Mentor Like Jesus: Exploring How He Made Disciplesনমুনা

The Context of Wherever

Traditionally, we think of mentoring relationships being initiated by the mentee . . . he has something he wants, and he reaches out to an older, wiser guy for advice. He picks the place, sets the agenda, etc. Is this mentoring? Yes. Is it mentoring like Jesus did? No.

As we looked at on Day 4, Jesus initiated the mentoring relationship with His disciples. He approached them. He chose them. Jesus took His mentees into His context . . . for His purposes.

Everything Jesus did was on His agenda, not theirs. Jesus didn’t worry about being an inconvenience to His mentees. He knew He was giving them the chance of a lifetime by allowing them to follow and learn from Him. Jesus talked. They listened. Jesus healed. They watched. Jesus did miracles. They marveled. And it was all done “along the way.”

Jesus used the everyday things and events of life to make His points. When the Jewish leaders confronted Him about the oppressive Roman tax, He used the Roman coin to illustrate His answer: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). How cool was that? Jesus used the image of Caesar on the coin to make a point about ownership . . . Caesar owned the earthly kingdom, but if we accept God’s ownership, we can become a part of His family and His kingdom . . . because we’re made in His image and are owned by Him.

Jesus used fig trees, loaves and fishes, saliva, all kinds of regular things, to make points. As modern-day mentors, we need to use the stuff of life to point our mentees toward life with Christ.

Jesus knew life doesn’t happen in church. Church can prepare us for life, and it can shelter us when the storms of life start beating. But life happens at home, at work, on vacation, in our neighborhoods. If we’re going to share a “piece of our map” with the next generation, for their benefit, then we must be out on the road with them, doing life together. The lessons get taught in the context of everyday life, in everyday situations, through the wisdom of God planted and nurtured in the life of one of His more mature kids.

Challenge: For the next 24 hours, slow the game down. Look around. Ask God to show Himself to you in your context. Look for “life lessons” He has for you. They’re all around. Imagine how cool it would be to have a younger one walking with you . . . someone with whom you could share what you’re seeing and learning.