{"id":44333,"date":"2023-06-01T10:30:14","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T07:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=44333"},"modified":"2025-05-06T09:19:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T06:19:35","slug":"did-jesus-allow-his-disciples-to-carry-a-staff-or-not-mark-68-vs-matthew-1010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2023\/06\/01\/did-jesus-allow-his-disciples-to-carry-a-staff-or-not-mark-68-vs-matthew-1010\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Jesus Allow His Disciples to Carry a Staff or Not? (Mark 6:8 vs. Matthew 10:10)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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\u00a0<\/h2>\n

The Question:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In Mark 6:8<\/strong>, Jesus appears to allow His disciples to take a staff<\/strong> with them on their mission:<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff\u2014no bread, no bag, no money in their belts.\u201d<\/em> (ESV)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But in Matthew 10:10<\/strong>, Jesus seems to say the opposite:<\/p>\n

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\u201c\u2026 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.\u201d<\/em> (ESV)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So which account is right? Did Jesus permit His disciples to carry a staff or not? Is this a contradiction in the Bible?<\/p>\n

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The Answer: No, the Bible Does Not Contradict Itself<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The seeming difference between these two passages is not a contradiction, but a matter of context, emphasis, and translation. The Bible is divinely inspired and internally consistent. Scripture affirms,<\/p>\n

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\u201cAll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.\u201d<\/em> (2 Timothy 3:16)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), then any confusion lies in our interpretation\u2014not in God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n

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Understanding the Context and Purpose<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In Mark 6:8<\/strong>, Jesus was emphasizing that the disciples were to travel light\u2014depending entirely on God for their provision. The only item they were allowed to take was a walking staff<\/strong>, a practical tool for travelers, especially on rough and rugged terrain. The staff here symbolizes support, not self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n

In Matthew 10:10<\/strong>, however, the focus is on complete dependence on God’s provision through others<\/strong>, especially those who would receive the Gospel. Jesus says not to carry even a staff, as if to reinforce that their security and help would come entirely from God’s guidance and people’s hospitality.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe laborer deserves his food.\u201d<\/em> (Matthew 10:10)
This means that those who serve the Gospel should trust God to provide for them through the people they minister to (see also Luke 10:7<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

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Theological Explanation: One Staff or None?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The key to reconciling these passages lies in the original Greek and the purpose of the instruction:<\/p>\n