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

C H A P T E R 1 2
“Without an Illustration
He Would Not Speak
to Them”
THE disciples traveling with Jesus have a rare privilege.
They are learning directly from the Great Teacher. They
get to hear his voice as he opens up the meaning of God’s
Word and teaches them thrilling truths. For now, they
must carry his precious sayings in their minds and hearts;
it is not yet the time for his words to be preserved in writing.
However, Jesus makes it easier for them to remember
what he teaches. How? By his way of teaching, especially
his masterful use of illustrations.
2 Indeed, effective illustrations are not quickly forgotten.
One author noted that illustrations “turn ears into eyes”
and that they “free listeners to think with pictures in their
heads.” Because we often think best in pictures, illustrations
can make even abstract ideas easier to grasp. Illustrations
can bring words to life, teaching us lessons that
become etched in our memory.
3 No teacher on earth has ever been more skillful at using
illustrations than was Jesus Christ. To this day, his illustrations
are easily recalled. Why did Jesus rely heavily on this
method of teaching? What made his illustrations so effective?
How can we learn to use this teaching method?
The first inspired record of Jesus’ earthly life was evidently the
Gospel of Matthew, written about eight years after Jesus’ death.
1-3. (a) The disciples traveling with Jesus have what rare privilege,
and how does he make it easier for them to remember what he teaches?
(b) Why are effective illustrations easy to remember?