Matthew 10:9-10 (NIV)
“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.
Vs
Mark 6:8-9 (NIV)
These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt.
Argument for contradiction: In Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples to not take a staff. In Mark, Jesus tells his disciples to take a staff. We therefore have a real contradiction because Matthew tells us the opposite of what Mark tells us.
Is this a real or an apparent contradiction?
Definition: A biblical contradiction occurs when Scripture affirms A and not-A under the same conditions—without a plausible contextual, linguistic, or literary reconciliation.
Below is a plausible linguistic reconciliation:
The differences between Matthew and Mark are explained easily when one acknowledges that the writers used different Greek verbs to express different meanings.
Matthew’s greek verb means “to gain possession of, procure for oneself, acquire, get”
Thus, according to Matthew, Jesus is saying: “do not take the time to go procure for yourself anything in addition to what you already have.”
Whereas in Mark, the greek very means to “take”
Thus according to Mark, Jesus is saying: “take what you have and go”.
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