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

“WITHOUT AN ILLUSTRATION HE WOULD NOT SPEAK TO THEM” 121
one thing as if it were another. Here, again, he kept the
comparisons simple. On one occasion, he told his disciples:
“You are the light of the world.” The disciples could
hardly miss the point of the metaphor, namely, that
through their words and deeds, they could let the light of
spiritual truth shine and help others to give glory to God.
(Matthew 5:14-16) Note some other metaphors used by
Jesus: “You are the salt of the earth” and “I am the vine,
you are the branches.” (Matthew 5:13; John 15:5) Such
figures of speech are powerful in their simplicity.
10 How can you use illustrations in your teaching? You
do not have to come up with long, elaborate stories. Just
try to think of simple comparisons. Imagine that you are
discussing the subject of the resurrection and that you
want to illustrate that raising the dead poses no problem
for Jehovah. What comparison comes to mind? The Bible
uses sleep as a metaphor for death. You might say, “God
can resurrect the dead as easily as we can awaken someone
from sleep.” (John 11:11-14) Suppose that you want
to illustrate that children need love and affection if they
are to thrive. What example could you use? The Bible uses
this comparison: Children are “like slips [new shoots] of
olive trees.” (Psalm 128:3) You could say, “Love and affection
are to a child what sunshine and water are to a tree.”
The simpler the comparison, the easier it will be for your
listeners to get the point.
DrawingFromEverydayLife
11 Jesus was a master at using illustrations that related
to the lives of people. Many of his illustrations reflected
10. What are some examples that show how you can use illustrations
in your teaching?
11. Give examples of how Jesus’ illustrations reflected things that he
had no doubt observed while growing up in Galilee.