Mark 16:17 Commentary: The Signs That Accompany Faith

This verse belongs to the longer ending of Mark (16:9, 20), a passage that most scholars date to the early second century and that summarizes resurrection appearances and the Great Commission. The setting is the risen Christ’s final words before his ascension. The cultural world of the first century was filled with exorcists and wonder-workers, but the early Christians distinguished themselves by acting “in my name”, not by incantation or competitive magic, but by invoking the authority of the crucified and risen Lord. Jewish exorcists of the period (attested in Josephus and the Dead Sea Scrolls) used elaborate rituals; the apostles’ method was simpler and more direct, as seen in Acts 16:18.

The phrase “new tongues” uses the adjective kainos, which lexical sources define as “new in kind, unprecedented, unheard of.” This is not merely new to the speaker but new in character, languages the speaker had never acquired by natural means. Luke records the fulfillment at Pentecost (Acts 2:4), where the apostles spoke in the native languages of pilgrims from across the Roman world. Paul later regulates the practice of tongues in corporate worship (1 Corinthians 14), suggesting it continued in some form beyond Pentecost. The promise of signs accompanies the commission to preach to “the whole creation” (v.15), tying the miraculous to the expansion of the gospel into new territories and cultures.

The verse is part of the so-called longer ending of Mark (16:9, 20), which is absent from the earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus) and is considered by most textual critics to be a later composition summarizing resurrection traditions. However, the longer ending is included in the vast majority of later manuscripts and was recognized as canonical by the Council of Trent and by most Protestant confessions. No significant textual variants exist within verse 17 itself in the manuscripts that contain the longer ending.

This verse has been a focal point in the debate over the continuation of miraculous gifts. Early church fathers such as Irenaeus and Justin Martyr described believers still casting out demons and speaking in tongues. In the medieval period, the verse was often read allegorically, the ‘new tongues’ representing the church’s proclamation in all languages. During the Reformation, Calvin argued the signs were temporary, needed only while the gospel was new. Wesley and the Methodist revival saw the verse as a promise that could still be claimed, and the twentieth-century Pentecostal and charismatic movements built much of their identity around the expectation of these signs. Across traditions, the verse has been used both to justify contemporary spiritual gifts and to explain their cessation.

Three-point outline

1. Faith precedes signs. The participle “having believed” (aorist, signaling entry into faith) shows that signs are not a condition for belief but a consequence flowing from it.
2. The name of Jesus carries authority. Casting out demons and speaking new tongues happen “in my name”, by Christ’s delegated power, not the believer’s inherent ability.
3. Signs serve the mission. These miracles confirm the message and glorify the risen Christ, not the individual. Their purpose is to advance the gospel, not to draw attention to the miracle-worker.

Five-point outline

1. The promise is to believers. The text does not restrict it to apostles alone, though historically it was primarily fulfilled through them.
2. Demons are cast out. Christ’s victory over Satan’s kingdom is demonstrated in the church’s mission.
3. New tongues are spoken. The gospel crosses linguistic and cultural barriers.
4. The signs are accompaniments, not guarantees. The word parakolouthēsei means “accompany”, signs travel with faith but are not the main point.
5. Jesus’ presence continues. These signs prove that the exalted Lord is still at work through his people.

Illustration hooks

• A church planting in a resistant area: a new Christian prays for a neighbor’s healing in Jesus’ name, and the neighbor is restored. The community sees that the power is not in the person but in the name.
• A missionary working across cultures: unable to learn a local dialect, she finds she can communicate the gospel core to a group of listeners. No full miracle of tongues like Pentecost, but a quiet sense of divine help.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Why don’t we see more dramatic signs like casting out demons or speaking in new tongues in our church today?
• Does the absence of these signs mean we lack faith, or did they belong only to the first generation?
• If I pray in Jesus’ name for healing and nothing changes, did I pray wrong?

Mark 16:17 sits at a point where Jesus sends his disciples into the world with a promise of supernatural accompaniment. The passage invites us to ask what role signs play in the church’s ongoing mission, and how we understand the relationship between faith and miraculous power.

Discussion questions

1. Read Mark 16:15, 18. What is the connection between the commission to preach and the promise of signs?
2. The word “accompany” (parakolouthēsei) suggests signs walk alongside faith. In your experience, does faith feel accompanied by anything visible or extraordinary?
3. The promise says “in my name”, what does it mean to act in Jesus’ name? How is that different from using his name as a formula?
4. Barnes and Calvin argue these signs were primarily for the early church. Others point to contemporary accounts of miracles. How do you evaluate these different perspectives?
5. What is the danger of making signs a requirement for authentic faith? What is the danger of dismissing them completely?
6. How does the rest of the New Testament (especially Acts and 1 Corinthians 12, 14) shape our understanding of tongues and exorcism?
7. In what ways might God be “confirming the word” through ordinary, non-miraculous means in your church or community?