Mentors as Instruments of God’s Call - Explore Calling...Mentors as Instruments of God’s Call uses Scripture to illustrate such shared jour - neys. Through biblical narratives,

Mentors as Instruments of God’s Call

MentorsAS INSTRUMENTS OF God’s Call

BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS

JUSTO L. GONZÁLEZ

General Board of Higher Education and MinistryThe United Methodist Church

Nashville, Tennessee

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry leads andserves The United Methodist Church in the recruitment,preparation, nurture, education, and support of Christian lead-ers—lay and clergy—for the work of making disciples of JesusChrist for the transformation of the world. Its vision is that anew generation of Christian leaders will commit boldly to JesusChrist and be characterized by intellectual excellence, moralintegrity, spiritual courage, and holiness of heart and life.

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of TheUnited Methodist Church is the church’s agency for educa-tional, institutional, and ministerial leadership. It serves as anadvocate for the intellectual life of the church. The Board’smission embodies the Wesleyan tradition of commitment tothe education of laypersons and ordained persons by providingaccess to higher education for all persons.

Copyright © 2009 by the General Board of Higher Educationand Ministry, The United Methodist Church. All rightsreserved.

First published 1992

Updated 2003

Revised 2009

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatso-ever, print or electronic, without written permission, except inthe case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles orreviews. For information regarding rights and permissions, con-tact the Office of Interpretation, General Board of HigherEducation and Ministry, P.O. Box 340007, Nashville, TN37203-0007; phone 615-340-7383; fax 615-340-7048; [email protected]. Visit our Web site at www.gbhem.org.

All Scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are taken fromthe New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989,Division of Christian Education of the National Council ofChurches of Christ in the United States of America. Used bypermission. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-938162-80-3

Produced by the Office of Interpretation

Manufactured in the United States of America

CONTENTS

Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viiPreface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiChapter 1: Many Calls, One God. . . . . . . . . . . 1Chapter 2: Elijah and Elisha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Chapter 3: Eli and Samuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Chapter 4: Mary and Elizabeth . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Chapter 5: Paul and His Many Mentors . . . 41Chapter 6: Peter, John, and Their

Unexpected Mentors . . . . . . . . . . 49

FOREWORD

� Mentoring was incorporated into TheUnited Methodist Church in a formal way in1984, when the General Board of HigherEducation and Ministry established a candi-dacy program to work with persons explor-ing a call to full-time ministry. At the heart ofthis program was the naming of a mentor—someone who was trained and equipped togive support and guidance to inquirers asthey discerned their call to ministry. In sub-sequent years, candidacy and clergy mentor-ing has become a foundational element inthe candidacy and provisional programs.

In 1992, the Rev. Justo L. González, aclergy member of the Rio Grande Conference

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and former professor at Candler School ofTheology and the Evangelical Seminary ofPuerto Rico, was asked to develop this mono-graph. Since then it has become a usefulresource for mentors and candidates tounderstand the meaning of discernment asjourney, where the mentor accompanies thecandidate, walking with him or her in mutualunderstanding and support.

In the Division of Ordained Ministry’sFulfilling God’s Call: Guidelines for Candidacy,exploring candidates are invited to recallpersons who have shared in (accompanied)or significantly influenced their spiritualjourney. Mentors as Instruments of God’s Calluses Scripture to illustrate such shared jour-neys. Through biblical narratives, Gonzálezexpounds on many ways and experiencesthrough which God may call persons toministry. He also invites readers to considerwhat the Bible may be saying about theirparticular call.

God uses people to reach other people.González illustrates this through mentoring

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relationships between several significant bib-lical characters: Elijah and Elisha—two menwith very different personalities, lifestyles,and approaches to ministry; Eli and Samuel—God effectively using Eli as a discerning men-tor in spite of his shortcomings; Elizabeth andMary—Elizabeth being sought out to play asignificant role in Mary’s discernment at acrucial time in her life; Paul and his manymentors; and Peter—whose response and fol-low up from strangers impacted the course ofhis ministry. Each narrative is followed bythought-provoking questions for reflection.

This thoughtful resource, Mentors asInstruments of God’s Call, augments individ-ual candidacy journeys and conference candi-dacy programs. It is also a helpful guide foridentifying and training candidacy mentors. �

Sharon RubeyDirector, Candidacy and Conference Relations

General Board of Higher Education and MinistryThe United Methodist Church

Summer 2009

Foreword

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PREFACE

� As we look at the history of the church, itis surprising to note that, of all the variousways in which people have been prepared forministry through the centuries, none hasbeen as constant as mentoring. Indeed, dur-ing most of the life of the church, there wereno seminaries; and the few schools of theol-ogy in medieval universities were notintended to prepare people for ministry butfor academic research, debate, and reflection.Although the New Testament tells us littleabout how people were prepared to takepositions of leadership in the churches Paulfounded, there is little doubt that such peo-ple were formed and trained through the

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mentoring of Paul and others. Slightly later,in the second century, churches elected theirbishops or pastors from among their mem-bers, and these prospective pastors had toprepare a confession of faith to be approvedby their colleagues in nearby churches.

How were these people trained? Cer -tainly not in seminaries or universities. Therewere indeed some schools for the study ofScripture and Christian theology in placessuch as Alexandria and Caesarea, but only afraction of the leadership of the church everattended such schools. The truth is that thevast majority of prospective leaders in thechurch were formed through the mentoringof other individuals or of the congregation asa whole. When Ambrose was elected bishopof Milan, he called on his former teacherSimplicianus to tutor him in theology.Augustine was already a philosopher and the-ologian when Bishop Valerius of Hippo prac-tically forced him to become first a priest andthen a bishop. From that point on, under theguidance of Valerius and the rest of the


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church, he learned his pastoral duties anddeveloped a theology that related moredirectly to those duties. With some variations,most Christian leaders were formed andtrained by mentors until the time of theReformation, when Protestants began encour-aging prospective pastors to study at the uni-versities; and the Roman Catholic Council ofTrent did likewise, developing the entire sys-tem of seminaries which, with significantadjustments, still stands. Thus, seminaries andschools for the formation of pastors, althoughcertainly important, have not always existed;and when they have existed, their academicwork has been complemented by a wide vari-ety of forms of mentoring.

For this reason, when we speak today ofthe importance of mentoring for the forma-tion of Christian leaders for the task of min-istry, we should not be surprised. Mentoring isnot new. It has always played an importantrole in the development of new leadership forthe church. This is why The United MethodistChurch—like many others—stresses the

Preface

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importance of mentoring as part of the forma-tion of Christians for ministry. The reasonmentoring sometimes appears new to us maywell be that in recent decades we have paidlittle attention to it, placing the responsibilityfor the formation of ministerial leadershipalmost exclusively on institutions, boards, andcommittees. While all these are valuable andimportant, their existence does not relieve thechurch as a whole of its mentoring task.

How was it possible in the second cen-tury for a church simply to elect one fromamong its members as its pastor or bishop,and have that person’s theology ratified bythe rest of the church? Simply because thechurch as a whole was a mentoring community.Long before they were elected, theseprospective leaders were being mentored byindividual members in their faith communityas well as by the church at large.

There is no more urgent matter for thechurch today than the need to become onceagain a mentoring community. The churchcan no longer count on the surrounding


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culture to mold the Christian character andto develop the thinking of its members—much less of those who are to take positionsof leadership.

It was for this reason that, when invitedby the General Board of Higher Educationand Ministry in 1992 to produce a booklet onexamples of mentoring in Scripture, I wasglad to do so. The task set before me at thattime was to explore some patterns of men-toring in the Bible, not as an exhaustive list ofsuch patterns but so that we today may seehow many forms mentoring takes, and con-sider how we may be called both to mentorand to be mentored. So, dear reader, it is myhope that, as you read the pages that followand reflect on the biblical passages, your owncalling to mentor, and the manner God maybe calling you through mentors around you,may become clearer. So be it! �

Justo L. GonzálezDecatur, Georgia

March 2009

Preface

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C H A P T E R 1

MANY CALLS, ONE GOD

� As you open this booklet, you may be ask-ing, “Am I called by God?” If so, you are askingthe wrong question! We are all called by God.

First of all, God calls us into existence. InGenesis 1, God creates by calling things outof nonbeing: “God said, ‘Let there be. . . .’And it was so” (3-14). And in John 1, we aretold that all things have come into beingthrough the Word (1-3)—which means thatour very existence is a result of God’s Word,of God’s calling us into being.

Second, if we are Christians, it is alsobecause God has called us. In Romans 1:6,

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Paul refers to his readers, whom he had nevermet, but who obviously were part of thechurch, as those “who are called to belong toJesus Christ.” And he also tells his Corinthianreaders (many of whom were far from idealdisciples) that they were “called [by God]into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christour Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).

But there is a third meaning of the wordcall. This third meaning refers to God’s callingus to particular tasks. It is in this sense that weuse the word vocation, which comes from theLatin for “call.” In both epistles quoted above,Paul also says that he is “called to be an apos-tle” (Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1). By thishe means that he has received a particularcalling, a particular task. If all followers ofChrist are such because God has called them,Paul has received, beyond the call to be a dis-ciple, also the call to be an apostle.

We shall be studying something of whatthe Bible says about the “call” in this thirdsense. Thus, in a way, this booklet is an invi-tation to study the Bible. But it is more than


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that. Our purpose is not to study the Bible inorder to understand it better but, rather, tostudy the Bible in order to understand whatGod wants us to do. The Bible is “a lamp tomy feet and a light to my path” (Psalm119:105). If we are walking along a path atnight, with a flashlight, we make certain thatthe flashlight shines and that its lens is clear;but rather than looking directly at the flash-light, we use it to illumine the path. Thesame is true of the Bible. We study it in orderto draw its light and to make sure that thelens is clear, but then we must point it at ourpath so that we may walk without stumbling.Therefore, we shall be studying what theBible says about the call; but more specifi-cally, every reader is invited to consider whatthe Bible may be saying about his or her call.

God calls people to different tasks, andtherefore the calls are varied in content. Youare familiar with the passages in Romans12:4-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, wherePaul speaks of various tasks in the church asfunctions assigned to different members of

Many Calls, One God

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the Body. God calls different people to dif-ferent tasks. That is how the Body works. Justas no two people are alike, so no two peoplehave exactly the same calling by God. Evenin the case of people who have similar calls,there are differences. Paul is an apostle, andPeter is an apostle; but their tasks are notexactly the same. The same is true today. TheUnited Methodist Church, for instance, hasdifferent categories whereby it classifies andcertifies people for ministry. Some are calledinto specialized ministries as lay people;some are called into ministry as licensed localpastors; and some are called into ordainedministry as deacons or elders, whose min-istries are expressed in many ways within orbeyond the local church. Not all have thesame gifts nor are called to the same task.

And the calls also vary along the course ofan individual’s life. Look, for instance, at thestory of Paul’s conversion in Acts 9. When heasks what he is supposed to do, all that he istold is to get up and enter the city—which, inany case, was what he intended to do before


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his encounter with the Lord! Then, inDamascus, Ananias comes to him and clarifiesthe meaning of his vision. (In Acts 9 we arenot told that Ananias spoke to Paul of his call-ing to preach; but in Acts 22:14-16 Paul saysthat such was indeed the case.) Still, Paul hasvery little idea what this means, beyond thefact that he is to be a witness. Later, he ispreaching near his own native land whenBarnabas recruits him to work in Antioch(Acts 11:25). It is in Antioch that he andBarnabas receive the call to set out on a mis-sionary journey (Acts 13:1-3). Along his jour-neys, there are repeated instances in whichGod calls him to do things that he did notexpect. Then comes the vision of theMacedonian calling him to cross over toEurope (Acts 16:9-10). Each of these is a callfrom God. All are part of Paul’s calling.

This is very important for us to under-stand as we struggle with the question of ourown call. Many who today are considering acall to ministry or a new form of ministry areconsidering this as a “second career.”The same

Many Calls, One God

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is true of many who are called to the ministryof Word and Sacrament. A woman who spentfifteen years as a teacher, or a man who hasbeen a printer for twelve, suddenly feels com-pelled to consider a different calling. Thatdoes not necessarily mean that they havebeen doing the wrong thing all along—thatthey have been disobedient until now. Thatmay or may not be the case. The teacher, forinstance, may have decided to become ateacher because she refused to hear God’scall; but she may also have been called to bea teacher when she was younger and is nowcalled again to use that experience in a differ-ent manner—just as Paul was first called to goto Damascus, then to serve in the church inAntioch, then to become a missionary, andfinally to go across to Europe. A new callingdoes not necessarily nullify the value of theold or of what was accomplished in the past.

There is also variety in the way in whichthe call of God to specific tasks comes to us.Some calls are quite extraordinary, such asMoses’ experience with the burning bush or


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Isaiah’s vision in the Temple. Others are lessspectacular, such as the call to Timothy tojoin Paul in his ministry (Acts 16:1-5). Yet,no matter how spectacular or how ordinary acall may seem to be, both are equally validand equally important; for a call derives itsvalue and its importance not from the expe-rience itself but from the Caller, who is noneother than God!

Among the many instruments that Goduses so that we may hear the call, probablythe most important and most common one isanother person. Indeed, even in those caseswhere the most extraordinary experiencesare part of the call, we can also discern howGod has been using other people to preparethe way for the moment of the dramaticexperience. Thus, in the case of Moses, longbefore the experience of the burning bush, itis clear that God had been preparing Mosesfor the great task assigned to him. Hismother, appointed by Pharaoh’s daughter ashis wet nurse, kept his contact with the chil-dren of Israel. His experience growing up in

Many Calls, One God

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Pharaoh’s household was also part of hispreparation for his task. And the Israelitewho was being beaten, and whose plight soprovoked Moses that he killed the Egyptian,was at least an instrument preparing Mosesfor God’s call. Later, after the flight fromEgypt, his father-in-law Jethro helped himunderstand and fulfill his new calling asleader of Israel (Exodus 18:13-27). In theNew Testament, we have the case of Paul, forit has often been remarked that the martyr-dom of Stephen probably prepared the wayfor Paul’s experience on the road toDamascus.

These people whom God uses to helpothers clarify their call are usually called“mentors.” The word mentor is derived fromthe name of Mentor, the unexcelled teacherof Telemachus in Homer’s Odyssey. It hastraditionally referred to a trusted, experi-enced teacher or guide. In more modernusage, it has become a common way of refer-ring in the business community to someonewho “teaches the ropes” to another, and who


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thus becomes not only a coach but also asponsor in one’s climb along the organiza-tional ladder. There are, however, some dif-ferences between all this and what we meanwhen we speak of a “mentor” who helps usdiscern the call. They have to do with the dif-ferences between the order of the world andthe order of the gospel: The purpose of hav-ing a mentor is not to assure ourselves of hisor her help in a climb up a ladder of poweror prestige but, rather, to assure ourselves ofhaving his or her help in listening to whatGod is calling us to do. And, for similar rea-sons, the mentors whom we shall be studyingare not always exceptional figures in and ofthemselves but, rather, people whom Godchose, sometimes even in spite of their short-comings, to be instruments of God’s call toothers.

In the pages that follow, we shall bestudying a number of cases in which Godused a certain person as an instrument to callothers or to clarify their call. Hopefully, youwill be thinking about your own call and

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about persons who have helped or may helpyou hear that call. Perhaps, you should alsobe thinking about how you may play a simi-lar role for others by helping them clarifytheir call. �

Questions for Ref lection and Discussion1. There are many different callings, all

from God. Think about various people inyour church and about their differentgifts and functions in the church. Is theresomeone who has a particular gift fororganizing people and activities? Is therean “initiator”—someone whose conta-gious enthusiasm gets people going? Isthere someone who is particularly goodat visiting the sick and the bereaved?

2. Remember that God calls people, notonly for tasks within the church but alsofor ministries in the world. As you thinkabout people in your community, canyou name some who see their work as agenuine call from God?


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3. What are your own particular gifts? Howhave you been able to use them in thepast? Are there some gifts you are notcurrently using? (If you are studying thisbooklet as a group, you may help oneanother answer these questions.)

4. Look back at the years that have gone by.What have you been doing in thoseyears? Were they generally years of obe-dience so that you may say that you werefollowing God’s call? Were they years ofdisobedience? Were they “in-between”—a mixture of both? Be open to the possi-bility that God’s call to you today,although apparently different from yourcall in the past, may not deny that earliercall but actually carry it a step further—much like Paul’s being called toMacedonia.

Many Calls, One God

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C H A P T E R 2

ELIJAH AND ELISHA

� Among all the prophets of Israel, Elijahoccupies a place of honor. This is so partlybecause he was the first of the greatprophets, partly because of his firm stanceagainst the idolatry brought into the nationby the marriage between Ahab and Jezebel,and partly because he was said to have beencarried off to heaven (2 Kings 2). For this lastreason, there is in Judaism a tradition of longstanding that Elijah some day will return(see, for instance, Matthew 11:14; Mark 6:15;John 1:21, 25). But perhaps the most impor-tant action of Elijah, rather than any of the

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miracles done through his hand or any of hisharsh words against idolatry and injustice,was the appointment and training of his suc-cessor, under God’s guidance.

Elijah himself appears in Scripture quitesuddenly. We are simply told: “Now Elijahthe Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said toAhab . . .” (1 Kings 17:1). In contrast to othergreat personalities of the Bible, we are toldnothing of his birth or of his parentage. Hesimply appears suddenly as a full-blownprophet, challenging the king’s idolatry anddeclaring that there would be a great droughtand famine. What we have of him are a seriesof short stories or episodes. Apparently, helived in isolation most of the time and cameout of the desert only when he had a task toaccomplish for the Lord. It is thus that hefirst appears in the narrative, announcing thegreat famine to Ahab. He then goes into asort of exile in Zarephath, a territory belong-ing to Sidon; and it is there, in the privacy ofa widow’s house, that two of his most famousmiracles take place—the inexhaustible supply

Elijah and Elisha

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of oil and meal from a little jug and a jar, andbringing the widow’s son back to life. It isonly when the famine has run its course thathe returns and presents himself to Ahab, notto announce the end of the drought but tochallenge the prophets of Baal and ofAsherah. Having defeated them by bringingfire from heaven onto his sacrificial altar, heslays four hundred fifty of them. This pro-vokes the anger of Jezebel, who vows to killhim; and as a result, even after he hasannounced the end of the drought, he has toflee once again, this time to Mount Horeb. Itis there that he receives word from God thathe should anoint new kings for Aram and forIsrael, and also that “you shall anoint Elishason of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophetin your place” (1 Kings 19:16).

It is at this point that Elisha first appearsin the biblical narrative (1 Kings 19:19-21).In contrast to Elijah, we are told more abouthis background. Elijah finds him plowing,with “twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, andhe was with the twelfth.” What this means is


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that Elisha had a rather successful careerahead of him as a farmer. He was plowing hisfather’s field, not alone but with eleven oth-ers, probably servants of his family. He waslast so that he could oversee their work.Thus, unlike Elijah, who appears in the bibli-cal narrative seemingly out of nowhere andwho led a rather simple life, Elisha is anestablished young businessman, with connec-tions in the community and a promising eco-nomic future.

It was then and there that Elijah “threwhis mantle over him.” The mantle was both agarment and a sign of office. (Remember theepisode in 1 Samuel 24, where David cuts apiece off Saul’s mantle, and this is taken as asign, both that he could have killed the kingand that he would be the next king.) Elijah’smantle came to have particular significance.This was the mantle with which he coveredhis face in the presence of God (1 Kings19:13) and also the mantle that he wouldlater use to part the waters of the Jordan(2 Kings 2:8). Therefore, by throwing his

Elijah and Elisha

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mantle over Elisha, Elijah was proclaiminghim as his successor; and the hymn interpretscorrectly the significance of this event: “Godof the prophets! Bless the prophets’ [heirs];Elijah’s mantle o’er Elisha cast.”

Elisha has a successful career as a farmer.His response to Elijah’s action may be help-ful for any who may be considering the pos-sibility of God’s call to a new career. He tellsElijah that he must kiss his parents. He mustbid farewell properly and leave as a gratefulson, not as someone who is running awayfrom failure or from unhappy human rela-tions. Then he tears up his plow and equip-ment and uses them to build a fire on whichto offer his team of oxen as a sacrifice. He isready to embark on a new life, and he does soboth by acknowledging what there was goodin the old and by clearly breaking away fromit. And yet, even his leaving becomes a feastto which he invites those who used to plowwith him.

Elisha followed Elijah for a number ofyears—probably six or seven. During that


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time, as was customary in such situations, heacted both as a disciple and as a servant. Thisis why, when later the king of Israel asks for aprophet, one of his servants answers, “Elishason of Shaphat, who used to pour water onthe hands of Elijah, is here” (2 Kings 3:11).Then Elijah was taken away, and Elisha cameto occupy his place.

There are both striking similarities andstriking contrasts between these two prophets.The clearest similarities have to do withepisodes that seem to parallel each other.Compare, for instance, the story of Elijah andthe widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16)with the story of Elisha and the prophet’swidow (2 Kings 4:17). Note also that bothstories are followed by giving a woman ason—in Elijah’s case, by raising the widow’sson from the dead and in Elisha’s by announc-ing to the Shunammite woman that shewould conceive a son, whom Elisha laterrestores to life.

The differences, however, are even moreremarkable. Elijah wore his famous mantle,

Elijah and Elisha

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which apparently was rough; Elisha woreregular clothes. Elijah has traditionally beendepicted with flowing long hair; Elisha wasbald, and small boys jeered him about it(2 Kings 2:23). While Elijah lived most of thetime in the desert and sought human com-pany only when commanded by God to doso, Elisha spent most of his time in the citiesor even in his own house in Samaria. Elijahwas the dramatic prophet who appeared onthe scene suddenly with impressive wordsand even greater deeds and then apparentlyretired once again to the desert or into exile.Elisha’s ministry covered about half a cen-tury of almost constant activity; Elijah’s min-istry was sporadic. In general, Elijah spokeharsh words, while Elisha was noted for hisacts of mercy. Whereas Elijah was feared byAhab and others in power, Elisha was atrusted advisor to kings, not only of Israel butalso of Judah, and even of Moab. Elijah slewthe four hundred fifty prophets of Baal;when Naaman tells him that he will have tobow before Rimmon, Elisha responds, “Go in


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peace.” One could say that, although Elijah’swas the fiery word of denunciation that clar-ified the issues, Elisha’s was the work of con-struction that led Israel into new times ofobedience.

They were different, partly because theirtimes were different and partly because theirbackgrounds were different; yet they servedthe same God. And in this is seen the great-ness of both: Elijah’s by being ready toappoint as his successor someone who wasnot very much like him; Elisha’s by beingable to respond to new challenges in waysthat were not mere repetition of what histeacher had done and to learn from someonewhose lifestyle was so different from hisown. �

Questions for Ref lection and Discussion1. Elijah was the instrument that God used

to call Elisha. Have you ever consideredthe possibility that God may be usingyou to call others?

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2. Apparently, Elisha was quite contentplowing his field until Elijah issuedGod’s call to him. Has anyone ever sug-gested that God might be calling you toa particular task? Did you take him orher seriously?

3. Elijah was able to name Elisha his succes-sor and to train him, without makingElisha a carbon copy of himself. What doyou think it takes for a mentor to be ableto do this? Elisha was able to learn froma person whose lifestyle was very differ-ent from his own. What do you think ittakes for a mentor and a disciple todevelop that kind of relationship? Canyou point to similar relationships in yourown life or in the church?


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C H A P T E R 3

ELI AND SAMUEL

� The story of Eli and Samuel is wellknown. Yet, we often miss the profounddrama involved. Indeed, we tend to think ofEli as a great priest, one of whose manyaccomplishments was that he trainedSamuel. But if you read the biblical accountagain (1 Samuel 1–4), you will note that,apart from his relationship with Samuel, Eliis a sad figure.

The Bible does not say a word of Eli’saccomplishments. We know that he was apriest at Shiloh and that he was a judge ofIsrael for forty years (1 Samuel 4:18). This

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joining of two such offices in one person wasrather extraordinary. But we are not toldthat, either as a priest or as a judge, Eli didanything exceptional.

The one thing we know of Eli, apart fromthe stories connected with Samuel, is that histwo sons, Hophni and Phinehas, werescoundrels who “had no regard for the LORD

or for the duties of the priests to the people”(1 Samuel 2:12). They took advantage of thesacrifices offered at the altar, taking the bestpart for themselves; and their sexual moresleft much to be desired. All that Eli did wasoffer them a mild rebuke; and as a result, anunnamed prophet came and told him thatbecause of his sons’ behavior, and because ofEli’s acquiescence, his sons would die vio-lently; and no longer would his descendantsserve as priests of the Lord. It all sounds likethe sad but all too common story of a parentwhose children are spoiled, with the resultthat both the parent and the children suffer.At the end of his life, when he was ninety-eight years old, the tragedy unfolded. His sons


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were killed in a battle in which the ark of Godfell into the hands of the Philistines. When Eliheard the news, he fell from his seat by thegate, broke his neck, and died. Yet that was notthe end of the tragedy, for his daughter-in-law,Phinehas’s widow, went into labor when sheheard the news. As she was about to die as aresult of childbirth, she gave her son the sadname of Ichabod, which means “inglorious,” or“gone is the glory” (1 Samuel 4:10-22).

If we were employing the term mentor asit is often used today in the business commu-nity—as a sponsor who can help one getahead in a competitive world—then Eliwould be far from filling the bill. There wasnothing particularly striking or appealingabout him. Measured by standards of success,fame, and glory, he was a loser. It is the storyof Samuel that gives luster to Eli’s otherwisedull life. Indeed, Eli is remembered asSamuel’s mentor, as the one through whomSamuel heard and interpreted his call.

Even in that connection, Eli does notappear as a particularly sensitive or perceptive

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person. At the very beginning of the story,before Samuel was born, his mother, Hannah,was praying fervently at Shiloh, asking Godfor a son. When Eli saw her praying so fer-vently, with her lips moving but withoututtering a sound, he thought she was drunkand said to her: “How long will you make adrunken spectacle of yourself? Put away yourwine” (1 Samuel 1:14)—certainly not thewords of a particularly sensitive priest or pas-tor! It was then, however, that Eli showed thetrait that allowed him to be Samuel’s mentorand which made him great in spite of hismediocrity: He was able to see his error andto take a new direction. When Hannah toldhim that he was wrong, rather than rebukingher further for speaking thus to a person inhis position of authority, Eli blessed her: “Goin peace; the God of Israel grant the petitionyou have made to him” (1 Samuel 1:17). Asa result of this, Eli—a mediocre and perhapseven insensitive person—was given theresponsibility to raise one of the greatestleaders of Israel, for Hannah promised the


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child to the Lord. Accordingly, when thechild was weaned, she brought him to Eli andsaid: “I am the woman who was standing herein your presence, praying to the LORD. Forthis child I prayed; and the LORD has grantedme the petition that I made to him.Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; aslong as he lives, he is given to the LORD”(1 Samuel 1:26-28).

The Bible says very little about youngSamuel’s life under the guidance of Eli.Actually, all that it says is that Samuel was“ministering to the LORD under Eli” (1 Samuel3:1). One can imagine that Eli taught him notonly the rituals of the sacrifice but also the tra-ditions of Israel, and most especially who theGod of Israel was, and what that God haddone in Israel’s history. Clearly, if one judgesby the results, Eli, who by now was “very old”(1 Samuel 2:22), did a much better job withSamuel than he did with his own two sons.

The other episode that the Biblerecounts regarding Eli and Samuel is the callof Samuel. In this regard, you may wish to

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read 1 Samuel 3. The story, told in brief, isthat Samuel heard a voice calling him byname and thought it was Eli, who by nowwas almost blind. Three times he heard thevoice; and three times he ran to Eli, only tobe told that Eli had not called him. Hereagain, Eli appeared slow to realize what wasactually happening. By the third time, how-ever, Eli understood and told Samuel that itwas the Lord calling so that, if he shouldhear it again, he should say, “Speak, LORD,for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9).Samuel did so, and the Lord did speak tohim.

It is at this point that the story, as oftentold in Sunday school, ends. But in the Biblethe story goes on. The word from the Lordwas dreadful: Eli and his house would bepunished for the sins of Eli’s sons andbecause Eli had not restrained them. Quitenaturally, Samuel did not wish to tell Eliwhat the Lord had said. But Eli insisted, andSamuel finally told him. Chastised, and rec-ognizing that what God had said was true,


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old Eli accepted the divine judgment. Hecould have discounted what Samuel told himas the musings of an imaginative child.Instead, he said, “It is the LORD; let him dowhat seems good to him” (1 Samuel 3:18).

As we look at this entire story of Eli andSamuel, thinking in terms of the call andhow it comes to us, three elements stand out.First, Eli may not be an outstanding charac-ter; and yet God uses him to train Samueland to help him understand his call. Second,although Eli is a far cry from Elijah, he isquite ready to correct himself when he dis-covers that Hannah is not drunk, and even toaccept God’s dreadful judgment when itcomes. Third, as in the case of Elijah andElisha, but even more so, Samuel’s task willbe widely different from that of his mentor,Eli. This is particularly significant, since Eli,who for all practical purposes had alreadylost his sons and knew that they were notworthy of following in his footsteps, couldhave easily been tempted to make Samuelinto an extension of his own personality.

Eli and Samuel

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Some of the implications for us todayshould be obvious. As we seek to discoverour call, we do not need to find an absolutelyoutstanding mentor but, rather, one who,even in spite of personal shortcomings, iswilling to listen with us for the Word of Godand to be obedient to God’s will. If, on theother hand, we are called upon to serve asmentors or as guides to others, what isrequired of us is not that we be outstandingpersonalities or paragons of virtue but, rather,that we be willing and able to listen withthem for the Word of God. And, both forthose of us who are placed in the role of serv-ing as mentors and for those of us who are tobenefit from such mentoring, it shouldalways be clear that, no matter how much wewould like for others to follow in our foot-steps or how much we would like to followin another’s footsteps, God will be calling thenewer generations to different tasks than theold, as time and circumstances change. �


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Questions for Ref lection and DiscussionThink about each of the following possiblequalifications in a mentor who could helpyou discern your call:

� Being a successful example and rolemodel

� Being knowledgeable and professional� Being open to new possibilities� Seeking another to continue his or her

work� Having spiritual discernment� Having similar experiences to yours

Reflect on each of these. How would yourank these qualifications in looking for aguide or a mentor? Are there other qualifica-tions you would add? Are there some in thislist that you would consider completelyunimportant?

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C H A P T E R 4

MARY AND ELIZABETH

� As the basis for this study, you may wish toread Luke 1:5-56. It is a story we have allread repeatedly and have also heard at leastonce a year, as Christmas approaches. Yet,precisely because we have heard it so often,we easily miss some of its most importantand startling points.

Note that the story of the birth of Jesusbegins not with him or with his mother butwith the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Ifyou were a first-century Jew reading thisstory for the first time, you would have foundit quite familiar. Indeed, one of the themes

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that appears repeatedly in the HebrewScriptures—what we now call the OldTestament—is that of the barren womanwho conceives through divine intervention.In the previous chapter, we came across onesuch case: Hannah praying fervently atShiloh, after many years of childlessness, andconceiving Samuel. If you go back to theBook of Genesis and read the stories of the“Patriarchs,” you will note that Sarah,Rebekah, and Rachel were all barren untilGod intervened (Genesis 15:1-2; 16:1;17:15-21; 29:31; 30:1-2). This shows, first ofall, that God is interested in the matriarchs aswell as in the patriarchs. Abraham, forinstance, believes that what is important isfor him to have a son. Even Sarah agrees. Sothey decide that Abraham will take Hagarand thus assure a progeny. But God’s planincludes both Abraham and Sarah. In thecase of Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, his otherwife, Peninnah, had already given him sons;but it was from Hannah that the greatprophet Samuel was to be born.

Mary and Elizabeth

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It is for this reason that a first-centuryJew would have found the beginning of thestory in Luke quite familiar. Elizabeth andher story seem to be the continuation of apattern clearly established in Jewish history.

Then comes a strange twist in the narra-tive: Another woman appears in the picture.This one has even more reason to be childlessthan Sarah, Rachel, or Elizabeth: She is a vir-gin. Indeed, the text tells us that she is a vir-gin and unmarried even before it tells us hername. And, just as in the case of those otherbarren women, Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth,and the rest, Mary is told that she will con-ceive and bear a son.

Mary’s response is quite understand-able: “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”(Luke 1:34). We read these words, havingheard them many times and knowing whatthe rest of the story will be, and thereforemiss much of the drama. Put yourself inMary’s place. She is not just asking for anexplanation. She is also expressing her per-plexity. When you look at it this way, you see


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the parallelism between Mary’s response andSarah’s. Sarah laughed. Mary questioned.What both actions express is the perplexity,wonderment, and even anxiety, broughtabout by the angel’s announcement.

There are, however, some important dif-ferences between Mary’s story and those ofall the barren women in the Old Testament.For them, conceiving and bearing a child wasa triumph and a vindication before the rest ofthe world. This was something for which theyhad been yearning. Others saw their barren-ness as a sign of God’s displeasure. Sometimesthey themselves agreed. Therefore, theyrejoiced when they conceived.

Mary’s case is quite different. She is noteven married, and therefore having a child isthe last thing on her mind. Furthermore, pre-cisely since she is not married, her pregnancywill not be seen as a vindication but, rather,as a cause for shame. Although Luke does notmention this explicitly, Matthew does. Lookat Matthew 1:19. There we are told thatJoseph was ready to spare Mary from “public

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disgrace” and that, therefore, he “planned todismiss her quietly.” In other words, Mary’spregnancy was likely to result in publicshame or, at least, in Joseph’s rejection.Matthew then goes on to tell us that an angelappeared to Joseph and explained what washappening and that, on that basis, Josephwent ahead with the marriage. Therefore,Mary’s question, “How can this be, since I ama virgin?” (Luke 1:34), may well involve atinge of protest. It is in this light that wemust understand the drama of her entireconversation with the angel, and her finalwords, “[L]et it be with me according to yourword” (v. 38).

Then, there is a second differencebetween Mary’s story and those of the otherbarren women we have met throughout theOld Testament. The angel tells her that she isnot entirely alone in her condition. Hercousin Elizabeth has also conceived and isalready in her sixth month. Note the contrastbetween this story and that of Hannah andPeninnah. In that other story, there was


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rivalry between the two women. Peninnah’schildren were seen as a further cause for thehumiliation of Hannah. Although at firstSarah seemed to have no objection toHagar’s union with Abraham, when she sawthe two children playing together, she pres-sured Abraham to dismiss Hagar and her son(Genesis 21:9-14). And, although Rachel andLeah were sisters, we are told that “whenRachel saw that she bore Jacob no children,she envied her sister” (Gen. 30:1).

In contrast to that attitude, Mary goes tovisit Elizabeth. She has learned from the angelthat her cousin is pregnant. The news couldhave been cause for envy and rivalry. After all,Elizabeth’s pregnancy would be reason forrejoicing and honor, while Mary’s brought herthe risk of shame and rejection. It would havebeen quite understandable if Mary had decidedto stay at home and hide her pregnancy. Yetthat is not what she does. On the contrary, shegoes “with haste” to visit her cousin.

The two pregnant women meet. One ismarried and six months pregnant after being

Mary and Elizabeth

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childless for a long time. The other is alsopregnant but probably still unmarried. Onemight wonder what thoughts went throughMary’s mind, as she journeyed into the hillcountry of Judea, worried about what hercousin might say when she learned of herpregnancy. (Remember, both Elizabeth andZechariah “were righteous before God”[Luke 1:6]; and all too often the righteousstand ready to judge those who do not meettheir standards.)

The meeting of the two women is a causefor rejoicing. Far from being judgmental, thefirst thing that Elizabeth says to Mary is“Blessed are you among women” (Luke 1:42).From that meeting, Mary draws strengthand inspiration, and utters words of praisepatterned after Hannah’s song many cen-turies earlier. No matter what the worldmight think, her pregnancy too is a vindica-tion (vv. 46-48):

“My soul magnifies the Lord,and my spirit rejoices in God

my Savior,


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for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.”

Then, at the end of her song, we are toldsomething that we often miss but that isquite significant: Mary remained withElizabeth three months and then returnedhome. By now her pregnancy would beshowing. This would normally be the time ofgreatest dread, when people would begindemanding explanations and making conjec-tures. Once her pregnancy was thatadvanced, we would expect Mary to remainin the hill country of Judea until she came toterm. But that is not what she does.Somehow, partly through her visit toElizabeth, she has gained the strength toreturn home.

All of this is closely related to our sub-ject. When the angel tells Mary that hercousin Elizabeth is also pregnant, he is offer-ing her the opportunity for support in her

Mary and Elizabeth

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difficult situation. The two relatives findthemselves in situations that are in someways similar and in some ways very different.This could have been the occasion for rivalryand alienation from each other, as in the caseof Hannah and Peninnah. But that does nothappen. Mary goes to visit her relative, whobeing older, could provide her the supportshe needs. Elizabeth, on her part, is guided bythe Spirit to receive Mary with open armsand a word of blessing. The result is joy andstrength for both of them.

In a way, Elizabeth is Mary’s forerunner,just as her son John is the forerunner ofMary’s son Jesus. Being pregnant as the resultof God’s activity provides her a point ofcommon experience with Mary. Being olderprovides her the possibility of supporting andmentoring Mary through her difficult times.

When we speak of mentoring, we areoften speaking of people who belong to dif-ferent generations. One is more experiencedthan the other. That difference in experienceis obviously necessary for genuine mentoring.


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They also have some experiences in com-mon. That too is necessary for true mentor-ing. These commonalities and differences aresuch that they could easily lead to conflictand rivalry, as was the case between Hannahand Peninnah. Yet, when a spirit of under-standing and solidarity prevails, both the dif-ferences and the commonalities can be trulyaffirmed. �

Questions for Ref lection and Discussion 1. A mentoring relationship is not always

easy. The fact that both parties work atsimilar tasks, and yet one is more experi-enced than the other, can easily lead tojealousy and rivalry. Can you think of sit-uations in your own life where that hasactually happened? What can we do toavoid it?

2. Mary and Elizabeth had much in com-mon: They were relatives; they werewomen; they were pregnant. There werealso differences between them: one young,

Mary and Elizabeth

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the other older; one married, the otherprobably still single. What do you thinkare the most important points that peo-ple should have in common in order tohave a profitable mentoring relationship?What sort of differences should theyhave?

3. Very often in a mentoring relationship,one party is considerably older than theother. How does that affect the relation-ship? Does the relationship betweenMary and Elizabeth show us somethingin that regard?

4. If you are already in a mentoring relation-ship, the two of you may wish to list anddiscuss what you have in common as wellas the differences between you. Are youusing both your commonalities and yourdifferences to their highest potential?


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C H A P T E R 5

PAUL AND HIS MANY MENTORS

� Although we have already mentionedPaul’s call (or, rather, his multiple calls), itwill be helpful to study his life in moredetail. As we do so, we shall discover thatPaul had not one but many mentors. Ofthese, at least three stand out: Ananias,Barnabas, and the entire church of Antioch.The Bible tells us very little about each ofthese, and yet it is clear that they all playedan important part in Paul’s discernment ofhis call.

Ananias was the very first Christian whomPaul met after his experience on the road to

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Damascus. Later, Paul declared that Ananiaswas “a devout man according to the law andwell spoken of by all the Jews living there”(Acts 22:12). This may have been important;for immediately after his experience with theLord, Paul met a Christian who was also knownas a devout Jew and who, therefore, was excep-tionally qualified to lead this new convert, whountil very recently had been persecuting thechurch in the name of Judaism. In any case, itwas this Ananias who introduced Paul to theChristian faith and invited him to be baptized.He also was the one who first spoke to him ofhis call to “witness to the world of what youhave seen and heard” (Acts 22:15). And, like Eliin his relationship with Samuel, Ananiasattained his renown through this relativelybrief contact with Paul. (While there are otherpeople in the New Testament who are alsocalled Ananias, they should not be confusedwith this one. In fact, the Bible mentions thisAnanias only in connection with Paul’s firstcontacts with the Christian community inDamascus.)


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Then there is Barnabas. We know a bitmore about him. His true name was Joseph,and he was a Levite from Cyprus. Accordingto Acts 4:36, he had been named Barnabas bythe apostles; and this meant “son of encour-agement.” In the very next verse, we are toldthat he sold a field and gave the money to thechurch, to be distributed by the apostles. Hedoes not appear again until after Paul’s con-version, when the disciples in Jerusalemwould not allow Paul to join them; for theyremembered how he had persecuted thechurch and were still afraid of him. It wasBarnabas who “took him, brought him to theapostles, and described for them how on theroad he had seen the Lord, who had spokento him, and how in Damascus he had spokenboldly in the name of Jesus” (Acts 9:27). So,Barnabas was the mentor and sponsor whointroduced Paul to the church in Jerusalem,which would play such an important role inhis life.

Later (Acts 11:19-26), Barnabas wassent by the church in Jerusalem to see what

Paul and His Many Mentors

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was happening in Antioch. When he sawwhat was taking place in Antioch, “herejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remainfaithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion”(v. 23). Although Acts does not tell uswhether Barnabas made a brief trip toJerusalem to report on his findings, it is clearthat Barnabas was so impressed by thechurch in Antioch that he decided to remainthere, serving the Lord in that church. It wasthen that he “went to Tarsus to look for Saul,and when he had found him, he brought himto Antioch. So it was that for an entire yearthey met with the church and taught a greatmany people” (vv. 25-26). In this case again,Barnabas was God’s instrument for Paul’scall, although now by inviting him to join inthe work that was taking place in Antioch.Then, when the time came for what we nowcall “Paul’s first missionary journey,”Barnabas seems to have been the real leaderof the enterprise in its early stages; for in sev-eral of the early episodes of that journey,Barnabas is mentioned before Paul. Later, as


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they continued their work, Paul cameincreasingly to the foreground.

Things did not always go well betweenPaul and Barnabas. At the beginning of theirsecond missionary journey, their ways parted,mostly because they did not see eye to eye asto what was to be done with Mark,Barnabas’s nephew, who had abandonedthem at the beginning of the first journeyand who now wished to join them again(Acts 15:36-39). They also seem to have dis-agreed about some of the theological issuesbeing debated in the early church (seeGalatians 2:13). But in spite of this, Paulalways had great respect for this man whohad played such an important role in his owncall. Indeed, in the Galatians passage, Pauldeclares his surprise that one of Barnabas’scharacter and stature could have acted as hedid: “[A]nd even Barnabas was led astray. . . .”Later, when writing to the Colossians, Paulagain had Mark with him and was ready tomention the young man’s kinship to Barnabasas a commendation (Colossians 4:10). What is


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important to remember is that, at more thanone point in his life, Paul received guidancefrom Barnabas.

Finally, there is the group of Christianleaders in Antioch. It was when these five—Barnabas, Simeon Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,Manaen, and Paul—were worshiping the Lordand fasting, that “the Holy Spirit said, ‘Setapart for me Barnabas and Saul for the workto which I have called them’ ” (Acts 13:2).

This was the beginning of Paul’s mission-ary career, which would earn him the title of“Apostle to the Gentiles.” It is to be noted,however, that the call to go on a missionaryjourney did not come to Paul directly and inprivate. Paul did have other such experiences,such as the call to Macedonia. But in this firstmissionary calling, the Spirit speaks not toPaul but to the entire group that is worship-ing and fasting. In a sense, the group as awhole becomes a mentor through whomPaul (with Barnabas) comes to understandhis call more fully.


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What all of this means is that Paul didnot have one mentor but many. He did notarrive at his missionary vocation by followinga role model or by having a great teacher orby purely private inspiration but through theagency of many other Christians. Later, hedid have disciples such as Timothy and Titus,whose mentor he was. But he himself, ratherthan one great mentor, had many. �

Questions for Ref lection and Discussion1. Among Paul’s mentors, Ananias seems to

have played a role at the very beginningof his Christian work, and Barnabas atthe beginning of his missionary career.Eventually, both Ananias and Barnabasfaded into the background. Is this theproper role of a mentor? How does amentor know when it is time to fade intothe background? How do we know whenit is time to leave a particular mentor andset out on our own?


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2. In the call of Paul and Barnabas to set outas missionaries, the community of faith—or, at least, its leaders—played an impor-tant role. It was to them that the Spiritgave instructions to the effect thatBarnabas and Saul should be set apart fora particular ministry. Today, the churchhas structures and procedures whosefunction is to help determine whether aperson has been called by God for a par-ticular, “set apart,” ministry. Does thispassage help you understand the valueand legitimacy of such structures andprocedures? What would you say to peo-ple who insisted they were called by Godto a particular ministry but found noconfirmation of that calling in the com-munity of faith? On the positive side,how does God employ the church tohelp us discover our call?


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C H A P T E R 6

PETER, JOHN, AND THEIR UNEXPECTED MENTORS

� We have studied the manner in whichmentoring—by which we mean guidancefrom others—helped three leaders amongthe people of God to discern their call. Thesethree leaders were Elisha, Samuel, and Paul.Some of their mentors, such as Elijah andBarnabas, were themselves highly successfuland respected. Others are known mostly oronly as a result of their mentoring—Eli andAnanias. All of them, however, were activemembers and even leaders of the people of

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God: Elijah was a great prophet; Eli was apriest and judge; Ananias, Barnabas, and the“teachers and prophets” at Antioch were allchurch leaders.

Yet, God does not always choose churchleaders—or even church members—to let ushear our call. Therefore, in this final chapterof our study we shall focus on what could becalled “unexpected mentors”—people out-side the community of faith who, neverthe-less, were instruments whereby Christiansdiscovered added dimensions to their call.

The first two chapters of Acts speak of atime when the church apparently had littleconflict with the community around it. It wasthe time of Pentecost and immediately there-after; and Acts tells us about the disciplesleading a life of intense community, frequentworship, selfless sharing, and unbounded joy.Then, at the beginning of Acts 3, Peter andJohn went to the Temple as usual at the hourof prayer, when a man who had been lamefrom birth asked them for alms. Nothing morenatural than that; and nothing more natural


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than for the disciples to answer as Peter did: “Ihave no silver or gold, but what I have I giveyou; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,stand up and walk” (Acts 3:6). We often quotethat passage without realizing that it is pre-cisely as a result of these words of Peter, andof the ensuing miracle, that the early commu-nity of the disciples found itself in conflictwith the authorities of the land and was calledto new dimensions of witnessing.

Peter and John thought that they hadsimply done what was expected of them, andcontinued on their way to worship. But theman who had been healed would not leavethem alone—the Bible says, “[H]e clung toPeter and John” (Acts 3:11). His testimony towhat had been done in his life forced theapostles to give further witness, and there-fore Peter addressed the multitude inSolomon’s Portico. Again, that was simply acontinuation of what Peter and others hadalready done at the day of Pentecost. But thestory does not end there. The authorities andcivil leaders—“the priests, the captain of the

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temple, and the Sadducees” (Acts 4:1)—arrested Peter and John, kept them in prisonovernight, and the next day took them beforethe rulers, elders, and scribes.

The story goes on. You may wish to readActs 4:1-31 and 5:12-42. The gist of whatActs tells us is that, as a result of the healingof the lame man and of Peter’s speech at thePortico of Solomon, the disciples are orderedby the Council to remain silent and to teachno more in the name of Jesus. This commandthey obviously cannot obey; and this, in turn,leads to further clashes with the authorities,an ever firmer resolve on the part of the dis-ciples, persecution, and the eventual disper-sion of the disciples, so that the gospel wascarried far and wide. In a way, the spread ofChristianity throughout the world—the veryfact of our being Christians today—stemsfrom that seemingly minor act of Peter andJohn, when they responded to the lameman’s need by healing him.

What this means is that often God callsus by means of people who are not even part


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of the church but whose need itself and ourresponse to it open new avenues for serviceand Christian growth. Jesus himself said that,when we meet a person’s need, we meetJesus (Matthew 25:34-40). This does notmean simply that we shall be rewarded “as if”we had been serving him. What the text inMatthew actually says is that, in serving suchpeople, we serve Jesus Christ.

There is an old story of a young Christianconvert in the fourth century, a soldier whosename was Martin. It is said that one cold win-ter day, as Martin was entering the city ofAmiens, he saw a beggar shivering with coldand asking for alms. Since Martin had nomoney, he took his cape, tore it in two, andgave half to the beggar. His companionslaughed and chided him; but, as the storygoes, Martin was more than compensatedwhen he had a vision in which his Lord cameto him, wrapped in half a soldier’s cloak, andsaid to him, “[J]ust as you did it to one of theleast of these who are members of my family,you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).


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The story may be true or not, but thepoint that it makes leaves no room for doubt:When Martin gave part of his cape to thebeggar, the two were not alone. There was aThird Person with them: the one who hadpromised, “just as. . . .” In the beggar, Martinmet Christ.

So it has been through the centuries, andso it is with us today. God speaks to us, notonly through preachers, teachers, otherchurch leaders, and the church itself but alsothrough the needs of the world. We do wellto seek mentors among the leaders of thechurch. But let us not forget that our Godhas also provided for us other mentors, otherinstruments through whom we can also hearGod’s call. And among these unexpectedmentors are those around us who may be inneed—whatever their need may be. �

Questions for Ref lection and Discussion 1. As you think about your call and look at

the world around you, what needs do


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you see to which you could help providean answer? What gifts, experiences, andresources do you have that could helpmeet those needs? Could it be that thevery presence of those needs is a callfrom God to you?

2. If it is true that God speaks to us throughour encounters with the needy, could itbe that sometimes our refusal to meetthe needy is due, in part, to fear of whatGod could demand of us? If Peter andJohn had not healed the lame man, theywould have saved themselves a greatdeal of trouble. Could that be one reasonwe sometimes try to keep the needy at adistance?


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First published in 1992and updated in 2003,

Mentors as Instruments of God’sCall has become a sought-after

guide for persons in the process ofdiscerning a call to ministry or seeking to

clarify their call. It is also an excellentconcise introduction for anyone interested in

learning more about the biblical meaning of mentoring.Drawing on mentoring relationships in both Testaments,

González shows how God uses one person as an instrumentto call others or to clarify their call. Questions for reflection invite

readers to apply insights to their own experience of God’s call.

Justo L. González is a retired member ofthe Rio Grande Annual Conference ofThe United Methodist Church. Formerlyprofessor at the Evangelical Seminary ofPuerto Rico and Candler School ofTheology, he currently devotes his time toresearch and writing and to the developmentof Hispanic ministries in all denominations.

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Mentors as Instruments of God’s Call - Explore Calling...Mentors as Instruments of God’s Call uses Scripture to illustrate such shared jour - neys. Through biblical narratives,