JESUS: THE ULTIMATE MENTOR

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in scriptures. They also recognized them as the men who had been with Jesus.”

Acts 4:13 NLT

The goal of every mentor is to impact the life of their mentee, in such a way that the change is noticeable to all. The name “Jesus” is one of the most common ones throughout history. As a matter of fact, the celebration of his death and resurrection was a few days ago. Jesus was popular for the many signs and wonders he performed thousands of years ago. Also notable among his works is laying his life down to save the world. However, that is not all people knew him for. Jesus was the ultimate mentor. While he was on earth, he was mentor to so many people, but most notable are the 12 men (disciples) that followed him.

Jesus Christ chose for himself 12 men for his ministerial work on earth. Yes, you read that right, he chose them. What does that tell you? As a mentor you should be on the lookout for people who might need your guidance. There is no rule that says the mentee has to approach the mentor first.

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me, and be my disciple”, Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

Matthew 9:9 NLT

Furthermore, Jesus was deliberate in his mentoring relationship with the 12 disciples. He did not train them to build an empire for himself. His aim was to train individuals who would go on and lead in their corners of the world. The question is “what did Jesus do to be successful at mentoring?” Reach America answers part of that question in their article “Jesus mentoring model”. However, there are more integral actions that Jesus took to be earn the “perfect mentor” title.

How to become the perfect mentor

Build a close relationship with your mentee.

Notable in the relationship Jesus had with his disciples was the intimacy they shared. They had a fellowship as friends and brothers. Christ did not see his disciples as lesser than him, despite the great power he possessed. He built a friendship with them governed by love. As a result of this close relationship, it was easy for the disciples to relate with him. Through the scriptures, there are several instances of the disciples asking questions from Jesus. They could do this, because they were free with him.

I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the father told me.

John 15:15 NLT

If you had the option of confiding in your friend or your boss, who would you confide in? It is safe to guess most people would choose their friends. It is not surprising, there is a level of rapport you have with your friend that you can never have with your boss. To have a great rapport with your mentee, overcome all barriers and build a friendly relationship with them.

Be accessible and available

Jesus was always available to the disciples. They were always together. They walked, talked and even ate together. By being together Jesus as able to teach them lessons from the happenings around them. Whenever they needed guidance, he was always available to them. As a mentor, you should always make out time for your mentee. There is no point committing to a mentoring relationship if you will be too busy to be there for your mentee.

Give instructions and counsel

For the three years that the disciples were with Jesus, they received constant instructions and teachings. He gave them instructions preparing them for the work ahead of them. He did not leave them in the dark on any issue. He taught them using parables, questions and real life events. He taught them so well that after he left them, they were able to function independently. They could do this because they had the information they needed.

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.”

John 8:31 NLT

Do not leave your mentee in the dark. You want them to do something? Give them clear instructions. Communicate in a way that your mentee understands you. Do not leave room for discrepancies in your communication with your mentee. Remember that one of your duties as a mentee is to teach. Teach your mentee, feed them with the information they need. The reason they have come to you in the first place is to find the answers they do not have.

Lead by example

Giving instructions is good, but it does not end there. You need to be a life example of the instructions you give. Nothing is more confusing than a mentor who says one thing but does the opposite. You need to walk the talk.

Jesus Christ did not bore his followers with instructions. He acted out what he wanted them to do. He preached love, he acted out the love. He preached service, he served. The disciples knew the right things to do, not only by what he said, but also by what he did.

And whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.

Matthew 20:27 NLT

Give room to launch

Even while Christ was still with his disciples, he gave them assignments to do. He assigned them duties to carry out, to bolster their confidence. One famous example was asking two of them to bring the colt. The colt he used to make his triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. Matthew 2:12 NLT

You should give room for your mentee to put into practice what you have taught them. That is the ultimate test of knowledge. If your mentee is able to apply your teachings, then you know you have succeeded.

Encourage your mentee to become a mentor

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

The disciples of Jesus had the understanding that the work should not end with them. They knew that they were to recruit more people to spread the good word of the gospel. And we say in the later books of the bible how some of them became mentors to others.

The best leader is the one who has a successor. Train your mentee as a mentor, train them as individuals who would go on to train nations. Be a mentor like Jesus who saw the bigger picture and raised an army who would also raise armies to get the job done.

It is no wonder that the name Jesus is still on the lips of many as the greatest leader to have ever lived. Even now, over 2000 years later, he still remains a mentor to millions of people called Christians. In fact, the name Christian was given to the disciple in Antioch, because the people saw that they were acting like Christ. Follow the Jesus mentoring model and you are sure to get it right.

Thank you for reading. What part of this model have you ever implemented in your mentorship? Please share with me in the comment section.