How I Would Interpret The Longer Ending of Mark: The Mark Series pt 68 (16:9-20)

This passage is probably most well known because of its abuse by snake handling preachers in the United States. I will address that issue but it’s far from the only important thing to talk about in these verses! Though the snake comments in the passage get a lot of attention from normal people, scholars are mostly interested in the question of whether the passage belongs in the Gospel of Mark at all. But, today I’m not answering the question of whether the last 12 verses of Mark are authentic or not. I’m just answering the question of how I would interpret the passage as it stands. Next week I’ll deal with the complex issues related to whether the passage belongs in Mark in the first place.