Learning anything takes time, whether it’s a new skill, information, or even a quest to save the world. And most likely, you’ll have a mentor to guide you along the way. Mentors are wiser and more mature than us, and naturally we’d want to reach out to them to help us grow. But you’d be surprised at how many mentors in fiction are not exactly mentor-material.
How can we write mentors for our characters that are not only wise, but also virtuous? How can we show them teaching not only good principles, but also living them out? How can our mentors do more than teach, empowering our characters to act with right judgement?
My answer? Look to Jesus.
Jesus is certainly the greatest example of a mentor we have. He taught with patience, diligence, generosity, and then empowered his disciples to do the same. He sacrificed his own life and standing with God to ensure his disciples– and millions of people– would be able to have favor in God’s sight. Jesus is the ultimate mentor, and the perfect example for us to use when writing our own fictional mentors.
Today I want to dive into six attributes of Jesus that made him the perfect mentor, and how we can write them for our mentors. Through it all, I pray you’ll not only grow in your writing skills, but grow closer to Christ.
Probably the most obvious of Jesus’ mentor attributes is his patient teaching. Time and time again he spoke to crowds and the disciples on love, humility, service, repentance, and so much more. He not only taught, but he was patient in his teaching, even when the disciples clearly didn’t understand him. (Luke 18: 34, Luke 8: 9-15) Jesus never lost his temper or stormed off when his disciples were being difficult, choosing instead to practice what he taught (Luke 9: 46-48).
Something I see a lot in mentor characters is having them be grumpy, standoffish, or uncaring towards their mentees. They often are not patient at all, becoming angry when the characters don’t succeed the first time. Some would call this “character”, but if we want to write mentors that reflect Christ, frustration and punishment are not the way.
Instead, our mentors should be patient and understanding. Our characters are more likely to trust them if they aren’t screaming insults at them every few minutes, and trust is imperative in a mentor-mentee relationship. Once more, look to Jesus and the disciples– they trusted him enough to leave everything they had ever known and devote themselves to following Jesus’ example. (Luke 14: 25-33)
Something I want to highlight here and in future examples is Jesus’ sacrifice. In every way, Jesus sacrificed to give the disciples what they needed to become Kingdom-focused servants. It would have been easier to yell at them when they didn’t understand what he meant about dying on the cross, or to give up when they fought over who was Jesus’ favorite. But instead he was patient and continued teaching them and guiding them towards himself. Sacrifice is one of the most important attributes of a mentor, and in everything else they do, it will be present underneath it all.
Sometimes it seemed that Jesus was not very clear. He would speak a parable that confounded listeners and even the disciples, or would say things that went against their Jewish beliefs at the time. But truly, Jesus was anything but unclear– everything he spoke had purpose, meaning, and direction.
Not only that, but Jesus had a clear vision. He knew exactly what was to occur, and exactly what he needed to do to prepare the disciples for service to him. He constantly pointed to the Kingdom and instructed the disciples to keep their eyes focused on it (Luke 6: 20-23). Jesus had direction and a clear vision for what was to come.
Mentors in fiction can often be mysterious. They might say things that confuse the main character, or speak prophecies that make almost no sense. But there’s a difference between mysterious and unclear. As you write your mentor character, are they focused on what is to come? Do they know their role, and more importantly, do they know the main character’s role? Does the mentor understand what they have to do in order to succeed? Next time you have the urge to write some spooky dialogue between your mentor and characters, consider if it is mysterious or simply unclear.
You’ve most likely heard of the principle of the Golden Rule– do unto others as you would have done to yourself. But did you know that Jesus was the first to teach the Golden Rule? (Luke 6: 31)
Jesus was ultimately perfect– fully man and fully God– and never sinned. But he did more than simply not doing anything wrong– he did everything right. He went out of his way to serve others, love those who hated him, give to those in need, and more, fulfilling every single one of his teachings and the many hundreds of prophecies about him. Jesus lived by example, showing the disciples what a life dedicated to him was like in addition to teaching them. (See James 2: 14-26 for more on faith and works.)
Think about the many virtues you hope for your main character to have by the end of the story. Do you want them to be kind? Strong? Willing to serve? What will be required of them in order to complete their quest?
Now I want you to envision your mentor living out every single one of those virtues. Not just teaching them, but showing them to your main character. Being an example.
Living by example is a huge sacrifice– you constantly have to evaluate whether your actions line up with your words. But another thing to consider is that others often don’t live by example, making it even more difficult for you to do the same. Your mentor will have the same struggles, and because they are human, there will be times they fail. But living by example is a powerful thing, and will influence your characters in ways not possible through just words.
Jesus’ ways are anything but easy. As sinful and broken humans, living like the perfect Christ is truly impossible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But in Jesus’ day, the disciples didn’t always have the Spirit to help them see the error in their ways, and that’s where Jesus stepped in.
Jesus showed his love in many ways, but one we don’t always think about is through correction. Jesus often corrected the disciples and even rebuked them, and we see many times where he, in righteous anger, confronted the Pharisees about their hypocrisy (Luke 11: 37-44). But we can clearly see that all of it was done out of love. Jesus cares immensely for his people and yearns for a relationship with them, but our sin forces us to be separated. (Luke 19: 10) Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot have a real relationship with God, and so that is why Jesus’ love was often challenging to accept.
Our mentors should have a deep love for our characters that is evident in their actions. They should seek to help them grow and become what is needed for the quest to succeed, but also should care about them as a person and not just a pawn. And when the characters don’t follow their guidance or show rebellion, the mentor should show patience and rebuke them not in anger but in love.
We see in so many places in Scripture where Jesus was a servant. He washed the disciples’ feet (John 13: 3-15), healed the sick, fed the hungry, and guided the poor in spirit. Jesus often served to the astonishment and shock of those around him. In that day, teachers like him were meant to be served, not to serve. But Jesus is the Prince of the upside-down Kingdom, and he lived by example. He taught the disciples to be servants to those around them, and he lived that out everywhere he went.
But not only was Jesus a servant– he was humble. Jesus showed no arrogance or superiority in his service, unlike the Pharisees during their offerings or prayers (Matthew 6: 1-8). Jesus demonstrated a quiet love, one that needed no fanfare or announcement. He lowered himself to a position of humility despite being the most powerful person on Earth, and instructed the disciples to do the same.
Being a mentor is a type of service. You are devoting your time and energy towards bettering a person and bringing them to their goals. Our mentors should take their role of service seriously, being honored to help guide a character rather than offended at their task. And they should show humility while doing it, showing no smug pride in their service or arrogance towards the main character. And in all of that, our mentors are showing sacrifice that speaks to our readers more than words ever could.
One of the greatest of Jesus’ attributes as a mentor was his ability to empower the disciples to service (Luke 9: 1-6). When Jesus taught, he taught them things they could then use when they went out to serve. Jesus gave them the confidence to do the task given to them, not just the information required. He tested them and delegated tasks to them to grow their skills, all the while bringing them closer to the day when they would begin sharing the Good News of salvation through Christ.
When Jesus gave the Great Commission, it was an active call to service (Matthew 28: 16-20). The disciples were to go out and make more disciples, growing the number of those devoted to Christ. But the disciples wouldn’t have been able to go out and fulfill Jesus’ commandment if he had not given them the tools and confidence they needed to complete it. Through everything Jesus taught and everything he did, he was equipping the disciples for their calling, just as we are equipped for ours by the Holy Spirit. (2 Timothy 3: 16-17)
Mentors are more than simply teachers– it is their job to ensure the characters have everything they need to fulfill their mission and the guidance required to get them there. Through all of their teaching, they must give the characters confidence and the ability to do what is required of them. The mentor must empower the mentee, or else the mentee will have all of the head knowledge, but none of the experience, skill, or surety they truly need.
. . .
Jesus was truly the ultimate mentor to the disciples and also to us. We can learn so much about what a good mentor really is through reading Scripture and learning from Jesus’ example. Patience, clarity, example, love, service, and empowerment are all attributes of a wise mentor that we can show in our writing, and doing so can have a greater impact than we’d first believe.
Reading about good, wise mentors who demonstrate the attributes of Christ can inspire readers to seek the true Mentor. Our stories become a call to action, a taste of what is possible when readers accept Christ into their lives and live for his Kingdom, all while receiving guidance on how to bring it nearer.
Jesus is my wise Mentor. Who’s yours?
Emma G. McKee is a firm believer in Jesus, dragons, and the Oxford comma. When not gallivanting through magical worlds where wolves talk and castles sing, she writes blog posts on storycraft and how to honor Christ through authorship. If you wish to acquaint yourself further with this somewhat strange person, you can find her at emmagmckee.com, where she may or may not set her mail dragons loose upon you.
(Click her profile picture to go to her website)
One Comment
A beautiful blog entry and great reminder! Thank you, Emma!