1. Xwɛ̀ nì mu Jĩ́ìn xwéɖé-dùɔ̀ mɛ dèɛ̀ nyuùn wɛ̃́?

 JAMES, the brother of Jesus, was raised in a spiritually strong family. * His parents, Joseph and Mary, loved Jehovah very much and did their best to serve Him. James had an added blessing​—his older brother would grow up to be the promised Messiah. What a fine privilege James had to be part of that family!

2. Ðɛ́ mɔ̀ xwíníín ɓè ɓɛ́ Jĩ́ìn ɓéɖé ma ɓó ɔ ɖíí-gàà vɛ̀nɛ̀ɔ̀ gbo gmɔ̀ìn jè kɛ́?

² James had many reasons to look up to his older brother. (Matt. 13:55) For example, Jesus knew the Scriptures so well that by the age of 12, he amazed the well-educated elders in Jerusalem. (Luke 2:46, 47) James may have worked in the carpentry trade with Jesus. In that case, he would have come to know his brother very well. Nathan H. Knorr often said, “You learn a lot about a person when you work with him.” * James could also not help but notice how “Jesus went on progressing in wisdom and in physical growth and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52) So we might assume that James would have been among the first to become a disciple of Jesus. But that is not what happened.

3. Ti Jízɛ̀ dè ma ɔ Geɖepɔɔ-wùɖù-wáɖá-kũ̀àɔ̀ gbɔɛɛ, ɖɛ́ Jĩ́ìn cɛ̃ ma kɛ́?

³ During Jesus’ ministry on earth, James did not become  one of his disciples. (John 7:3-5) In fact, James may have been one of the relatives who thought that Jesus had “gone out of his mind.” (Mark 3:21) And there is no indication that James was with their mother, Mary, when Jesus was put to death on the torture stake.​—John 19:25-27.

4. Ðɛ́ mɔ̀ cɛ̃́ɛ́-ɖɛ̀ ɓè à mu cɛ̃́ìn nyɛ́?

⁴ Later, James put faith in Jesus and became a respected member of the Christian congregation. In this article, we will consider two lessons that we can learn from James: (1) why we must remain humble and (2) how we can be effective teachers.

5. Ti Jízɛ̀ ɖà ma gĩɔ wóɖó ké ɔ wóɖóìn ma Jĩ́ìn dyíɛɛ, ɖɛ́ Jĩ́ìn cɛ̃ ma kɛ́?

⁵ When did James become a loyal follower of Jesus? After Jesus was raised from the dead, “he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” (1 Cor. 15:7) That meeting with Jesus marked a turning point in James’ life. He was present when the apostles awaited the promised holy spirit in an upper room in Jerusalem. (Acts 1:13, 14) Later, James had the joy of serving as a member of the first-century governing body. (Acts 15:6, 13-22; Gal. 2:9) And sometime before 62 C.E., he was inspired to write a letter to anointed Christians. That letter is of benefit to us today, whether our hope is heavenly or earthly. (Jas. 1:1) According to the first-century historian Josephus, James was executed at the order of the Jewish High Priest Ananias the Younger. James remained faithful to Jehovah until he finished his earthly course.

6. Xwɛ̀ Jĩ́ìn nyu ma kòɛ̀ ɓó ɓiè-kpò nàìn-nyɔ̀ ɓè nì ma ɔ nììn tiín nyɛɛ gboɛ́?

⁶ James was humble. Why can we say that? Consider the contrast between the way James eventually responded to Jesus and the way that many of the religious leaders reacted. When James was confronted by irrefutable evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, he humbly accepted it. That was not the case with the chief priests in Jerusalem. For example, they could not deny that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. Instead of  acknowledging that Jesus was Jehovah’s representative, they endeavored to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. (John 11:53; 12:9-11) Later when Jesus himself was resurrected from the dead, they conspired to hide that fact from the people. (Matt. 28:11-15) The pride of those religious leaders caused them to reject the Messiah.

7. Xwíníínɔ̀ nyɛ́ kɔ̃̀ jè à mɛ ɓàɖàìn nyɔ-mìɔùn-dyí-ɓúàìn-ɓúàìn dyíɛ́?

⁷ The lesson: Avoid pride, and remain teachable. Just as disease can harden the arteries of a literal heart and restrict its ability to beat, pride can harden our figurative heart and prevent us from responding to Jehovah’s direction. The Pharisees allowed their heart to become so hard that they refused to recognize the clear evidence being presented to them by God’s spirit. (John 12:37-40) That was a dangerous course because it affected their everlasting future. (Matt. 23:13, 33) How important it is that we continue to allow God’s Word and spirit to mold our personality and influence our thinking and our decisions! (Jas. 3:17) Because James was humble, he allowed himself to be taught by Jehovah. And, as we will see, it was because of his humility that he became a skillful teacher.

8. Ðɛ́ mu à gbo kpáùn ɓɛ́ à ké ɖɛ-tɛ̀mɛ̀ìn-nyɔ̀ nɔ̀mɔ̀ dyíin ɓè jù kɛ́?

⁸ James did not have an impressive secular education. The religious leaders of his day no doubt viewed him in the same way they viewed the apostles Peter and John​—as “uneducated and ordinary.” (Acts 4:13) But James learned to be an effective teacher, as is evident when we read the book that bears his name. Like James, we may have limited secular education. Even so, with the help of Jehovah’s spirit and practical training from his organization, we too can become good teachers. Let us consider the example James set as a teacher and see what lessons we can learn.

9. Xwɛ̀ nì mu Jĩ́ìnɛ̀ nyɔ-ɖɛ-tɛ̀mɛ̀ìn-tɛ̀mɛ̀ìnɔ̀ mɛ dèɛ̀ nyuùn wɛ̃́?

 ⁹ James did not use big words or complicated reasoning. As a result, his audience knew what they needed to do and how to do it. Consider, for example, the simple way James taught that Christians must be willing to suffer injustice without becoming resentful. He wrote: “We consider happy those who have endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome Jehovah gave, that Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful.” (Jas. 5:11) Note that James relied on the Scriptures as his authority. He used God’s Word to help his audience to see that Jehovah always rewards those who, like Job, are loyal to Him. James got his point across by using simple words and logic. In that way, he drew attention, not to himself, but to Jehovah.

10. Ðɛ́ mɔ̀ hwìè ɖò kɔ̃̀ mú à ɓɛ́ìn Jĩ́ìn nyɔ-ɖɛ-tɛ̀mɛ̀ìn-tɛ̀mɛ̀ìnɔ̀ kíɖíí síɛ kɛ́?

¹⁰ The lesson: Keep your message simple, and teach from God’s Word. Our goal should be, not to impress others with how much we know, but to impress them with how much Jehovah knows and how much he cares about them. (Rom. 11:33) We can reach that goal by always basing what we say on the Scriptures. For example, rather than tell our Bible students what we would do in their place, we should help them to reason on Bible examples and to perceive Jehovah’s thinking and feelings. Then they will be motivated by a desire to please Jehovah, not us.

11. Ðɛ́ mɔ̀ dyí-gbò-ɖɛ̀ ɓè ɓɛ́ Kɛ́ɖɛ́ì ɖeín-sí-nyɔ̀ ɖíɛ́ ɓè nì ma dyí dyéɛń ɖé Jĩ́ìn nììn tiín nyɛ́, ké ɖɛ́ mɔ̀ náún-po-wùɖù ɔ nyí ma wa kɛ́? (Jĩ́ìn 5:13-15)

¹¹ James was realistic. From his letter, it is obvious that James was aware of the challenges his fellow believers were struggling with, and he gave them clear direction on how to overcome these. For example, some Christians were slow to apply counsel. (Jas. 1:22) Others showed partiality toward the rich. (Jas. 2:1-3) Still others had a hard time controlling their tongue. (Jas. 3:8-10) Those Christians had serious problems, but James did not give up on them. He presented his counsel in a kind but straightforward way and encouraged those who were struggling spiritually to seek additional help from the elders.​—Read James 5:13-15.

12. Xwɛ̀ à ɓɛ́ìn hwòɖò wáɖáá ɓéɖéɛ ɔ jù ké à dyi à Baɓo-cɛ̃́-nyɔ̀ ɓèɔ̀ gbo kpáa níìn nyɛ́?

¹² The lesson: Be realistic, but keep a positive view of others. Many with whom we study the Bible may struggle to apply its counsel. (Jas. 4:1-4) It may take them some time to root out bad traits and replace them with Christlike qualities. In imitation of James, we must have the courage to tell our students where they need to improve. We also need to remain positive, trusting that Jehovah will draw humble people to him and will give them the strength to make changes in their life.​—Jas. 4:10.

13. Kà ɔ céèà ɖé Jĩ́ìn 3:2 múɛɛ, ɖɛ́ Jĩ́ìn dè ma dyéɖé gboɛ́?

¹³ James kept the right view of himself. James did not feel that his family background or his privileged assignments made him special or placed him above his brothers and sisters. He referred to his fellow worshippers as “my beloved brothers.” (Jas. 1:16, 19; 2:5) He did not give the impression that he was  perfect. Rather, he included himself in the statement: “We all make mistakes many times.”​—Read James 3:2 and footnote.

14. Xwíníínɔ̀ nyɛ́ kɔ̃̀ jè à mɛ wɔ̃́à ɓɛ́ à kéà à ɖɛ-xwa-bĩ-bĩ ɓèɔ̀ mú wɔ̃́ìn nyɛ́?

¹⁴ The lesson: Remember that we are all sinners. We must not think that we are somehow superior to those whom we teach. Why not? If we give our student the impression that we are flawless, he may conclude that he could never measure up to God’s requirements. But when we honestly admit that it has not always been easy for us to follow Scriptural principles and we explain how Jehovah has helped us to overcome our challenges, we will help our student to see that he too can serve Jehovah.

15. Xwɛ̀ nì mu ɖɛ ɖɛ-dyí-poìn-poìn ɓè ɓɛ́ Jĩ́ìn nyùìn ma kà kũ̀à múɛɛ mɛ dèɛ̀ nyuùn wɛ̃́? (Jĩ́ìn 3:2-6, 10-12)

¹⁵ James used illustrations that reached the heart. No doubt he was helped by holy spirit, but he likely also learned a great deal about how to teach by studying the illustrations that his older brother, Jesus, had used. The illustrations James used in his letter are simple, and the application is clear.​—Read James 3:2-6, 10-12.

16. Xwɛ̀ à mɛ nyùìn ɖɛ ɖɛ-dyí-poìn-poìn nɔ̀mɔ̀ dyíin ɓè kũ̀à múɛ́?

¹⁶ The lesson: Use effective illustrations. When you use appropriate illustrations, you turn ears into eyes. You paint pictures in the minds of people. These pictures help your audience to remember key Bible truths. Jesus was a master at using effective illustrations, and his brother James followed his example. Let us examine one of James’ illustrations and consider why it is so effective.

17. Xwíníínɔ̀ nyɛ́ kɔ̃̀ jè ɖɛ ɖɛ-dyí-poìn-poìn nìà Jĩ́ìn 1:22-25 múɛɛ nɔ̀mɔ̀à dyíin nyɛ́?

¹⁷ Read James 1:22-25. James’ illustration of the mirror is effective for a number of reasons. He had a specific point in mind, namely, that to benefit from God’s Word, we must do more than read it; we must act on what we read. James chose an illustration that his audience could quickly relate to​—a man looking in a mirror. His point? It would be foolish if a man were to look in a mirror,  see a flaw he can correct, and do nothing about it. Similarly, it would be foolish if we were to read God’s Word, see something that we need to change about our personality, and do nothing about it.

18. Ðɛ́ mɔ̀ ɖɛ tã ɓè ɓɛ́ à mɛ nyu ɔ jù ké à dyi ɖɛ ɖɛ-dyí-poìn-poìn kũ̀à mú nyuɛ̀n nììn nyɛ́?

¹⁸ When using an illustration, you can imitate James’ example by doing three things: (1) Make sure that the illustration is appropriate to the point you are discussing. (2) Use an illustration that your audience can easily relate to. (3) Make the application of the illustration clear. If you find it difficult to think of appropriate illustrations, consult the Watch Tower Publications Index. Under the heading “Illustrations,” you will find dozens of examples that you can use. Remember, though, that illustrations are like a microphone​—they will amplify the point you are making. So be sure to illustrate only the key points that you want to teach. Of course, our ultimate reason for wanting to improve our teaching skills is, not to draw attention to ourselves, but to help as many as possible to be part of Jehovah’s happy family.

19. Xwɛ̀ à nyuɛ tɛ̀mɛ̀ìn kà à kpáìn à zùùn-xwèɖè-dùɔ̀ múàùn dyiɛ́?

¹⁹ We have not had the privilege of growing up with a perfect older brother, but we have had the honor of serving Jehovah along with a large family of Christian brothers and sisters. We show our love for them by associating with them, by learning from them, and by loyally serving side by side with them in the preaching and teaching work. When we strive to imitate James’ example in our attitude, conduct, and method of teaching, we bring honor to Jehovah and we help honesthearted people to draw close to our loving heavenly Father.