Mark 6:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff — no bread, no bag, no money in their belts —

NIV: These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.

NASB: and He instructed them that they were to take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt—

CSB: He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff—no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts,

NLT: He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick — no food, no traveler’s bag, no money.

KJV: And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:

NKJV: He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts—

This is the first time Jesus sends the Twelve to preach and perform miracles, and their provisions appear rather meager. They need to understand that just as God gives them power and authority over sickness and demons, so He provides them with their physical needs. They should expect those they minister to provide for them (Matthew 10:10), just as we are expected to provide for our spiritual leaders (1 Corinthians 9:14).

In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus tells us to not be anxious about what we will wear or eat. If we seek His kingdom, these things will be added. But "added" doesn't mean "in abundance" or necessarily even to the point of comfort. When the Twelve return, they have been so busy they have not had time to eat (Mark 6:31), and this isn't the first time (Mark 3:20). But they receive enough to get the job done.

Paul addresses this in Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." This doesn't mean he can accomplish literally anything he attempts. It means he knows how to face hardship and abundance (Philippians 4:11–12) with the assurance that God will provide what he needs to do God's will (1 Corinthians 10:13). We are not promised that if we obey God we will always be well-fed and well-clothed. We're only promised that we'll be provided with what's necessary to accomplish the will of God. Even if we die of starvation in our service to God's kingdom, we will hear "well done" (Matthew 25:21, 23).

The inclusion of a staff has led to much study and debate since in Matthew 10:10, Jesus specifically tells them "no…staff." Some think that Matthew's passage refers to a weapon while Mark is talking about just a traveling stick, but the word is the same in Greek. More likely, since Matthew 10:10 is the continuation of Matthew 10:9, the passage means the Twelve may not acquire a staff, but they may bring one if they already own it. The emphasis, once again, is dependence on God, and not so much on the minute details of one's luggage.

Mark 6:7–13 describes the Twelve's missions trip, sandwiched by two less-encouraging accounts. Jesus' rejection at Nazareth teaches the disciples and us that preaching the gospel is often most difficult at home (Mark 6:1–6). The execution of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas shows that sometimes doing the work of Christ brings dire consequences (Mark 6:14–29). Jesus had chosen the Twelve to be with Him, to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:14). They had been with Jesus, not it was a time for them to be sent out to minister to others. Later, Jesus will send out seventy-two (Luke 10:1–12). Before He ascends to heaven, He will send out all who believe in Him (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; John 17:20–26). Matthew 9:35—11:1 recounts this event with more detail, while the account in Luke 9:1–6 is nearly identical to Mark's.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.