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Article by Rev.Dr.I.J.W.Oakley, first
published in Irish Baptist magazine, Jan. 1987
While preaching on one occasion to a vast congregation
George Whitefield was depicting a blind man with his dog approaching the edge of
a precipice. Each step took him
nearer and nearer to the fatal edge from which he would immediately hurtle to
his death below. So graphic was the description and so acute the tension among
the hearers that suddenly Lord Chesterfield sprang up and exclaimed “Good God!
He’s gone!” “No, my lord,” replied Whitefield “he is not quite gone;
let us hope that he may yet be saved.” So Whitefield with his typical genius
made crystal clear the point that human reason and worldly wisdom lead the soul
downward to its destruction but faith in Christ brings deliverance and leads men
heavenwards.
While regrettably very few
preachers have Whitefield’s remarkable gifts of imagination and vivid
description, surely all should confess that the art of illustration is something
which they can never afford to ignore. Indeed, says Sangster, “… with our
Lord’s example before his eyes only a combination of vanity and blasphemy
could convince a man that the matter was beneath his notice.”
The Scriptures themselves abound
in pictures and metaphors which light up the eternal truths which they teach. In
the Old Testament they are constantly found, especially in the psalms and the
prophets. In the New Testament epistles there are examples taken from the
natural world, characters and institutions of the older covenant, the Greek
games, parts of the human body, soldiering and a Roman triumphal procession. But
it is particularly in our Lord’s own teaching that imagery and illustration
abound. Scenes from the home, the family, the weather, agriculture, current
public discussions and business practice meet the reader on every page. The
parables of Jesus are repeatedly based on domestic or everyday incidents with
which his hearers would have been thoroughly familiar. No wonder “the common
people heard him gladly” and others affirmed “No one ever spoke the way this
man does”.
Down through church history,
from the patristic period through Reformation times to the present day,
preachers have consistently recognized the value of metaphors, pictures and
stories to enrich their ministry and to enhance their power in presenting the
truth to the minds of men. Some of the finest examples of superbly illustrated
sermons are those preached by Spurgeon and it might be mentioned in passing that
among the rich diversity of his illustrations are numerous stories about
Irishmen!
If abstract truth is to make an
impression on the average mind it must be transformed into concrete terms. To
dismiss illustrations as undignified and puerile is the mark of the intellectual
snob who most likely spends more time speaking himself than listening to others.
Furthermore, it is simply not true that the fewer the illustrations, the deeper
the thought – as the sermons of the great masters of the pulpit readily
testify. While a few men never mastered the art of illustration, the
effectiveness of the vast majority was due in no small measure to their skill in
painting pictures and describing incidents for their hearers.
This matter is particularly
urgent because of the age in which we live. Nowadays we increasingly realize
that the truth is more readily understood if it enters through the eye gate as
well as ear gate. The Arab proverb proclaims, “He is the best speaker who can
turn the ear into an eye.”
In their turn, members of the congregation are usually
quick to appreciate the preacher who shows himself sensitive to their
limitations by making his teaching as clear as possible. As long as he does not
do so in a superior or condescending way, the preacher who accommodates himself
to the capacity of his hearers and so shows his concern for their spiritual
perception, will be warmly welcomed.
The most obvious function of illustrations is to throw
light on the doctrine or duty which is being taught and especially to make a
difficult concept clear and vivid to the mind. Illustrations bring the unseen
and eternal within the comprehension of the ordinary man and woman, and set
forth spiritual truth in the language of the senses. They relate ideas to human
experience, demonstrate the practical difference which the truth should make in
daily living, stimulate the reasoning faculty and arouse the feelings. As a
result, the unfamiliar is pictured in plain terms, the abstruse becomes
meaningful and the vague general statement is transformed into something precise
and practical. And once the truth is firmly grasped, its challenge cannot be so
easily side stepped – unlike the abstract concept whose very obscurity is an
invitation to ignore it. Weakness in illustration is one of the principal
reasons why preachers fail to earth their sermons and relate them to every day
living. An old writer spoke of reasons as the pillars of the fabric of the
sermon, while similitudes were windows which let in the light. And it takes
little imagination to realize that a building without windows resembles a prison
rather than a house.
The sermon with telling and
appropriate illustrations will not only gain in intelligibility but it will also
become more interesting to the hearers. Practical examples help to banish the
dullness which undermines the impact of so many sermons, and also enable the
preacher to restate in an arresting way familiar truths which are frequently
greeted with a yawn.
Again, illustrations help to
ease a congregation. It must be remembered that people can normally follow
consecutive thinking and sustained argument for only a limited period, and then
their attention will wander. If concentration is to be maintained to the end
they need to take occasionally a mental rest or – changing the picture – to
take another breath in preparation for the next point in the preacher’s
argument.
However much it may wound the
preacher’s vanity, he ought to face the undoubted fact that many people forget
his doctrinal teaching more quickly than he likes to think. But the
illustration, on the other hand, normally remains in the mind when all else has
disappeared. If, in recollecting the illustration, people also remember the
point it was designed to make, that picture or story will not have been in vain.
But it is not only the main part
of the sermon which is served by illustrations as they make the truth clear,
rivet the attention and recall wandering thoughts and distracted minds to the
matter in hand. They can also play an important part at the beginning and end of
the sermon. Some congregations cannot take solid instruction immediately and an
introductory illustrative story helps to prepare them for what is to follow. And
a concluding illustration can summarize the message of a sermon and drive it
home like a nail.
Finally, the educational value of illustrations deserves to be recognized. Biblical allusions confer no small blessing on a congregation. In days when a knowledge of the Scriptures is rapidly declining, accounts of Biblical incidents will fill in many a gap and hopefully will whet the appetite for more instruction from the Word. Furthermore, many who know very little about the history of the Christian church and the triumphs of former days will grow in their appreciation of the past as they hear of the examples of saintly lives, the heroic faith of martyrs and missionaries, the examples of great leaders and the achievements of ordinary men and women who were in Christ before them.
Sermon illustrations are of many kinds. They include
similes, metaphors, analogies, parables, historical incidents, current affairs,
biographical details and personal reminiscences. Equally, the sources of sermon
illustrations are many – as the preacher who goes through the world with an
open eye, listening ear and the alert mind, will soon discover.
Some men, unfortunately, place
much value on what has been described as “canned goods” or “the last
refuge of a bankrupt intelligence” – in other words, the book of
illustrations. It was once suggested that these books should be burnt or the
paper sent back to be repulped and put to better use! So many of the stories in
these books date quickly and are so hackneyed and threadbare that the only
interest they give congregations is the variation in detail which different
preachers introduce as they tell the same old story. The best illustrations are
always those which form the harvest of a man’s own reading and observation.
There is nothing like the thrill of personal discovery as he is alive to what is
going on in the world around him. In addition to this, he gains immense
satisfaction in using material he has gathered at first hand.
The Bible must, of course, be
the prime source of illustration for it teems with pictures, characters and life
situations which reveal the ways of God with man, and man’s relationship to
his fellows. Christian literature and biography are another fruitful source of
illustrative material as they set forth the outworking of Christian truth and
ethical principles in daily life. Secular literature frequently holds a
revealing mirror to the human heart and its motives. Books which abound in
metaphor and simile help men trying to improve their own style. For some, the
world of nature and scientific discovery yield many helpful analogies.
Quotations have their place but
since a sermon is not an academic thesis, they ought to be brief, clear and to
the point. It is obviously valuable sometimes to quote a recognized authority
when dealing with a controversial subject, or to pass on the opinion of someone
making the kind of statement which he would not normally be expected to make.
Biblical quotations are always of value for they are unique, containing an
authority and awesomeness which are unrivalled. Quotations from hymns, which are
naturally more familiar to the congregation than poetry, also can be very useful
since they are usually simple and direct, and express Christian experience. The
daily newspaper, with which the congregation is usually well acquainted, when
read with Christian discernment, provides another rich supply of practical
examples. The man who has bothered to discover some things about local history
and events connected with the place where he is preaching will be sure to rouse
the interest and appreciation of the congregation. There is also a place for
mentioning localities visited and people met during the course of travelling or
during holidays, but these incidents need to be handled with great care lest
they are overdone. It is said that there are some churches where they rue the
day they ever sent their man on a holiday to the Holy Land. They have never
heard the last of it for every time he opens his mouth they have to be reminded
of it again!
Finally there is also the place
for the personal reminiscence and experience. But this area also is full of
pitfalls for congregations rapidly and rightly get so weary of hearing about a
preacher’s illustrious ancestors, charming wife, precocious children and
learned friends. And why must the preacher always have to be the hero in every
story that he tells about himself? Does he never lose an argument, and is he
never floored by his opponents? When personal illustrations are used, a man
ought to examine very carefully his motives for including them for they can
easily be a subtle form of self-display. The fewer personal references there
are, the better, and then when they are used they will make a particularly
significant impact. On the other hand, personal testimony to the grace and
sustaining power of God in the adversities of life is immensely valuable when
preaching on such subjects as suffering or bereavement.
In educating his intuition for
sound illustrations, a preacher will discover an abundant supply as he remains
alert during the course of his reading, as he is awake to all that is going on
around him and as he maintains his interest in people. He will not have to go
searching for them because they will be crowding in on him from every quarter.
Or as Sangster’s well known phrase has it, “As one sails through life with a
trawling eye what fine things come into the net.”
But however careful the preacher
may be in noting illustrations, his work will be of little value unless he takes
steps to conserve and organize his discoveries so that they are available when
required. While he may have confidently promised himself that he will remember
an incident, the chances are that he will either forget it entirely or else have
only the vaguest recollection of it after a short while.
One man’s method of noting and arranging his material will differ from another’s. The main thing is that the arrangement should be simple, clear and accessible. Some compile a preacher’s index containing information about the illustrative material at the back of each of their books. A commonplace-book is then used for facts gathered during travel and pastoral work. Envelopes, each labelled by a key word, can be used for newspaper cuttings and reports. All the information from these different sources is then transferred to a master index. The subjects listed at the back of a Chain Reference Bible can provide a convenient foundation for this index. Other preachers arrange their material with the aid of a series of loose-leaf notebooks, with each page representing a subject, or else they use a card index system. Each preacher must find the system which serves him best but always seek to avoid the extremes of disorganization and an overly complicated system.
But vital as illustrations are, they ought not to be
accorded a place in the sermon to which they are not entitled. They are there to
serve the message and not to rule it; they are a means to an end and not an end
in themselves. However vivid they may be, if they are not strictly relevant and
do not make a real contribution to the message they ought to be rigorously
excluded. It is utterly wrong to drag them in needlessly or use them to fill in
time, to show off the preacher’s cleverness, to entertain a congregation or to
call attention to themselves. “I have seen” says J.H.Jowett,
“illustrations that were like pretty drawing room lamps calling attention to
themselves. A real preacher’s illustrations are like street lamps, scarcely
noticed, but throwing a flood of light upon the road.”
It is easy for illustrations to
get out of hand and a sermon which is merely a string of anecdotes with the
barest minimum of teaching is scarcely worthy of the name. Particularly
reprehensible is the practice of collecting a number of illustrations and
building a sermon around them. Said one preacher, “I’ve got three dandy
illustrations and I’m looking for a good text!” James Black who tells the
story aptly comments, “That, of course, is the last ditch. Many of us would
like to die before we reach it!”
If it is a mistake to omit
entirely illustrations, it is equally a mistake to overload a sermon with them
even if it does contain solid matter as well. The house requires a window here
and there but it should not be transformed into a Crystal Palace. A happy medium
needs to be achieved here as everywhere else.
Illustrations should throw light
on one thing only otherwise the congregation will quickly become confused. They
ought to contain material which is familiar to the people, and if they ever need
to be explained at all they are clearly quite useless. Such a situation prompts
the story of the lady who said she understood Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress
and was hoping in due time to understand the explanatory notes as well! Another
danger to avoid is, of course, the mixed metaphor. Some of these at times make
it difficult indeed for the congregation to keep straight faces. But hopefully
the following famous example was apocryphal – “I smell a rat; I saw it
floating in the air; I’ll nip it in the bud.”
The illustration should be
recounted briefly and contain only those relevant points which lead directly to
the punch line. It deserves also to be handled with delicacy and sensitivity. A
very frank illustration which might be especially relevant for a student
audience could be unnecessarily embarrassing to a very mixed congregation on a
Sunday morning. Accuracy and honesty are also required in the telling of
illustrations. When preachers are too lazy to check up their facts or never
bother to consult the experts over matters of which they are not sure, they will
frequently be guilty of many inaccuracies, which will only irritate some members
of the congregation. Not everybody in the congregation will receive with
equanimity the news that Henry VIII reigned in the 18th Century or
that New York is the capital of the United States. Furthermore, it is quite
extraordinary how often preachers foist the same story on to Martin Luther, John
Wesley and C.H.Spurgeon. And once the preacher ventures into the realms of
science or medicine he needs to be doubly sure he knows what he is talking
about. If he is discovered to be inaccurate in his illustrations, the
knowledgeable members of the congregation will naturally begin to wonder whether
he can be relied on when he is dealing with the spiritual message which he
wishes to impart.
Again it is quite inexcusable for a preacher to attribute to himself something which has happened to someone else. There is simply a straightforward question of truthfulness at stake here, and once a man is found out he will never readily be trusted again. If a man can lie to make a point will he also lie to make a convert? And if he feels it necessary to invent a story let him begin with “Let us suppose” and not suggest that it is a historical fact. Since it is ultimately the preacher himself who is the most impressive illustration of all, the sooner a man who transgresses against the demands of common honesty gets out of the pulpit, the better.
Spurgeon gives some very helpful advice to encourage
preachers in the art of illustrating their messages. He suggests that the
preacher should close the door of his study with the determination that he will
not leave it until he has worked out at least half a dozen illustrations.
Alternatively he can walk through the fields, work in the garden, look into a
shop window, listen to a conversation or visit the sick in order to find as many
illustrations as he can. He ought to resolve, “God helping me, I will teach
the people by parables, by similes, by illustrations, by anything that will be
helpful to them; and I will seek to be a thoroughly interesting preacher of the
Word.”
Another piece of very practical advice Spurgeon has for preachers is that they should teach a Sunday school class if they would learn to hold people’s attention by the art of illustration. He remembered from his own experience a particular boy who used to say “This is very dull teacher; can’t you pitch us a yarn?” And then comes his application, “I dare say that some of our hearers, if they were allowed to speak out during the sermon, would ask us to pitch them a yarn, that is, to give them something to interest them.” And finally in noting the extensive use made by Puritan preachers of the common place-book, he urges his hearers to do likewise, “or else I am afraid you will get to be very commonplace yourselves”.
