The Watchtower — Simplified Edition · August 15, 2011

Table of Contents

August 15, 2011

Simplified English Edition

STUDY ARTICLES:

September 26, 2011–October 2, 2011 • PAGE 3

They Waited for the Messiah

SONGS TO BE USED: 116, 30

October 3-9, 2011 • PAGE 9

They Found the Messiah!

SONGS TO BE USED: 109, 5

October 10-16, 2011 • PAGE 15

Jehovah Is “the God Who Gives Peace”

SONGS TO BE USED: 39, 76

October 17-23, 2011 • PAGE 21

Make Efforts to Keep Peace

SONGS TO BE USED: 53, 73

Purpose of Study Articles

STUDY ARTICLES 1, 2 PAGES 3-14

There are many prophecies about the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures. Our study of some of these prophecies will help us to know who the Messiah is. These articles will also help us in our preaching work. And they will make our faith in Bible prophecies even stronger.

STUDY ARTICLES 3, 4 PAGES 15-26

As Jehovah’s Witnesses, we are the only people on earth who have true peace. This peace makes us united, and we should always value it. The first article talks about examples in the Bible that show us how important it is to keep peace with others. The second article shows us how we can keep peace in the congregation.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

27 Questions From Readers

28 Some Ideas for Family Worship and Personal Study

30 Use the Internet in a Wise Way

They Waited for the Messiah

1. What exciting news did the angel tell the shepherds?

IT IS nighttime, and some shepherds are in the fields, caring for their sheep. Suddenly Jehovah’s angel stands next to them, and a bright light shines all around them! They are afraid, but they listen to the exciting news that the angel tells them: “Have no fear, for, look! I am declaring to you good news of a great joy that all the people will have, because there was born to you today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The baby that the angel is talking about is the one who will be the Christ, or Messiah. The angel tells the shepherds that they can find this baby in a manger in a nearby town. Then suddenly many angels appear. They praise Jehovah: “Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men of goodwill.”​—Luke 2:8-14.

2. What does “Messiah” mean? How could people know who the Messiah really was?

² The Jewish shepherds know that the Messiah, or “Christ,” is God’s Anointed One. (Exodus 29:5-7) But how could these shepherds and others learn more and know that Jehovah had chosen this baby to be the Messiah? First, they needed to study the prophecies in the Scriptures about the Messiah, and then they needed to see if these prophecies came true during the life of this child.

WHY WERE PEOPLE WAITING FOR THE MESSIAH?

3, 4. How did the prophecy at Daniel 9:24, 25 come true?

³ Many years later, John the Baptist started his preaching work. Because of what he said and did, some people began to think that maybe he was the Messiah. (Read Luke 3:15.) But in the Bible, there is a prophecy that talks about 70 weeks, and it helped people to know when the Messiah would appear. The prophecy says: “There are seventy weeks that have been determined upon your people . . . From the going forth of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Leader, there will be seven weeks, also sixty-two weeks.” (Daniel 9:24, 25) Bible experts agree that these are not weeks of days but weeks of years. So each of these weeks is seven years long. The Revised Standard Version Bible says at Daniel 9:24: “Seventy weeks of years are decreed.”

⁴ Today, Jehovah’s people understand that the 69 weeks of Daniel 9:25 are equal to 483 years and that they began in the year 455 before Christ. This was when King Artaxerxes of Persia told Nehemiah to repair and rebuild Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 2:1-8) Those 483 years ended in the year 29 when Jesus was baptized. At that time, Jehovah anointed him with holy spirit and he became the Messiah.​—Matthew 3:13-17.a​—See footnote.

5. What prophecies are we going to learn about?

⁵ In the Bible, there are many other prophecies about the Messiah. We will learn about some of them in this article. They are prophecies about his birth, his life as a child and as an adult, and his ministry. We will learn about how these prophecies came true during the life of Jesus. This will make our faith in the Bible stronger and also prove that Jesus was the Messiah whom people were waiting for.

PROPHECIES ABOUT HIS EARLY LIFE

6. How did the prophecy at Genesis 49:10 come true?

⁶ The Messiah would be from the tribe of Judah in Israel. Just before Jacob died, he blessed his sons, and to Judah he said: “The scepter will not turn aside from Judah, neither the commander’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him the obedience of the peoples will belong.” (Genesis 49:10) Jewish teachers always believed that Jacob’s words to Judah were about the Messiah. But what do Jacob’s words mean? We know that he is talking about a king because the scepter and commander’s staff were rods carried by a king to show that he had the right to rule and to give commands. So this prophecy shows that the king, the one with the right to rule, had to come from the tribe of Judah. The first king from Judah was King David, and Zedekiah was the last king from Judah on earth. But Jacob’s prophecy talked about another king after Zedekiah. That king would be king forever. He is called Shiloh, which means he is “the one to whom it belongs.” God told Zedekiah that this king is the one who has the legal right. (Ezekiel 21:26, 27) Before Jesus was born, the angel Gabriel told Mary: “Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.” (Luke 1:32, 33) Jesus was from the tribe of Judah and from the family of David. And after Zedekiah, Jesus was the only person in the family of David to whom Jehovah promised the right to be king. So Shiloh must be Jesus Christ.​—Matthew 1:1-3, 6; Luke 3:23, 31-34.

7. How did the prophecy about the birth of the Messiah come true?

⁷ The Messiah would be born in a place called Bethlehem. The prophet Micah wrote: “You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, the one too little to get to be among the thousands of Judah, from you there will come out to me the one who is to become ruler in Israel, whose origin is from early times, from the days of time indefinite.” (Micah 5:2) The prophecy tells us that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. This was a town in Judah that was once called Ephrathah. But Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her husband, Joseph, lived in a different town called Nazareth. When it was close to the time for Jesus to be born, the ruler of Rome told people to return to the city where their father was born to register their names. So Mary and Joseph went back to Bethlehem, where Mary gave birth to Jesus. (Matthew 2:1, 5, 6) So the birth of Jesus happened exactly as the prophecy said!

8, 9. What does the prophecy say about the birth of the Messiah? What would happen after the Messiah was born?

⁸ A virgin, or maiden, would give birth to the Messiah. (Read Isaiah 7:14.) This verse says that the maiden would give birth to a son. The word for virgin in Hebrew is bethulah. This verse uses almah, a word that means “maiden.” But we know that almah also means “virgin” because the Bible calls Rebekah a maiden (almah) before her marriage. (Genesis 24:16, 43) God’s holy spirit directed Matthew to write that Isaiah 7:14 came true when Jesus was born. In this verse, he did not use the Greek word for “maiden.” He used the Greek word for “virgin,” parthenos. The Gospel writers Matthew and Luke both say that Mary was a virgin and that she became pregnant through God’s holy spirit.​—Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35.

⁹ After the Messiah was born, children would be murdered. This is similar to what happened hundreds of years before the Messiah was born. Pharaoh of Egypt ordered the people to throw all the Hebrew baby boys into the Nile River. (Exodus 1:22) A prophecy at Jeremiah 31:15, 16 talks about “Rachel weeping over her sons” because enemies took them away. People heard the sound of her crying far away in Ramah, which was in Benjamin, north of Jerusalem. Matthew tells us that this prophecy came true when King Herod ordered the murder of all the baby boys in Bethlehem. (Read Matthew 2:16-18.) Imagine the grief that the people felt!

10. How did the prophecy at Hosea 11:1 come true?

¹⁰ The Messiah would be brought out of Egypt. (Hosea 11:1) To save Jesus from King Herod, an angel told Joseph and Mary to leave Israel and take Jesus to Egypt. They stayed there until Herod died. After Herod died, Joseph brought Jesus back to Israel. What Jehovah said to Hosea came true: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Matthew 2:13-15) Of course, it was impossible for Jesus to control the things that happened at his birth and in his early life.

THE MESSIAH BEGINS HIS MINISTRY!

11. Who prepared the way for the Messiah?

¹¹ A messenger would prepare the way for the Messiah. Malachi said that someone would come before the Messiah to prepare the way for him. He would help people to be ready to accept the Messiah when he appeared. Malachi calls him Elijah the prophet. (Read Malachi 4:5, 6.) Jesus said that John the Baptist was the one who was like Elijah. (Matthew 11:12-14) Mark said that John prepared the way. This is exactly what Isaiah had prophesied. (Isaiah 40:3; Mark 1:1-4) Jesus did not tell John to prepare the way for him. God wanted people to know who the Messiah was. So it was God who chose John to do a work that was like the work of Elijah and prepare the people to welcome the Messiah.

12. What special work did God give the Messiah to do?

¹² God would give the Messiah a special work to do. One day Jesus was in the synagogue in Nazareth, the town where he grew up. Jesus opened a scroll and read the words of Isaiah. This is what he read: “Jehovah’s spirit is upon me, because he anointed me to declare good news to the poor, he sent me forth to preach a release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind, to send the crushed ones away with a release, to preach Jehovah’s acceptable year.” Jesus said that this prophecy was about him. He really was the Messiah. That is why Jesus had the right to say: “Today this scripture that you just heard is fulfilled.”​—Luke 4:16-21.

13. What did Isaiah say about Jesus’ ministry in Galilee?

¹³ One prophecy tells us about the Messiah’s ministry in Galilee. Isaiah prophesied about “Zebulun” and “Naphtali” and “Galilee of the nations.” He wrote: “The people that were walking in the darkness have seen a great light. As for those dwelling in the land of deep shadow, light itself has shone upon them.” (Isaiah 9:1, 2) Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, in the town called Capernaum. He also taught in the areas of Zebulun and Naphtali. Jesus helped the people in these places by teaching them truths that shone like a great light. (Matthew 4:12-16) It was in Galilee that Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount, chose his apostles, and performed his first miracle. It was also here in Galilee that Jesus appeared to more than 500 disciples after his resurrection. (Matthew 5:1–7:27; 28:16-20; Mark 3:13, 14; John 2:8-11; 1 Corinthians 15:6) So Isaiah’s prophecy came true when Jesus preached in “the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.” Jesus also preached the good news about the Kingdom in other places in Israel.

MORE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE MESSIAH

14. How did Psalm 78:2 come true?

¹⁴ The Messiah would use stories and illustrations to teach people. In one of the psalms, Asaph sang: “In a proverbial saying I will open my mouth.” (Psalm 78:2) Matthew tells us about how this prophecy came true. Jesus always used illustrations, or examples, to teach. Matthew wrote about the time when Jesus used a mustard seed and yeast as illustrations to teach people about the Kingdom of God. He wrote: “Without an illustration he would not speak to them; that there might be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet who said: ‘I will open my mouth with illustrations, I will publish things hidden since the founding.’” (Matthew 13:31-35) The stories and illustrations that Jesus used helped many people to understand the truth about Jehovah.

15. How did the prophecy at Isaiah 53:4 come true?

¹⁵ The Messiah would heal people. Isaiah prophesied: “Truly our sicknesses were what he himself carried; and as for our pains, he bore them.” (Isaiah 53:4) When the mother-in-law of Peter was sick, Jesus healed her. After that, many other people came to the house of Peter, and Jesus healed them too. Matthew said that this fulfilled what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He himself took our sicknesses and carried our diseases.” (Matthew 8:14-17) But this was not the only time that Jesus healed people. The Bible talks about many other times when Jesus made people well again.

16. What did the apostle John write that proves that Isaiah 53:1 was about Jesus?

¹⁶ Many people would not believe that Jesus was the Messiah even though he did good things. (Read Isaiah 53:1.) The apostle John said that this prophecy came true. He wrote: “Although he had performed so many signs before them, they were not putting faith in him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled which he said: ‘Jehovah, who has put faith in the thing heard by us? And as for the arm of Jehovah, to whom has it been revealed?’” (John 12:37, 38) Even years later, when the apostle Paul preached the good news, not many people believed that Jesus was the Messiah.​—Romans 10:16, 17.

17. How did the prophecy at Psalm 69:4 come true?

¹⁷ People would hate the Messiah for no reason. (Psalm 69:4) Jesus said: “If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have both seen and hated me as well as my Father. But it is that the word written in their Law may be fulfilled, ‘They hated me without cause.’” (John 15:24, 25) The “Law” mentioned here means all the Scriptures that existed at that time. (John 10:34; 12:34) What we read about Jesus in the Gospels proves that many people hated Jesus, especially the Jewish religious leaders. Also, Jesus said: “The world has no reason to hate you, but it hates me, because I bear witness concerning it that its works are wicked.”​—John 7:7.

18. What will we learn in the next article?

¹⁸ The disciples of Jesus in the first century were sure that Jesus was the Messiah. They knew that Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures about the Messiah. (Matthew 16:16) From this article, we learned that the prophecies about the early life and ministry of Jesus came true. But there are many more prophecies in the Bible that prove who the Messiah is. We will learn about them in the next article. If we think deeply about these prophecies, we will never doubt that Jesus is the one whom Jehovah chose to be the Messiah.

[Footnote]

SOME WORDS EXPLAINED

▪ Illustration: An example that helps us to understand Bible truths

▪ Scroll: A roll of parchment, leather, or papyrus used by Bible writers

▪ Tribe of Judah: A tribe in Israel. Descendants of Judah, the son of Jacob

▪ Anointed: A person chosen by God for a special purpose. Anointed Christians are the 144,000

WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER?

▪ What are some of the prophecies about the birth of Jesus?

▪ Who prepared the way for the Messiah?

▪ How did the prophecies of Isaiah chapter 53 come true?

[Blurb on page 4]

Prophecies about the Messiah’s birth, his life as a child and as an adult, and his ministry came true

[Blurb on page 6]

Jesus could not control what happened at his birth or in his early life

[Blurb on page 7]

Jesus’ disciples were convinced that he was the Messiah

They Found the Messiah!

1. What happened before Andrew made the announcement: “We have found the Messiah”?

JOHN THE BAPTIST is with two of his disciples. As Jesus walks toward them, John says: “See, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples of John the Baptist, Andrew and John, immediately follow Jesus and stay with him the rest of that day. Later, Andrew goes to find his brother, Simon Peter, and makes this very exciting announcement: “We have found the Messiah.” Andrew then takes Peter to see Jesus.​—John 1:35-41.

2. How will our study of the prophecies about the Messiah help us?

² As time passes, Andrew, Peter, and others will carefully study the Scriptures and will say without any doubt that Jesus is the promised Messiah. We will now study some more prophecies in the Bible that prove who the Messiah is. This will help us have stronger faith in the Bible and in the one whom Jehovah chose to be the Messiah.

“LOOK! YOUR KING IS COMING”

3. What prophecies came true when Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king?

³ The Messiah would enter Jerusalem as a king. Zechariah’s prophecy said: “Be very joyful, O daughter of Zion. Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem. Look! Your king himself comes to you. He is righteous, yes, saved; humble, and riding upon an ass, even upon a full-grown animal the son of a she-ass.” (Zechariah 9:9) One Bible writer said: “Blessed be the One coming in the name of Jehovah.” (Psalm 118:26) A large crowd shouted with great joy as Jesus entered Jerusalem. Jesus did not tell the crowd what to do. But they did exactly as the prophecy said. As you read the Bible verses that describe the scene, imagine that you are there and that you can hear the happy voices of the crowd.​—Read Matthew 21:4-9.

4. How did Psalm 118:22, 23 come true?

⁴ Jesus is precious to God, even though many people would not accept him as the Messiah. As the prophecies said, many people hated Jesus and thought that he was of no account, or of no value. These people did not have faith. (Isaiah 53:3; Mark 9:12) But the Bible says: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This has come to be from Jehovah himself.” (Psalm 118:22, 23) Once, Jesus spoke about this prophecy when he was talking to his religious enemies. And Peter said that this prophecy was about Jesus and the congregation. He compared the congregation to a building. A building has one cornerstone, or one main stone, in its foundation. In the same way, Jesus was the main stone in the foundation of the Christian congregation. Men without faith did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, but he is “chosen, precious, with God.”​—1 Peter 2:4-6; Mark 12:10, 11; Acts 4:8-11.

ONE DISCIPLE BETRAYS HIM AND THE OTHERS ABANDON HIM

5, 6. What did the prophecies say about the Messiah’s betrayal? How did they come true?

⁵ Someone who seemed to be the Messiah’s friend would betray him. David prophesied: “The man at peace with me, in whom I trusted, who was eating my bread, has magnified his heel against me.” (Psalm 41:9) In Bible times, it was an act of friendship to eat bread together. (Genesis 31:54) So the prophecy meant that someone who was a friend of the Messiah would do something terrible. He would betray the Messiah! Jesus talked about this person when he said to his apostles: “I am not talking about all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But it is in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, ‘He that used to feed on my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’” (John 13:18) Jesus was talking about Judas Iscariot, who was a follower and a friend of Jesus. When he betrayed Jesus, David’s prophecy came true.

⁶ The one who betrayed the Messiah would betray him for 30 pieces of silver, that is, the price paid for a slave! Matthew said that Judas betrayed Jesus for only 30 pieces of silver and that this fulfilled the prophecy at Zechariah 11:12, 13. But Matthew says that what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled. Why does he say Jeremiah if the prophecy is in the book of Zechariah? In Matthew’s day the book of Jeremiah may have appeared first in a group of books that included Zechariah. Judas did not spend those 30 pieces of silver. He threw the money into the temple and “went off and hanged himself.”​—Matthew 26:14-16; 27:3-10.

7. How did Zechariah 13:7 come true?

⁷ The Messiah’s disciples would leave him. Zechariah wrote: “Strike the shepherd, and let those of the flock be scattered.” (Zechariah 13:7) On Nisan 14 of the year 33, Jesus told his disciples: “All of you will be stumbled in connection with me on this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered about.’” And that is exactly what happened. Matthew said that all the disciples abandoned Jesus and fled.​—Matthew 26:31, 56.

SOME WOULD ACCUSE AND BEAT HIM

8. How did Isaiah 53:8 come true?

⁸ People would take the Messiah to court and condemn him to death. (Read Isaiah 53:8.) On the morning of Nisan 14, all the members of the Sanhedrin Court gathered together. They tied Jesus with ropes and took him to the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate. Pilate questioned Jesus and said that Jesus had done nothing wrong. But when Pilate asked the crowd if they wanted him to free Jesus, the crowd shouted: “Impale him!” They said that they wanted Pilate to free Barabbas, a criminal, instead of Jesus. Because Pilate wanted to please the crowd, he freed Barabbas. Then he ordered his men to beat Jesus with a whip and to hang him on a stake.​—Mark 15:1-15.

9. How did Psalm 35:11 come true in Jesus’ time?

⁹ There would be false witnesses against the Messiah. David wrote: “Violent witnesses rise up; what I have not known they ask me.” (Psalm 35:11) Exactly as the prophecy said, “the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin were looking for false witness against Jesus in order to put him to death.” (Matthew 26:59) The Bible says that many, indeed, were giving false witness against him, but their testimonies were not in agreement. (Mark 14:56) The enemies of Jesus did not care that the witnesses were telling lies about him. They just wanted Jesus dead.

10. How did Isaiah 53:7 come true?

¹⁰ The Messiah would not answer those who accused him. Isaiah prophesied: “He was hard pressed, and he was letting himself be afflicted; yet he would not open his mouth. He was being brought just like a sheep to the slaughtering; and like a ewe that before her shearers has become mute, he also would not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7) While Jesus “was being accused by the chief priests and older men, he made no answer.” Pilate asked: “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” But Jesus “did not answer him, no, not a word, so that the governor wondered very much.” (Matthew 27:12-14) Jesus did not insult his enemies.​—Romans 12:17-21; 1 Peter 2:23.

11. How did Isaiah 50:6 and Micah 5:1 come true?

¹¹ Isaiah prophesied that they would beat the Messiah. Isaiah wrote: “My back I gave to the strikers, and my cheeks to those plucking off the hair. My face I did not conceal from humiliating things and spit.” (Isaiah 50:6) Micah prophesied: “With the rod they will strike upon the cheek the judge of Israel.” (Micah 5:1) Mark showed that these prophecies were about Jesus. Mark wrote: “Some started to spit on him and to cover his whole face and hit him with their fists and say to him: ‘Prophesy!’ And, slapping him in the face, the court attendants took him.” Mark said that soldiers would hit him on the head with a reed and spit upon him, and bending their knees, they would do obeisance to him. (Mark 14:65; 15:19) Of course, there was no reason for those people to treat Jesus that way.

HE WAS LOYAL TO GOD UNTIL DEATH

12. How did Psalm 22:16 come true? How did Isaiah 53:12 come true?

¹² The Messiah would die on a stake. David said: “The assembly of evildoers themselves have enclosed me. Like a lion they are at my hands and my feet.” (Psalm 22:16) As Bible readers know and as Mark tells us in his Gospel, this prophecy came true. Mark wrote that they impaled Jesus about nine o’clock in the morning. They nailed his hands and his feet to a stake. (Mark 15:25) Another prophecy said that the Messiah would die with sinners. Isaiah wrote: “He poured out his soul to the very death, and it was with the transgressors that he was counted in.” (Isaiah 53:12) This came true when “two robbers were impaled with him, one on his right and one on his left.”​—Matthew 27:38.

13. How did Psalm 22:7, 8 come true?

¹³ David prophesied that people would insult the Messiah. (Read Psalm 22:7, 8.) People insulted Jesus while he was suffering on the stake. Matthew tells us: “The passersby began speaking abusively of him, wagging their heads and saying: ‘O you would-be thrower-down of the temple and builder of it in three days, save yourself! If you are a son of God, come down off the torture stake!’” The chief priests, scribes, and older men made fun of him and said: “Others he saved; himself he cannot save! He is King of Israel; let him now come down off the torture stake and we will believe on him. He has put his trust in God; let Him now rescue him if He wants him, for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” (Matthew 27:39-43) Jesus suffered, but he remained calm and never said anything wrong. He is a very good example for us.

14, 15. Some prophecies talked about the Messiah’s clothing and that he would be given vinegar to drink. How did they come true?

¹⁴ They would cast lots to take the Messiah’s clothes. David wrote: “They apportion my garments among themselves, and upon my clothing they cast lots.” (Psalm 22:18) That is exactly what happened. The Bible says that after the Roman soldiers put Jesus on the stake, they distributed his outer garments by casting lots.​—Matthew 27:35; read John 19:23, 24.

¹⁵ They would give the Messiah vinegar and bitter gall to drink. The prophecy says: “But for food they gave me a poisonous plant, and for my thirst they tried to make me drink vinegar.” (Psalm 69:21) We know that this prophecy came true because Matthew tells us: “They gave him wine mixed with gall to drink; but, after tasting it, he refused to drink.” And later, “one of them ran and took a sponge and soaked it with sour wine and put it on a reed and went giving him a drink.”​—Matthew 27:34, 48.

16. How did Psalm 22:1 come true?

¹⁶ It would seem that God had left the Messiah. (Read Psalm 22:1.) Mark tells us that at the ninth hour, Jesus called out with a loud voice: “‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ which means, when translated: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Mark 15:34) When Jesus said that God had left him, he did not say this because he had lost faith in his Father. He knew that God would not protect him from his enemies at the time of his death. This was an opportunity for Jesus to show that he would always be loyal to God. When Jesus said with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” the prophecy at Psalm 22:1 came true.

17. How did Zechariah 12:10 and Psalm 34:20 come true?

¹⁷ Enemies would stab the Messiah. They would not break his bones. Zechariah said that the people of Jerusalem would look to the One whom they pierced through. (Zechariah 12:10) And Psalm 34:20 says that God “is guarding all the bones of that one; not one of them has been broken.” The apostle John said that these prophecies came true. John wrote: “One of the soldiers jabbed his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he that has seen it has borne witness, and his witness is true.” John also wrote: “These things took place in order for the scripture to be fulfilled: ‘Not a bone of his will be crushed.’ And, again, a different scripture says: ‘They will look to the One whom they pierced.’”​—John 19:33-37.

18. The prophecy said that Jesus would be buried among the graves of rich people. How did that prophecy come true?

¹⁸ The Messiah’s burial place would be among the graves of rich people. (Read Isaiah 53:5, 8, 9.) Late in the afternoon of Nisan 14, “a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph,” asked Pilate if he could take Jesus’ body. Joseph wanted to bury him, and Pilate agreed. Matthew tells us: “Joseph took the body, wrapped it up in clean fine linen, and laid it in his new memorial tomb, which he had quarried in the rock-mass. And, after rolling a big stone to the door of the memorial tomb, he left.”​—Matthew 27:57-60.

PRAISE THE MESSIAH, OUR KING!

19. How did the prophecy at Psalm 16:10 come true?

¹⁹ Jehovah would resurrect the Messiah. David wrote: “You will not leave my soul in Sheol,” that is, in the grave. (Psalm 16:10) On Nisan 16, some women came to the tomb where Jesus was buried. Imagine their surprise when they saw an angel sitting inside the tomb! The angel said to the women: “Stop being stunned. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was impaled. He was raised up, he is not here. See! The place where they laid him.” (Mark 16:6) Later, on the day of Pentecost of the year 33, the apostle Peter talked to a large group of people in Jerusalem about David’s prophecy in Psalm 16. He said about David: “He saw beforehand and spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he forsaken in Hades nor did his flesh see corruption.” (Acts 2:29-31) God did not allow the body of his dear Son to decay. And Jehovah did something even more wonderful. He resurrected Jesus to life in heaven!​—1 Peter 3:18.

20. What do the prophecies say about the Messiah’s rule?

²⁰ God would announce that Jesus is his Son. (Read Psalm 2:7; Matthew 3:17.) When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds praised him and his Kingdom. Today, we also praise Jesus. We are happy to tell others about him and his Kingdom. (Mark 11:7-10) Soon, Christ will destroy his enemies when he rides “in the cause of truth and humility and righteousness.” (Psalm 2:8, 9; 45:1-6) Then he will rule over the whole earth. All will live in peace and have what they need. (Psalm 72:1, 3, 12, 16; Isaiah 9:6, 7) Jehovah’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ, already rules as King in heaven. It is a great honor to be Witnesses of Jehovah and to tell others about these truths!

SOME WORDS EXPLAINED

▪ Sanhedrin: The Jewish high court

▪ Cast lots: This was a way to decide a question. Lots, or small pieces of wood or stone, were marked and then thrown on the ground or shaken in a container. A decision was made based on how the lots fell or on which lot was pulled out

WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER?

▪ How did the prophecies about Jesus’ being betrayed and abandoned come true?

▪ How did the prophecies about Jesus’ death come true?

▪ Why are you sure that Jesus is the Messiah?

[Blurb on page 12]

Our study of the prophecies about the Messiah helps us have stronger faith

[Picture on page 9]

What prophecies were fulfilled when Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king?

[Pictures on page 13]

Jesus died for our sins, but now he rules as King

Jehovah Is “the God Who Gives Peace”

1, 2. What situation do we read about in Genesis chapters 32 and 33? What was the result?

IMAGINE this: Two brothers were about to meet. They were going to meet close to Penuel, near the valley of Jabbok on the east side of the Jordan River. The brothers were Esau and Jacob, and they had not seen each other for a long time. Twenty years earlier, Esau had sold his right as firstborn to his brother, Jacob. When Esau heard that Jacob was returning home, he went to meet Jacob with 400 men. When Jacob heard this, he became afraid. He thought that his brother might still be angry with him and want to kill him. So Jacob sent his servants with animals as gifts for Esau. Each time the servants came with more animals, they told Esau that they were gifts from his brother. Jacob sent him more than 550 animals.

² What happened when the brothers finally met? Jacob showed courage and humility. He walked toward Esau and bowed down before his brother seven times! But before this, Jacob had already done the most important thing. He had prayed to Jehovah and asked Jehovah to protect him from Esau. Jehovah answered his prayer. The Bible tells us that Esau went running to meet him, and he began to embrace him and fall upon his neck and kiss him.​—Genesis 32:11-20; 33:1-4.

3. What do we learn from the story of Jacob and Esau?

³ This situation shows us that we should do everything we can to solve problems with others in the congregation. If we do not, the peace and unity of the congregation will be damaged. Jacob had not done anything wrong. He did not have to tell Esau that he was sorry. It was Esau who did not value his right as firstborn and who had sold it to Jacob for just one meal. But Jacob still did everything he could to have peace with him. (Genesis 25:31-34; Hebrews 12:16) Jacob’s example shows how much effort we should make to keep peace with our Christian brothers and sisters. It also shows that when we ask Jehovah to help us do this, he answers our prayers. There are many other examples in the Bible that show us how to keep peace with others. We will talk about some of them.

THE BEST EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW

4. What did God do to save mankind from sin and death?

⁴ The best example of someone who keeps peace is Jehovah. He is “the God who gives peace.” (Romans 15:33) Think of all that Jehovah did to make it possible for us to be his friends. Because we are descendants of Adam and Eve, we sin. And those who sin deserve death. (Romans 6:23) But because God loved us so much, he wanted to save us from sin and death. So he sent his beloved Son, Jesus, from heaven to be born as a perfect human and die for our sins. And Jesus was happy to do what his Father wanted and to sacrifice his life for us. (John 10:17, 18) Then Jehovah resurrected Jesus to life in heaven. It was in heaven that Jesus presented to Jehovah the value of his sacrifice. This sacrifice, or ransom, saves from eternal death all those who repent of their sins.​—Read Hebrews 9:14, 24.

5, 6. How does Jesus’ sacrifice help humans to become friends of God?

⁵ Because of sin, humans became enemies of God. How does Jesus’ sacrifice help humans? Isaiah 53:5 says: “The chastisement meant for our peace was upon him, and because of his wounds there has been a healing for us.” Jesus’ sacrifice makes it possible for obedient humans to become friends of God. The Bible also says: “By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of our trespasses.”​—Ephesians 1:7.

⁶ The Bible says about Jesus: “God saw good for all fullness to dwell in him.” This means that God uses Jesus to make his purpose come true. And what is God’s purpose? It is “to reconcile again to himself all other things by making peace through the blood” of Jesus Christ. The things that God reconciles to himself, or causes to become his friends, are “the things in the heavens” and “the things upon the earth.” What are they?​—Read Colossians 1:19, 20.

7. What are “the things in the heavens” and “the things upon the earth”?

⁷ Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, anointed Christians “have been declared righteous” as sons of God and “enjoy peace with God.” (Read Romans 5:1.) The Bible calls them “the things in the heavens” because God resurrects them to live in heaven with Jesus Christ. There they will “rule as kings over the earth” and serve as priests. (Revelation 5:10) “The things upon the earth” are humans who repent of their sins and who will live forever on earth.​—Psalm 37:29.

8. How does Jehovah’s example help you when there are problems in the congregation?

⁸ The words of Paul to the anointed Christians in Ephesus show how grateful he was for the ransom. He said that God is “rich in mercy” and that he “made us alive together with the Christ, even when we were dead in trespasses.” He said that God saved us “by undeserved kindness.” (Ephesians 2:4, 5) All of us, those who will live in heaven and those who will live on earth, are very grateful for God’s mercy and undeserved kindness. We are grateful for everything Jehovah did to make it possible for humans to have peace with him. At times, we have problems that can put the unity of the congregation in danger. In these situations, we should think about God’s example and keep peace with our brothers and sisters.

LEARN FROM THE EXAMPLES OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC

9, 10. How did Abraham show that he wanted to keep peace with others?

⁹ The Bible says about Abraham: “‘Abraham put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness,’ and he came to be called ‘Jehovah’s friend.’” (James 2:23) One way that Abraham showed his faith in Jehovah was by keeping peace with others. For example, there was an argument between the men who took care of Abraham’s animals and those who took care of the animals of his nephew Lot. (Genesis 12:5; 13:7) Abraham and Lot decided that the best solution for them was to go to different parts of the land. Notice what Abraham did in this difficult situation. He did not think that he should make the final decision just because he was older and had a special friendship with Jehovah. Instead, he showed that he wanted to keep peace with his nephew.

¹⁰ Abraham told his nephew: “Please, do not let any quarreling continue between me and you and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we men are brothers.” And he continued: “Is not the whole land available to you? Please, separate from me. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right; but if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” Lot chose the best part of the land, the most fertile part. Abraham accepted Lot’s choice and did not get angry with him. (Genesis 13:8-11) We know this because later when enemies took Lot as a prisoner, Abraham hurried to save him.​—Genesis 14:14-16.

11. How did Abraham keep peace with his Philistine neighbors?

¹¹ Think also of how Abraham did what he could to keep peace with the Philistines, who were his neighbors in the land of Canaan. The Philistines had violently stolen a well of water that Abraham’s servants had dug at Beer-sheba. In this situation, Abraham chose not to do or say anything. Later, the Philistine king visited Abraham to make a covenant of peace between them. Abraham agreed to be kind to the descendants of the king. Only after that happened did Abraham tell the king about the stolen well. The king was shocked to hear about the well, and he returned it to Abraham. And Abraham continued to live in peace as a foreigner in that land.​—Genesis 21:22-31, 34.

12, 13. (a) How did Isaac follow the example of his father? (b) How did Jehovah bless Isaac’s efforts to keep peace?

¹² Abraham’s son Isaac loved peace just like his father. He did what he could to keep peace with the Philistines. Because there was no food in the land, Isaac and his family moved from the dry area of Beer-lahai-roi, in the Negeb, to the more fertile area of Gerar. This area belonged to the Philistines. Jehovah blessed Isaac with good crops and many animals. The Philistines became jealous of him. They did not want Isaac’s wealth to keep increasing, so they filled his wells with dirt. Finally, the Philistine king told Isaac: “Move from our neighborhood.” To keep peace with the Philistines, Isaac did what the king said.​—Genesis 24:62; 26:1, 12-17.

¹³ After Isaac and his family moved, his shepherds dug another well. Philistine shepherds argued with Isaac’s shepherds because of the well and said that the water was theirs. Like his father, Isaac did not want to fight. Instead, he told his servants to dig another well. The Philistines argued because of that one also. Again, just to keep peace with the Philistines, Isaac moved his family and everything he had. His servants dug a well in that place, and Isaac called it Rehoboth. Later, he moved to the more fertile area of Beer-sheba. Jehovah blessed him there and told him: “Do not be afraid, because I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your seed on account of Abraham my servant.”​—Genesis 26:17-25.

14. When the Philistine king came to make a covenant with Isaac, how did Isaac show that he wanted to keep peace with him?

¹⁴ Of course, Isaac could have fought for his right to use all the wells that his servants had dug. The Philistine king knew that Jehovah blessed Isaac in everything he did. When the king came with his officials to visit Isaac in Beer-sheba and make a covenant with him, he said: “We have unmistakably seen that Jehovah has proved to be with you.” But to keep peace, Isaac chose to move more than once. He did not want to fight. This time too, when the king and his officials came to visit him, Isaac showed that he wanted to keep peace with the king. The Bible tells us: “He made a feast for them and they ate and drank. Next morning they were early in rising and they made sworn statements one to the other. After that Isaac sent them away and they went from him in peace.”​—Genesis 26:26-31.

LEARN FROM THE EXAMPLE OF JOSEPH

15. Why were Joseph’s brothers not able to speak peacefully to him?

¹⁵ The Bible says that Isaac’s son Jacob was “a blameless man.” (Genesis 25:27) As we learned earlier, Jacob did what he could to keep peace with his brother, Esau. Jacob had learned from the good example of his father, Isaac. Did Jacob’s sons learn from his example? Of all his 12 sons, Jacob loved Joseph the most. He obeyed and respected his father and was a son Jacob could trust. (Genesis 37:2, 14) But the Bible says that Joseph’s older brothers became so jealous of him that they were not able to speak peacefully to him. They hated Joseph so much that they sold him as a slave and then made their father believe that a wild animal had killed him.​—Genesis 37:4, 28, 31-33.

16, 17. How did the way Joseph treated his brothers show that he wanted to keep peace with them?

¹⁶ Jehovah blessed Joseph. In time, Joseph became Egypt’s prime minister, that is, the second-most powerful person in Egypt. When there was a terrible famine in Canaan, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy food. When they met Joseph there, they did not know who he was, probably because of the Egyptian clothes he was wearing. (Genesis 42:5-7) Joseph could have treated his brothers the same way they treated him and his father. Instead, Joseph did what he could to make peace with them. And when they showed that they were sorry for what they had done, Joseph told them who he was. He said: “Do not feel hurt and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here; because for the preservation of life God has sent me ahead of you.” Then “he proceeded to kiss all his brothers and to weep over them.”​—Genesis 45:1, 5, 15.

¹⁷ After the death of their father, Jacob, Joseph’s brothers thought that Joseph might want to take revenge on them. When they talked to Joseph about this, he “burst into tears” and said: “Do not be afraid. I myself shall keep supplying you and your little children with food.” In this situation too, Joseph showed that he loved peace. He “comforted them and spoke reassuringly to them.”​—Genesis 50:15-21.

EXAMPLES “FOR OUR INSTRUCTION”

18, 19. (a) What did you learn from the examples we talked about in this article? (b) What will we learn in the next article?

¹⁸ Paul wrote: “All the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) What have we learned from the greatest example of all, Jehovah, and also the examples of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph?

¹⁹ If we think about all that Jehovah did to make it possible for us to become his friends, we will want to do everything we can to keep peace with others. What we learned about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph shows that parents can be good examples for their children and teach them to keep peace with others. We also learned that Jehovah blesses the efforts of those who try to keep peace. This helps us understand why Paul wrote that Jehovah is “the God who gives peace.” (Read Romans 15:33; 16:20.) The next article will talk about why Paul said that we need to keep peace and how we can do that.

SOME WORDS EXPLAINED

▪ Ransom: The price Jehovah paid through Jesus to free humans from sin and death

▪ Repent: To feel regret for past sins and to make the necessary changes to please God

▪ Covenant: A serious promise or agreement

▪ Undeserved kindness: Jehovah’s great kindness that he gives freely to sinful humans

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

▪ Just before he met Esau, what did Jacob do to keep peace with him?

▪ Jehovah did a lot to make it possible for humans to become his friends. What does that make you want to do?

▪ What have you learned from the examples of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph?

[Blurb on page 16]

Prayer helped Jacob to keep peace with Esau

[Blurb on page 17]

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, obedient humans can have peace with God

[Blurb on page 18]

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph always tried to keep peace with others

[Pictures on pages 18, 19]

What was the most important thing Jacob did to keep peace with Esau?

Make Efforts to Keep Peace

1, 2. Why is there peace among Jehovah’s Witnesses?

THERE is no true peace among people in the world today. Even people from the same country and who speak the same language are often not united. They are divided by religion, politics, money, and education. But there is peace among the more than seven million who are Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world, even though they come from “all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues.”​—Revelation 7:9.

² There are good reasons why we have peace among us. The main reason is that we “enjoy peace with God.” This peace is the result of our faith in his Son, who sacrificed his life for us. (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 1:7) Also, Jehovah gives holy spirit to his loyal servants, and the fruitage of that spirit includes peace. (Galatians 5:22) Another reason we have peace and unity is that we are “no part of the world.” (John 15:19) This means that we do not participate in politics or war. As the Bible says, Jehovah’s people “beat their swords into plowshares.”​—Isaiah 2:4.

3. What does the peace we have make possible, and what will we talk about in this article?

³ We “love one another” in the congregation even though we come from different places and have different customs and ways of thinking. (John 15:17) The peace we have is more than not wanting to harm our brothers. It allows us to “work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith.” (Galatians 6:10) This peace with Jehovah and with our brothers and sisters is very precious. We need to protect it. We will now talk about how we can keep peace even when problems happen in the congregation.

WHEN WE “STUMBLE”

4. What can we do to keep peace when we offend someone?

⁴ The disciple James wrote: “We all stumble many times. If anyone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man.” (James 3:2) So there will be times when two people in the congregation will not agree with each other or will have some other problem between them. But if there is a problem, they should be able to solve it and keep the peace in the congregation. For example, read what Jesus said we should do if we think that we have offended someone.​—Read Matthew 5:23, 24.

5. What can we do to keep peace when someone offends us?

⁵ What if someone did something against us? Should we think that this person has to come to us and tell us that he is sorry? 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that love does not keep account of the injury. When someone offends us, we show that we want to keep peace by forgiving the person and forgetting the problem. (Read Colossians 3:13.) This is the best thing to do when there is a small problem. It helps us to stay united with our brothers. And we feel good because we did what was right. A wise proverb says that it is beauty when we pass over transgression.​—Proverbs 19:11.

6. What if someone does something against us that is difficult to forget?

⁶ What if someone does something against us that is difficult to forget? It is not wise to talk about it to others. This kind of gossip puts the peace of the congregation in danger. What can we do to solve the problem? Matthew 18:15 says: “If your brother commits a sin, go lay bare his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” Even though Matthew 18:15-17 talks about a serious sin, we could use the principle, or lesson, in verse 15 in other situations. So when we have a problem with someone, it is best to talk to him alone about it. We should talk to our brother kindly and try to have peace with him again.a​—See footnote.

7. Why should we solve problems quickly?

⁷ The apostle Paul wrote: “Be wrathful, and yet do not sin; let the sun not set with you in a provoked state, neither allow place for the Devil.” (Ephesians 4:26, 27) And Jesus said: “Be about settling matters quickly with the one complaining against you at law.” (Matthew 5:25) So to keep peace with others, we must solve problems quickly. When we do not do that, problems become bigger and more serious, just as a cut in our skin gets infected if we do not treat it quickly. We should not let pride, jealousy, or the love of money stop us from solving any problems with our brothers.​—James 4:1-6.

WHEN A PROBLEM INVOLVES MANY PEOPLE

8, 9. (a) What argument was there in the congregation in Rome? (b) How did Paul correct the Christians in Rome?

⁸ Some problems in the congregation may involve many people. This happened to some Christians in Rome. There was an argument among Jewish and Gentile Christians. Some had a weaker conscience. There were a lot of things that their conscience did not allow them to do, even though the Scriptures did not say that these things were wrong. Others in the congregation had a stronger conscience. They thought that they were better than those who had a weaker conscience. And those who had a weaker conscience started to condemn the ones who had a stronger conscience. But all these arguments were about personal choices. What did Paul tell the congregation?​—Romans 14:1-6.

⁹ Those with a stronger conscience understood that they did not have to obey the Law of Moses. Those with a weaker conscience thought that it was wrong to eat things that were not allowed under the Law. Paul corrected both groups of Christians. Paul told those with a stronger conscience not to think that they were better than those who had a weaker conscience. (Romans 14:2, 10) This way of thinking and acting could cause those with a weaker conscience to abandon their friendship with Jehovah. Paul added: “Stop tearing down the work of God just for the sake of food.” He also said: “It is well not to eat flesh or to drink wine or do anything over which your brother stumbles.” (Romans 14:14, 15, 20, 21) Paul told those with a weaker conscience not to judge those who had a different way of thinking. (Romans 14:13) He told them: “I tell everyone there among you not to think more of himself than it is necessary to think.” (Romans 12:3) After he corrected both groups of Christians, he said: “So, then, let us pursue the things making for peace and the things that are upbuilding to one another.”​—Romans 14:19.

10. As with the Christians in Rome, what should those now involved in an argument do to solve the problem?

¹⁰ We can be sure that the congregation in Rome accepted what Paul told them and made the needed changes. Today, we can solve arguments with our brothers and sisters in a loving way if we do what the Bible tells us. As with the Christians in Rome, if there is a problem in the congregation today, all those involved need to make changes to “keep peace between one another.”​—Mark 9:50.

HOW ELDERS CAN HELP

11. What should an elder do if a person wants to talk to him about a problem that the person is having with another Christian?

¹¹ What if someone has a problem with a family member or with another Christian and wants to talk to an elder about it? Proverbs 21:13 says: “Anyone stopping up his ear from the complaining cry of the lowly one, he himself also will call and not be answered.” An elder would be “stopping up his ear” if he did not listen to someone asking for help. But another proverb says: “The first to state his case seems right, until his opponent begins to cross-examine him.” (Proverbs 18:17, New English Translation) An elder should listen kindly, but he needs to be careful not to make any decisions before he knows more about the problem. After listening to the person, the elder could ask him if he has talked about the problem with the other person. The elder could also review with him what the Bible says we should do to keep peace with our brothers and sisters.

12. What three examples show the danger of acting too quickly after hearing about a problem?

¹² It is dangerous to act too quickly after hearing only what one person has to say about a problem. Three Bible examples show this. The first one is what happened to Potiphar. His wife lied and told him that Joseph had tried to rape her. Potiphar believed her. He was so angry that he sent Joseph to prison. (Genesis 39:19, 20) Another example is what King David did. Mephibosheth’s servant, Ziba, told David that Mephibosheth was helping David’s enemies. David believed him and said without thinking: “Look! Yours is everything that belongs to Mephibosheth.” (2 Samuel 16:4; 19:25-27) A third example is what happened to King Artaxerxes. Enemies of the Jews told the king that the Jews were building Jerusalem again because they wanted to rebel against him. The king believed this lie and ordered that the Jews stop their work. Because of this, the Jews stopped working on God’s temple. (Ezra 4:11-13, 23, 24) Christian elders are wise to do what Paul said to Timothy and not make any judgments before knowing all the facts about a situation.​—Read 1 Timothy 5:21.

13, 14. (a) When there is an argument between two people, what do we need to remember? (b) What can help elders to make correct judgments?

¹³ The Bible says: “If anyone thinks he has acquired knowledge of something, he does not yet know it just as he ought to know it.” (1 Corinthians 8:2) We may think we know what happened when there is an argument between two people. But we need to remember that we may not know all the facts. Also, we may not know everything about the two people who have the problem. Elders must be very careful when they judge the situation and not let themselves be deceived by lies or rumors about what happened. Also, they should not believe someone just because he is rich. Jesus, the judge God chose, does not “judge by any mere appearance to his eyes, nor reprove simply according to the thing heard by his ears.” (Isaiah 11:3, 4) Jesus is guided by God’s spirit. Christian elders too must be guided by God’s spirit.

¹⁴ Elders need to pray for Jehovah’s spirit before judging a problem. They allow God’s spirit to guide them by using the Bible and the publications of “the faithful and discreet slave.”​—Matthew 24:45.

WE MUST KEEP PEACE WITH GOD

15. If a Christian knows of a serious sin, when should he tell the elders about it?

¹⁵ The Bible tells us to keep peace with others. But it also says: “The wisdom from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable.” (James 3:17) The Bible says that first we need to be chaste. To be chaste, or clean, means to allow God to tell us what is right and what is wrong and to live in a way that pleases him. If a Christian knows that a brother or sister has done something seriously wrong, he should tell that person to confess the sin to the elders. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; James 5:14-16) If the person does not confess his sin, the Christian who knows of the sin should tell the elders about it. If the Christian does not say anything because he wants to keep peace with the sinner, then he too is sinning.​—Leviticus 5:1; read Proverbs 29:24.

16. What can we learn from the action Jehu took against King Jehoram?

¹⁶ Jehu did something that showed that it is more important to do what is right than it is to keep peace with someone who practices sin. God sent Jehu to punish King Ahab’s family. The son of Ahab and Jezebel was wicked King Jehoram. He rode in his chariot to meet Jehu and asked: “Is there peace, Jehu?” Jehu answered: “What peace could there be as long as there are the fornications of Jezebel your mother and her many sorceries?” (2 Kings 9:22) Then Jehu used his bow to shoot Jehoram in the heart. Just as Jehu took action, so elders will need to take action if a sinner is not repentant. They cannot allow those who refuse to repent of their sins to remain part of the congregation just to keep peace with them. The elders remove them so that the congregation can continue to have peace with God.​—1 Corinthians 5:1, 2, 11-13.

17. What do all Christians need to do to keep peace?

¹⁷ Most of the time, the problems between us are not about serious sins. So it is much better to show love and forget the mistakes our brothers make. The Bible says: “The one covering over transgression is seeking love, and he that keeps talking about a matter is separating those familiar with one another.” (Proverbs 17:9) If we do what the Bible says, we will keep peace in the congregation and keep our friendship with Jehovah.​—Matthew 6:14, 15.

GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO KEEP PEACE

18, 19. How does Jehovah bless us when we make efforts to keep peace?

¹⁸ Jehovah blesses us when we make the effort to keep peace. We have a strong friendship with Jehovah, and we have a part in keeping the unity of the congregation. When we keep peace inside the congregation, we also learn how to keep peace with those to whom we preach “the good news of peace.” (Ephesians 6:15) We are ready to “be gentle toward all” and to keep ourselves “restrained under evil.”​—2 Timothy 2:24.

¹⁹ Our efforts to keep peace now train us for the future. The Bible says that Jehovah will resurrect both the righteous and the unrighteous. (Acts 24:15) This means that Jehovah will resurrect millions of people of all types. They will be from different parts of the world and from different time periods, even from the beginning of human history. (Luke 11:50, 51) It will be our great honor to teach resurrected ones to love peace. The training we get now will greatly help us at that time!

[Footnote]

SOME WORDS EXPLAINED

▪ Gentile: A person who is not of the Jewish nation

▪ Conscience: A sense of right or wrong that we have inside of us. It can stop us from doing wrong things, and it can make us do good things

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

▪ What can we do to keep peace when we offend someone?

▪ What can we do to keep peace when someone offends us?

▪ When there is an argument between two people, what do we need to remember?

▪ Why is it more important to do what is right than to keep peace with someone who practices sin?

[Blurb on page 23]

We can solve problems with our brothers if we do what the Bible tells us

[Pictures on pages 24, 25]

Jehovah loves those who freely forgive others

Questions From Readers

◼ What does the information in the annual service report mean?

Every year a report about the preaching work is printed in the Yearbook. We are very happy to know what Jehovah’s people around the world are doing to preach God’s Kingdom and teach others about it. But to understand what the report really means, we need to understand what some of the titles and numbers refer to. Here are some examples.

Service year. A service year starts in September and ends in August. The report in the Yearbook is always about the service year before the date on the Yearbook. For example, the 2011 Yearbook contains the report for the service year from September 1, 2009, to August 31, 2010.

Peak publishers and average publishers. Publishers are baptized Witnesses and others who are approved to preach the good news of the Kingdom. The number of “peak publishers” is taken from the month of the service year with the highest number of reports. The number may include some reports that came too late to be counted the previous month. The number of “average publishers” refers to the number of publishers who normally report their time in the preaching work each month.

Total hours. The 2011 Yearbook shows that the total time that Jehovah’s Witnesses used for the preaching work was more than 1.6 billion hours. But this total does not include all the time that we use to worship Jehovah. For example, it does not include the time that the elders use to shepherd the members of the congregation, that is, to help and encourage them. It also does not include the time we use to attend meetings, to study the Bible, and to meditate about what we learn.

Money. During the 2010 service year, Jehovah’s Witnesses spent more than $155 million to care for the needs of special pioneers, missionaries, and traveling overseers. But this amount of money does not include the money needed for printing Bibles, books, and magazines. And it does not include the money needed to care for the more than 20,000 brothers and sisters who work as volunteers in Bethel homes around the world.

Memorial partakers. This is the number of all the baptized Witnesses who partake of the bread and wine at the Memorial. But this number may not be the exact number of anointed ones on earth. For example, some may have the wrong idea about going to heaven because of what they believed in the past or because they have mental or emotional problems. So it is not possible to know the exact number of anointed ones who are on earth, and we do not need to know. The Governing Body does not keep a list of the names of everyone who partakes of the bread and wine at the Memorial.a​—See footnote.

What we do know is that there will be some of the anointed “slaves of our God” on earth when the great tribulation starts. (Revelation 7:1-3) While they are still on earth, the anointed are working very hard in the preaching and teaching work. The annual report tells us what Jehovah’s people around the world are doing in this most important work in human history.

[Footnote]

[Blurb on page 27]

The annual report tells us what Jehovah’s people are doing around the world

Some Ideas for Family Worship and Personal Study

SINCE the beginning of 2009, the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses began meeting just one evening each week instead of two evenings. Because of this change, the Governing Body encouraged us to use one evening a week for family worship or personal study. Have you been using this time well? What you choose to do during this evening can help you and your family very much.

What should we study during our family worship? The Governing Body does not tell families what they should study every week. Every family has different needs. So the head of the family should think about what his family needs and decide what will help them the most. Individuals can also decide how they can use this time in the best way.

Some families prepare for congregation meetings together. But this is not the only thing that we can do for family worship. Some families read the Bible or some information from our publications and discuss it together. Others prepare a drama about a story in the Bible. This is especially beneficial for young children. So our family worship does not need to be like a meeting in the congregation, where we read paragraphs and ask questions. The time for family worship should be a time when we can talk and say what is in our heart. It is a time when we can use our imagination and have interesting conversations about the things we read in the Bible. In this way, the evenings together as a family will be a happy time for everyone.

One father of three children wrote to explain what his family does for family worship. He has a daughter, Kaitlyn, and two sons, David and Michael. Kaitlyn is 15 years old, David is 13, and Michael is 7. For family worship, the family often uses the chapters from the Bible reading for that week. First everyone reads the chapters. Then the children choose something that they would like to study more about. Later they tell their parents what they learned. Michael often draws a picture or writes something about what he reads. Sometimes David and Kaitlyn write about a story in the Bible as if they were watching what was happening. For example, one week the family read in Genesis chapter 40 about the time when Joseph explained to two of Pharaoh’s slaves what their dreams meant. And Kaitlyn wrote about this as if she were a prisoner watching what was happening.

This is just an example of what families can do during their family worship. Because everyone is different, each person or family can decide what is best for them. The box in this article gives some other ideas of things we can do during family worship or personal study. You can probably think of many other ideas too.

[Box/​Picture on pages 28, 29]

For families with teenagers:

• Read and talk about a chapter from Questions Young People Ask​—Answers That Work.

• Imagine that you were living in Bible times. (For example, see The Watchtower of May 15, 1996, page 14, paragraphs 17-18.)

• Talk about what you plan to do in Jehovah’s service​—now and in the future.

• Watch one of our videos and talk about it.

• Study the articles “For Young People” in The Watchtower.

For married people with no children:

• Talk together about chapters 1, 3, 11-16 in the book The Secret of Family Happiness.

• Read and study some chapters of the Bible, and talk about what you learn.

• Prepare the Congregation Bible Study or the Watchtower Study.

• Talk about how you could do more in Jehovah’s service.

For those who are single or alone in the truth:

• Study the new publications that we have received at our district conventions.

• Read the Yearbook and also Yearbooks of other years.

• Learn how to answer different questions that people ask when you preach to them.

• Prepare some ideas of what to say to people in the preaching work.

For families with young children:

• Prepare a drama about a story from the Bible.

• Play games, for example by using page 31 of Awake!

• Do something that encourages the children to use their imagination. (For example, see “Studying the Bible​—In the Zoo!” in Awake! of March 8, 1996, pages 16-19.)

• Read together the articles “Teach Your Children” in The Watchtower.

Use the Internet in a Wise Way

THE Internet makes it possible for us to have knowledge about almost anything, anywhere, at any time. It is not surprising that people everywhere in the world use it to communicate.

The ability to communicate is a wonderful gift from our Creator. It allows us to exchange ideas and information with others. Jehovah was the first to communicate with the human family. He gave them clear information about how to have a life full of meaning. (Genesis 1:28-30) But it is possible to use the gift of communication in the wrong way. This is what happened in the beginning of human history. Satan gave Eve false information. She believed what he said, and she told Adam. Adam acted on the false information, and his actions made all humans suffer.​—Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 5:12.

The Internet can give us access to important information and help us do things faster. But it can also give false information, take a lot of time from other things, and make it very easy to look at immoral things. Let us talk about how we can use the Internet in a wise way.

IS THE INFORMATION TRUE OR FALSE?

Do not think that all information on the Internet is good. When we search the Internet, we can get the very best kind or the very worst kind of information. We need to be wise and separate the good from the bad.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection can pretend to be an expert and to have a lot of knowledge. And people do not even have to use their names. Anyone can publish ideas, information, photographs, and suggestions.

Do not trust the information immediately. Before you trust it, ask: (1) Who published this information? Is the writer someone we can trust? (2) Why was it published? Why was it written? Is the writer a fair person, or is he just promoting his own ideas? (3) Where did the writer get the information? Does he say where he got the information so that people can check it? (4) Is the information up-to-date? In the first century, the apostle Paul gave Timothy some advice that is just as important for us today. Paul wrote: “Guard what is laid up in trust with you, turning away from the empty speeches that violate what is holy and from the contradictions of the falsely called ‘knowledge.’”​—1 Timothy 6:20.

DOES THE INTERNET SAVE TIME OR WASTE TIME?

If we use the Internet in a wise way, it can help us use less of our time, energy, and money. We can conveniently buy something without leaving home. It can help us to find the best price. Instead of going to a bank, people can pay bills, transfer money, and do other things like that from home. The Internet can help us plan a trip and buy tickets. It is also easy to search for phone numbers, addresses, and directions. Branch offices of Jehovah’s Witnesses all over the world use many of these services and benefit from them.

But there are some dangers. For example, we have to think about how much time we use on the Internet. Some spend too much time playing, shopping, chatting, e-mailing, searching, and surfing the Web. They sometimes forget about their family, friends, and congregation. They can become addicted to the Internet.

A branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses received a letter from someone who called himself an Internet junkie, meaning that he was addicted to the Internet. Some days he was on the Internet for ten hours. He said that “at first, it all seemed so innocent.” But then he started to miss meetings and stopped praying. When he went to the meetings, he was not prepared and thought only about when he was going to “be able to log on again.” In time, he understood that he had a serious problem, and he made the necessary changes. We should never use so much time on the Internet that we become addicted to it.

WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION DO YOU LOOK AT?

We read at 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 22: “Make sure of all things; hold fast to what is fine. Abstain from every form of wickedness.” When we look at something on the Internet, we need to remember what Jehovah thinks of it. What we look at should be morally clean and appropriate for a Christian. Internet pornography has become very common. If we are not careful, it can very easily become a problem for us.

To help us decide about what we should or should not look at on the Internet, think about this question: ‘Is what I watch on the screen something I would quickly hide from my husband (or wife), my parents, or my Christian brothers if they entered the room?’ If the answer is yes, it would be better to use the Internet only when others are with us. The Internet has completely changed the way people communicate and shop. But it has also shown people a new way to commit adultery in their hearts.​—Matthew 5:27, 28.

WHAT SHOULD WE FORWARD TO OTHERS?

When we use the Internet, we often exchange information with people. We must be sure that the information we write or forward to others is true, is not immoral, and is information we have permission to give.a (See footnote.) We should think about this: Is the information going to help others? Why do we want to tell others about it? Is it just to impress others?

E-mail can be very useful when we use it the right way. But it can also give us a lot of unnecessary information. Are we giving others too much to read, maybe using more of their time than we should? Should we not think about why we are sending an e-mail before we hit the send button? In the past, people wrote letters to their family and friends to tell them about what was happening in their life. This should be what our e-mail is mainly about. Why send to others something that we cannot prove is true?

So, what should you do about the Internet? Should you not use it at all? For some this may be necessary. The Internet junkie whom we talked about earlier had to do that. The Internet can be helpful to you if you use “thinking ability” and allow it to “keep guard over you.”​—Proverbs 2:10, 11.

[Footnote]

[Picture on page 31]

How can you be sure that the information you are getting is true?

[Picture on page 32]

What should you think about before you hit the send button?