“Some of the Better Manuscripts”

Grace and peace, Saints.

Today I was reading from Marching Through Mark, a book by J. Vernon McGee, which is used as a textbook for one of my Bible classes.  McGee was discussing Mark 11:25-26 in particular, which stresses the importance of forgiveness when going to God in prayer:

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

“But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” 

It is clear that forgiveness is important to God, and is an essential element of prayer.  We are sinners, and have obtained grace only through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Because of His sacrifice, and God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness, God answers and grants our petitions even though we are sinful creatures.  And if God can forgive us our sinfulness and rebellion against Him, we should be forgiving of others who have done evil against us.  Jesus says that if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us.  And if God doesn’t forgive us, He will not answer our prayers.  

In that a Christian’s prayer life is vitally important, especially in the area of spiritual warfare, this teaching is crucial, which is why Jesus went to the trouble to bring it to us.  J. Vernon McGee seems to understand this, as, in regard to verse 26, he says, “An unforgiving spirit will short circuit the power of prayer” (p. 54).  But he follows this with the following enigmatic statement:  

“(This verse is omitted from some of the better manuscripts.”) (Boldface mine.)

I was blown away by this statement.  McGee had just emphasized the importance of forgiveness as a crucial component of the believer’s prayer life, yet he goes on to say that “the better manuscripts” omit this verse.  This is problematic for me.  

You see, “better” is a subjective word.  One person may consider something better, while another may consider it worse.  Better is totally dependent on the individual, and is actually a useless term, unless one knows the criteria by which a thing is considered better. 

Of course, there are instances when one thing is clearly better than something else.  A hammer, for example, is better than an eraser for driving nails, as is a car than a horse for cross-country travel.  But note that in both comparisons, the least favored thing is not altogether unsuitable: one is just “better” than the other for the stated purpose.  

And that’s the key: in order to determine why one thing is considered better than another, it must be clear why that thing is “better.”  Some concrete criteria must be given that clearly and unequivocally demonstrates that Thing A is better than Thing B.  This is especially important in the Christian world, where absolutes (good and evil (Genesis 3:5), hot and cold (Revelation 3:15), etc.) are everything, and make the difference between “Thus saith the Lord” and “Yea, hath God said?” 

So what does J. Vernon McGee mean by “the better manuscripts?”  Since we are talking about the manuscripts on which the various bible versions, including the King James Bible, are based, and we say that the Bible is the “infallible, inerrant Word of the Living God,” wouldn’t accurate be the “better” term?  Shouldn’t the accuracy of the translations be the primary criteria in deciding which manuscripts are actually the precious Word of God? 

Because I know that J. Vernon McGee doesn’t believe that we have the true words of God, and because I know that most theologians who feel this way prefer the New International Version (NIV) over the King James, I decided to go to the NIV to see if Mark 11:26 is there; because if it is not, then I know that, according to J. Vernon McGee, I am holding a bible based on one of the “better” manuscripts, even though it omits this crucial teaching.

Well, as I suspected, Mark 11:26 is not in the NIV.  So, even though a passage of Scripture amounting to one of the most crucial teachings in the Bible—words that came from the very mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ—is missing from the NIV—and believe, me, there is much more missing from the NIV than Mark 11:26—we have the assurance of one of America’s “best loved” and highest regarded Bible theologians that the NIV is based on one of the “better” manuscripts.  

Why are those manuscripts better?  Why, because J. Vernon McGee says they are.  And that’s good enough for us, isn’t it? 

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

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