One of my all-time favorite passages in the Bible (and I have a lot of favorites) is found in Mark 16:17-18. In these verses, Jesus said …
“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name
shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly
thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on
the sick, and they shall recover.”
Mark 16:17-18
I recognize that starting with the letter “a” in the word And at the beginning of the verse and continuing all of the way to the letter “r” at the end of the final word recover, these two verses are packed with enough spiritual meat to chew on to last for days to come. But, to me, one of the most powerful truths in these two verses is found in the word shall. To show you why I believe that this word is so, so important, let me refer to the Gospel of Saint Merriam-Webster. (For the blog readers living outside of the United States, I’m using a little humor as I make reference to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.) Here is what the dictionary says …
- archaic
a. Will have to: must
b. Will be able to: can - a. Used to express a command or exhortation
you shall go
b. Used in laws, regulations, or directives to express what is mandatory
it shall be unlawful to carry firearms - a. Used to express what is inevitable or seems likely to happen in the future
we shall have to be ready
we shall see
b. Used to express simple futurity
when shall we expect you - Used to express determination
they shall not pass
If that’s not enough to get you up on your feet and shouting, it might be time to notify your next of kin because I sincerely question whether or not there is any blood flowing through your veins. Jesus said (did you get who is doing the talking?) that it is heaven’s command and expectation for believers (that’s you and me) to live a supernatural life. In these verses, Jesus did not say the words might or may or possibly, but instead He said the word shall (KJV) or will (numerous other translations). To use a phrase that we use here in the South, Jesus didn’t leave any wiggle room for the believers (again, that’s you and me). There are no ifs, ands, or buts about His command. Jesus emphatically commanded us to live a life of the supernatural.
I have written enough. No further explanation is needed. Now go start “shall”ing!
