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49. Did Jesus tell His apostles to go barefoot and without a staff? Matt 10:10, Luke 9:3 vs. Mk 6:8-9

No

Matthew 10:10
nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.

Luke 9:3
And He said to them, Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.

Mark 6:8-9
He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts 9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.

I could never believe in a God whose followers can’t get their story straight about sandals and staffs. *exaggerated eye roll* 

Jesus told His apostles not to take extras.

“Staffs” is plural in Matthew and Luke, and “staff” is singular in Mark. Matthew refers to packing sandals; Mark mentions wearing sandals.

Wear sandals, but don’t bring extras. If you have a staff, fine, but don’t pack a spare.

Which fact is obvious to people reading scripture for it’s meaning rather than it’s lastest translation. The point is not the holiness of their carry-ons.

By sending His apostles out without provisions, Jesus was setting up all kinds of stuff.

• He was teaching His disciples to trust in God’s provision while they were doing His work.
• He was validating the ministry and office of an apostle. Matthew records the reasoning that, “a worker is worthy of his food.”
• He was setting up families in the places where His apostles would be received, to be a blessing to His workers, and be blessed in return. All three gospels record the instruction to stay in one home during their time in a given town, and Matthew records the injunction to “let [their] peace come upon” that house.
• He was creating a very clear warning to peoples who had hardened their hearts against His gospel. All three gospels similarly note the instruction to mark a city that does not welcome the apostles. It is difficult to see your own hardness, like it’s difficult to see most of your own flaws. If the apostles needed nothing it would have been easy for a region to not really accept them, and still imagine they’d done nothing wrong. Blatant neglect, and a sign that it was felt from the neglected, should be enough to give someone pause.
• He is teaching His followers, for centuries to come, that our ministry starts when He tells us to go. We can’t sit around and make excuses about how we don’t have the money or the website or the tools we need. When He says, “Go,” we learn here, we go, and He provides as we have need.

So no, Jesus did not tell His people go out barefoot and without a staff. He told them to go just as they were, and watch what He could do.

Thoughts? Any lessons from this missionary exercise that I missed?