience doesn’t necessarily make it sound. Mark 16:18 wasn’t instructing Christians to be “snake handlers.”

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