That one time Jesus got the Bible wrong

It's so typical isn't it? You are preaching all day long, training your disciples, sparring with the Pharisees, encouraging the poor and down trodden, healing the sick and casting out demons, all day, day after day, and even when you go up a mountain to get a rest the crowds hunt you down and follow you up, and then the one time you get a bit muddled up with some of the details of a biblical text . . . that is the one they write down in the first gospel - verbatim. At least Matthew and Luke had the good sense to do some editing. But Mark, he always had his eye on giving the public the "historical Jesus" whoever that is supposed to be . . . warts and all. Thanks a lot Mark!

Some think I made the mistake on purpose, just to show the Pharisees up.

For some there is no mistake worth mentioning, only a slightly ambiguous turn of phrase.

Others think I am doing something tricky with Abiathar's name, getting him to figuratively stand in for the priesthood.

It really has caused a lot of bother to a lot of people, that nice guy Dan Wallace can give you an overview. It makes me feel tired all over again.

For me the really interesting question is not why I made the mistake: can you not see how exhausted I was? I literally tried to sleep through a shipwreck. The interesting thing is: what made Mark include it? That chap seems to see meaning and Bible-codes in the smallest details. Honestly, I think he is too clever for his own good, no one is going to get what he is up to, and a lot of trees are going to die before the scholars figure it out, if they ever do. I should probably go and ask him, but he is still in a sulk after the last page of his gospel went missing and some idiot tried to write a replacement ending . . . serves him right!