A Response#43 - Did Jesus tell his apostles to go barefoot and without a staff?
Response by Wendell Leahy
The Skeptics are confused about shoes...
He told them to go barefoot, without a staff.
Matt: 10:10 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purse, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves."
Luke 9:3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece."
He told them to wear sandals and carry a staff.
Mark 6:8-9: And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: But be shod with sandals."
Explanation:
John Gill writes concerning Matthew 10:10
Shoes and Sandals are not the same....
Shoes: what is bound under, a sandal, a sole fastened to the foot with thongs
Sandals: a sandal, a sole made of wood or leather, covering the bottom of the foot and bound on with thongs...
As concerning 'stave', Matthew mentions 'staves' as in plural, while Mark mentions 'stave', meaning, only one....
People's New Testament, explains this simple statement....
Reponse by Dave Marr
The skeptic's doubt:
He told them to go barefoot, without a staff.
"Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purse, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves." Matthew 10:10
"And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece." Luke 9:3
He told them to wear sandals and carry a staff.
"And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: But be shod with sandals." Mark 6:8-9
Explanation:
In Matthew and Luke, when Jesus says not to take shoes or staves, He says it in a description of extra items not take: a purse, money, two coats, food. He does not want anything burdening them in their journey, and He also wanted to teach them to rely completely on God’s loving provision for His followers. Just as people do in our day and age, people in Jesus’ time usually had a few pairs of shoes (sandals in their case). Additionally, people traversing these dirt roads wore out sandals fairly quickly. The disciples were already wearing sandals when Jesus gave them these instructions. He doesn’t say “take off your sandals and walk barefoot”. That would be folly on the roads of Israel. He just didn’t want them taking extra, unnecessary items. The same pertains to the staffs: it is very reasonable to assume that they already each had one with them when Jesus was discussing these issues. He does not expressly prohibit carrying a staff anywhere in these reports.
The focus of the accounts of the instructions in Matthew and Luke is on restriction of unnecessary baggage. Mark gives a summary of all of the instructions on this issue. Just because there is an omission of a mention of shoes and staffs in two of the accounts does not mean that Jesus didn’t indeed tell them to wear shoes and carry a staff. This example is one reason why we have the four Gospels: to fill in all of the pertinent details that perhaps other writers overlooked or didn’t value. Everyone has there own style of reporting events, i.e., the truth.
The Skeptics are confused about shoes...
He told them to go barefoot, without a staff.
Matt: 10:10 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purse, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves."
Luke 9:3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece."
He told them to wear sandals and carry a staff.
Mark 6:8-9: And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: But be shod with sandals."
Explanation:
John Gill writes concerning Matthew 10:10
for the workman is worthy of his meat; which seems to be a proverbial expression, and by which Christ intimates, that they were workmen, or labourers in his vineyard, and they, discharging their duty aright, were entitled to food and raiment, and all the necessaries of life: this to have, was their due; and it was but a piece of justice to give it to them, and on which they might depend. So that this whole context is so far from militating against a minister's maintenance by the people, that it most strongly establishes it; for if the apostles were not to take any money or provisions with them, to support themselves with, it clearly follows, that it was the will of Christ, that they should live by the Gospel, upon those to whom they preached, as the following words show: and though they were not to make gain of the Gospel, or preach it for filthy lucre's sake; yet they might expect a comfortable subsistence, at the charge of the people, to whom they ministered, and which was their duty to provide for them.John Wesley writes concerning Mark 6:8-9
Be shod with sandals - As you usually are. Sandals were pieces of strong leather or wood, tied under the sole of the foot by thongs, something resembling modern clogs. The shoes which they are in St. Matthew forbidden to take, were a kind of short boots, reaching a little above the mid - leg, which were then commonly used in journeys. Our Lord intended by this mission to initiate them into their apostolic work. And it was doubtless an encouragement to them all their life after, to recollect the care which God took of them, when they had left all they had, and went out quite unfurnished for such an expedition. In this view our Lord himself leads them to consider it, Luke 22:35: When I sent you forth without purse or scrip, lacked ye any thing?So that, in Matthew he mentions shoes, while Mark mentions sandals
Shoes and Sandals are not the same....
Shoes: what is bound under, a sandal, a sole fastened to the foot with thongs
Sandals: a sandal, a sole made of wood or leather, covering the bottom of the foot and bound on with thongs...
As concerning 'stave', Matthew mentions 'staves' as in plural, while Mark mentions 'stave', meaning, only one....
People's New Testament, explains this simple statement....
With the staff each one had, but without an extra supply. A staff was always carried in walking over the rugged mountains of Palestine.The Apostle Paul explains a little more and sums it up quite well...
1 Corinthians 9:14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.
Reponse by Dave Marr
The skeptic's doubt:
He told them to go barefoot, without a staff.
"Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purse, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves." Matthew 10:10
"And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece." Luke 9:3
He told them to wear sandals and carry a staff.
"And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: But be shod with sandals." Mark 6:8-9
Explanation:
In Matthew and Luke, when Jesus says not to take shoes or staves, He says it in a description of extra items not take: a purse, money, two coats, food. He does not want anything burdening them in their journey, and He also wanted to teach them to rely completely on God’s loving provision for His followers. Just as people do in our day and age, people in Jesus’ time usually had a few pairs of shoes (sandals in their case). Additionally, people traversing these dirt roads wore out sandals fairly quickly. The disciples were already wearing sandals when Jesus gave them these instructions. He doesn’t say “take off your sandals and walk barefoot”. That would be folly on the roads of Israel. He just didn’t want them taking extra, unnecessary items. The same pertains to the staffs: it is very reasonable to assume that they already each had one with them when Jesus was discussing these issues. He does not expressly prohibit carrying a staff anywhere in these reports.
The focus of the accounts of the instructions in Matthew and Luke is on restriction of unnecessary baggage. Mark gives a summary of all of the instructions on this issue. Just because there is an omission of a mention of shoes and staffs in two of the accounts does not mean that Jesus didn’t indeed tell them to wear shoes and carry a staff. This example is one reason why we have the four Gospels: to fill in all of the pertinent details that perhaps other writers overlooked or didn’t value. Everyone has there own style of reporting events, i.e., the truth.
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