Come Be My Follower - Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site

Love motivates us to
preach wherever people
can be found
10 Another way that Jesus
trained his disciples was by
providing them with extensive
instruction. Before
sending out first the 12
apostles and later the 70
disciples to preach, Jesus
held what amounted to
training sessions. (Matthew
10:1-15; Luke 10:1-12)
The training produced good
results, for Luke 10:17 reports:
“The seventy returned
with joy.” Let us consider
two of the important lessons Jesus taught, keeping in
mind that his words are to be understood against the
background of Jewish customs in Bible times.
11 Jesus taught his disciples to trust in Jehovah. He told
them: “Do not procure gold or silver or copper for your
girdle purses, or a food pouch for the trip, or two undergarments,
or sandals or a staff; for the worker deserves his
food.” (Matthew 10:9, 10) It was common for travelers to
take along a girdle purse for money, a food pouch for provisions,
and an extra pair of sandals. By instructing his
disciples not to worry about such things, Jesus was, in effect,
saying: “Place your trust entirely in Jehovah, for he
will take care of your needs.” Jehovah would provide for
them by moving those who accepted the good news to
A girdle purse was perhaps a type of money belt used to carry
coins. A food pouch was a larger bag, usually of leather, slung over
the shoulder and used for carrying food or other provisions.
10-12. What important lessons did Jesus teach his disciples before
sending them out to preach?
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