And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
This verse appears at the end of Mark's gospel — the earliest written account of Jesus's life — just after his resurrection from the dead. Jesus is speaking to his closest followers before ascending to heaven, commissioning them to go into the world. He tells them that certain miraculous signs will follow those who believe: casting out evil spirits and speaking in languages they had not learned. It is worth noting honestly that many Bible scholars believe this final section of Mark (verses 9 through 20) may have been added by a later writer, as it does not appear in the oldest surviving manuscripts. Even so, it reflects genuine early Christian belief about the active power of God's Spirit working through ordinary believers.
Lord, I'll be honest — I don't always understand how your power works, and sometimes it makes me nervous to ask. But I believe you are alive and your Spirit is real. Open my eyes to where you are moving, and make my faith something living rather than something I just carry around. Amen.
What do you do with a verse that promises things you may have never personally witnessed? For many honest believers, this one gets quietly filed away — too uncomfortable to dismiss, too confusing to fully claim. But there's something worth pressing into here: Jesus ties these signs not to spiritual rank or religious performance, but to belief. The question underneath the verse is less about dramatic miracles and more about whether your faith is actually alive. Even if you've never witnessed an exorcism, this verse presses a real question: do you genuinely believe that following Jesus involves something active — something that moves, displaces darkness, crosses barriers? Or has faith quietly become a set of values you hold, entirely disconnected from any sense that the Spirit is actually doing anything? This verse won't let faith stay purely in your head. It points toward something living — something that, in ways you may not always recognize on an ordinary afternoon, is still at work in the world through people who believe.
This passage is debated by scholars as a possible later addition to Mark's gospel. How do you personally navigate passages where there are genuine questions about the original text — does that kind of uncertainty shake you, or can you hold it with open hands?
Have you ever witnessed or experienced something that felt genuinely miraculous — even quietly or gradually over time? What happened, and how did it shape your understanding of faith?
This verse suggests that belief produces signs — that faith is meant to be active and visible in the world. Does your faith feel alive and moving right now, or has it settled into something more static? What changed, or what would it take to change?
How might the ideas in this verse — displacing darkness, speaking in ways that cross barriers and reach people — translate practically into your everyday relationships and interactions?
What would it look like for you to live this week with an active, conscious awareness that God's Spirit is moving — and what is one thing you might do differently as a result?
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 14:12
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
1 Corinthians 13:1
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
1 Corinthians 12:10
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
Luke 10:17
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1 Corinthians 12:28
Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
Luke 9:1
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:4
These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues;
AMP
And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
ESV
'These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
NASB
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
NIV
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
NKJV
These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.
NLT
"These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues,
MSG