The story involved a rich man who had many sheep and a man of little means who had just one female lamb that he was raising with tender care. David himself had been a shepherd, so he could understand the feelings of the owner of that lamb. David reacted with righteous indignation against the rich man who had seized the poor man’s cherished lamb. Then Nathan straightforwardly said to David: “You yourself are the man!” David’s heart was reached, and he sincerely repented. (2 Sam. 12:1-14) With practice, you can learn to deal with emotional issues in an appealing manner.

Many examples that are valuable for teaching can be drawn from events recorded in the Scriptures. Jesus did this in a few words when he said: “Remember the wife of Lot.” (Luke 17:32) When detailing the sign of his presence, Jesus referred to “the days of Noah.” (Matt. 24:37-39) In Hebrews chapter 11, the apostle Paul referred to 16 men and women by name as examples of faith. As you become well acquainted with the Bible, you will be able to draw powerful examples from what the Scriptures say about the events and people named in its pages.​—Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11.

At times you may find it beneficial to reinforce a point of instruction with a real-life, modern-day experience. When doing this, however, be careful to use only experiences that have been verified and to avoid those that would unnecessarily embarrass anyone in your audience or that would draw attention to a controversial subject that is not at issue. Remember, too, that the experience should serve a purpose. Do not relate needless details that tend to divert attention from the objective of your presentation.

Will It Be Understood? Whatever illustration or example you use, it ought to accomplish some definite objective. Will it do that if you do not make application of it to the subject under discussion?

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.

Developing the ability to use illustrations and examples effectively takes time, but the effort is well worth it. Well-chosen illustrations couple intellectual appeal with emotional impact. The result is that the message is conveyed with a force that is not often possible with simple statements of fact.

IT IS important, of course, that whatever illustrations you use fit the material you are discussing. For them to be most effective, however, it is equally important that they fit your audience.

How might the type of audience influence your selection of illustrations for speaking to a group? 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?

Whereas Jesus directed attention to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” the apostle Paul was sent not only to Israel but also to the Gentile nations. (Matt. 15:24; Acts 9:15) Did this make a difference in the way Paul spoke? Yes. When writing to Christians in Corinth, he referred to foot races, mentioned the practice of eating meals in idol temples, and alluded to the triumphal processions, things with which those Gentiles would be acquainted.​—1 Cor. 8:1-10; 9:24, 25; 2 Cor. 2:14-16.

Are you as careful as Jesus and Paul were in selecting illustrations and examples to use in your teaching? Do you consider the background and the daily activity of your listeners? Of course, there have been changes in the world since the first century. Many people have access to world news by means of television. Situations in foreign lands are often familiar to them. Where that is the case, it certainly is not amiss to draw on such news items for illustrations. Nevertheless, the things that touch people most deeply usually involve their personal lives​—their home, their family, their work, the food they eat, the weather in their area.

If your illustration requires a lot of explanation, you may be talking about something that is not familiar to your audience. Such an illustration can easily overshadow the point of the instruction. As a result, the audience may remember your illustration but not the Scriptural truth that you were endeavoring to convey.

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!