Mentor Like Jesus: Exploring How He Made DisciplesSample

Handpicked for History

Jesus picked the twelve. They didn’t pick Him. This is one of the most valuable lessons we can take from Him. And one of the most countercultural aspects of becoming a mentor like Jesus.

Typically, when we think of mentoring we picture a potential mentee reaching out to an older, wiser person . . . “Hey, I’d love to pick your brain sometime.” But the Scriptures don’t depict Jesus mentoring that way.

In fact, visualize the rich young ruler as he approached Jesus . . . you could paraphrase what he was asking as “I’m a good guy. I’ve obeyed the commandments. What would it take for me to join up, to follow you, to become one of your inner circle?”

We can imagine Jesus . . . reading the young man’s motives from his expression of interest in the kingdom, “Great, go sell all your possessions and come back to see me.” End of conversation.

Jesus was intentional. When He picked His mentees, He sought the advice of His Father. He prayed all night long before inviting the twelve to become His apostles. This decision was serious . . . Jesus sought the counsel of His Father and gave it the time it deserved.

We don’t know exactly why Jesus picked the guys he did, but we can make some inferences from His choices. He chose guys for their Kingdom potential. Think about it, His results were astounding . . . eleven guys . . . two billion Christians. And even His pick of Judas had a purpose. Through his betrayal, we get a good picture of a bad example . . . of greed and of the ultimate remorse that comes with turning away from Jesus.

Were they the most talented? Most spiritual? Probably not. But somehow, Jesus saw their potential. They followed Him with unwavering loyalty until the very end. They listened. They practiced what He taught them. They asked questions. The group was made up of laypeople, not “church people” . . . diverse . . . anything but a holy huddle. These guys were ready to learn, and Jesus saw that in them.

Challenge: If God were to speak directly to you today and say, “Choose five people, younger than you in their faith-walk, and invite them to be mentored by you over the next 9-12 months,” what names would you write down? If you asked God to lead you to talk to a pastor at your church about mentoring, what name would you  write down? Try it. See whom God brings to mind.