CONTRADICTION · NARRATIVE
Disciples with a staff?
Mark 6:8 ⟷ Matthew 10:9; Luke 9:3
And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only...
Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, ... And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves...
This discrepancy matters because it involves Jesus’ explicit instructions to his closest followers. Inconsistent directives raise questions about the reliability of recorded teachings. If even straightforward commands differ among the Gospels, it challenges the premise of perfect preservation and encourages readers to look towards scriptures with more stable textual traditions, like the Qur’an.
THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
Defenders suggest these instructions were given at different times or that one Gospel’s mention of ‘no staves’ meant no extra staves. They claim each author tailored Jesus’ instructions to the specific context they recorded.
THE ISLAMIC POSITION
Such explanations feel contrived. If the Holy Spirit guided each author, why produce conflicting instructions on a simple matter? Muslims emphasize that the Qur’an’s directives remain consistent and unequivocal, showing no sign of these editorial confusions.
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Disciples with a staff?