Luke 10:1-9

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus sends out his disciples saying: "Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there and say, 'The kingdom of God is very near you.'"

Jesus appoints seventy disciples and sends them out with instructions not to carry a purse, bag or sandals. They are to be poor among the poor, and to rely solely on God's grace and the hospitality of those who receive them. In the gospel of Mark, when Jesus sends out his disciples, he tells them to take a staff and "to wear sandals." (Mk. 6:9) It is a small contradiction, but both gospels cannot be right. Either Jesus told his disciples to wear sandals, or not to wear sandals (or he said nothing about wearing sandals). Most likely the author of the gospel of Luke has changed the words he found in the gospel of Mark, for it seems he edited the gospel of Mark in order to create what we know as the gospel of Luke.

How could the author of one gospel dare to change the words of another, even words attributed to Jesus? The author of the gospel of Luke had the gospel of Mark and other materials, which he used in fashioning his story. He likely assumed the author of the gospel of Mark had similarly fashioned a gospel story from various materials. Neither author was simply writing history or biography. Each was preaching the gospel by writing an account of the ministry of Jesus.

Grace and peace...Bob