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Illustrations/Examples That TeachBenefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education
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After referring to his disciples as “the light of the world,” Jesus added a few remarks about how a lamp is used and what responsibility this implied for them. (Matt. 5:15, 16) He followed up his illustration of the lost sheep with a comment about the joy in heaven over a sinner who repents. (Luke 15:7) And after his story about the neighborly Samaritan, Jesus asked his listener a pointed question and followed it up with some direct counsel. (Luke 10:36, 37) In contrast, Jesus explained his illustration about the various kinds of soil and the one about the weeds in the field only to those humble enough to ask, not to the crowds. (Matt. 13:1-30, 36-43) Three days before his death, Jesus spoke an illustration about murderous vineyard cultivators. He made no application; none was needed. “The chief priests and the Pharisees . . . took note that he was speaking about them.” (Matt. 21:33-45) So the nature of the illustration, the attitude of the audience, and your objective all have a bearing on whether application is required and, if so, how much.
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Illustrations From Familiar SituationsBenefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education
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What did Jesus Christ do? Whether he was speaking to the crowds or to his disciples, Jesus did not take his examples from ways of life unique to lands outside of Israel. Such examples would have been unfamiliar to his audience. For instance, Jesus made no mention of the court life of Egypt or the religious practices of India. Still, his illustrations did draw on activities common to people in all lands. He spoke of mending clothes, carrying on business, losing something precious, and attending marriage feasts. He understood how people react under various circumstances, and he made use of this. (Mark 2:21; Luke 14:7-11; 15:8, 9; 19:15-23) Since his public preaching was directed particularly to the people of Israel, Jesus’ illustrations most frequently alluded to objects and activities that were part of their daily lives. Thus, he referred to such things as farming, the way sheep respond to their shepherd, and the use of animal skins to store wine. (Mark 2:22; 4:2-9; John 10:1-5) He also pointed to familiar historical examples—the creation of the first human couple, the Flood of Noah’s day, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the death of Lot’s wife, to mention a few. (Matt. 10:15; 19:4-6; 24:37-39; Luke 17:32) Do you similarly consider carefully the activities common to your audience and their cultural background when selecting illustrations?
What if you are speaking, not to a large group, but to one person or perhaps to just a few? Endeavor to select an illustration that is especially appropriate for that small audience. When Jesus witnessed to a Samaritan woman at a well near Sychar, he spoke of “living water,” ‘never getting thirsty again,’ and “a fountain of water bubbling up to impart everlasting life”—all of which were figures of speech directly connected to that woman’s work. (John 4:7-15) And when he spoke to men who had been washing their fishing nets, the figure of speech that he chose involved the fishing business. (Luke 5:2-11) In either instance, he might have made reference to farming, since they lived in an agricultural area, but how much more effective it was to allude to their personal activity as he painted a mental picture! Do you endeavor to do that?
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Illustrations From Familiar SituationsBenefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education
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Instead of making complicated comparisons, Jesus used simple, everyday matters. He made use of little things to explain big things and easy things to make hard things plain. By making connections between everyday events and spiritual truths, Jesus helped people to grasp more readily the spiritual truths he was teaching and to remember these. What a fine example to follow!
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