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Is Jesus an Impossible Mentor?

Is Jesus An Impossible Mentor?

By Ray Hollenbach on Feb 19, 2026

Students of Jesus

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Many admire Jesus but quietly believe His life is unattainable. Scripture teaches not imitation by willpower, but transformation by union with Christ.

Scripture: Matthew 16:24, Romans 8:29, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 2:20 (view more) (view less)

Tags: honor, Preaching, Submission, Accountability, Mentor, preaching, Honor (view more) (view less)

Is Jesus an Impossible Mentor?

Many Christians revere Jesus as Savior but subconsciously dismiss Him as Mentor. We speak of following Him, yet deep down assume real obedience is impossible. That quiet resignation drains discipleship of urgency and hope. Scripture presents a different vision. God’s purpose is not merely to forgive us but to conform us to the likeness of His Son. Christ does not call apprentices into guaranteed failure. He unites them to Himself and renews their minds so they can increasingly walk in harmony with Him. Discipleship is not imitation by sheer effort; it is transformation by grace. When we stop treating Jesus as unattainable and start trusting Him as present and empowering, obedience becomes possible in real time, one hour at a time.

I knew it was a mistake as soon as the words left my mouth. Sitting in my office was a young man who had been cheated out of $200 by someone else in the church. Both men attended our church, and one guy really did owe the other $200. But the guilty party wasn’t in the office, the other guy was—and he was full of anger and frustration because of his loss. That’s when I made my hasty suggestion:

“You could forgive him his debt,” I suggested. “Jesus told us to do just that.”

Big mistake.

“Well, I’m not Jesus!” he nearly shouted back at me.

End of discussion, end of ministry time, end of opportunity to take the yoke Jesus offers. It was my mistake. Not for suggesting a perfectly Biblical remedy to his anger and frustration, but for expressing the solution in such a way that he would consider it impossible.

The Problem of the “Impossible Jesus”

It’s impossible to be like Jesus, isn’t it? Jesus was perfect. He led a sinless life. He was God-come-to-earth, and his life sets the bar impossibly high for any of us.

I believe that the central problem in nurturing followers of Jesus in North America is our view of Jesus as the Impossible Mentor.

It’s a paradox: nearly everyone is willing to acknowledge Jesus as a worthy role model, but almost no one seriously believes it is possible to live up to his example. Our esteem for Jesus’ life of obedience to the Father and our desire to be “just like Jesus” do battle with the deep-seated notion that it is impossible to be like him. Who would choose a mentor who is impossible to imitate?

Some passages in the Scripture inspire and fill us with confidence. Some light the fires of hope in our hearts. Other passages seem too idealistic, too fantastic to find their way into even our dreams, much less our daily lives: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8: 29). Is this possible? Does God really look at each one of us and see a destiny in which we look like Jesus?

Adoption Means Family Likeness

Whatever our theological foundations regarding this passage, we should all recognize that it is about God’s intention for each of us to become “conformed to the likeness of his Son.” Simply put, God desires to have more children like Jesus. Jesus is God’s only begotten Son, but we become his sons and daughters by adoption. The destiny of those adopted into the family of God is that we, too, should bear the family likeness. That is: we will look just like Jesus.

In a conversation with a dozen young Christians this week, I asked them if they felt it was possible to live a life without sin for even one day. No takers. So I rephrased the question and asked if it is possible to go for an hour without sinning. Only one of them thought it was possible to stay within the will of God for a single hour.

Apprenticeship, Not Hero Worship

These questions are not academic. They go to the heart of our life “in Christ.” If our intuition tells us that following His example is impossible, for one day or even an hour, how can we have the confidence to pursue his vision for us? The bottom line is that God has a greater vision for what is possible in our lives than we do. Perhaps the reason the Apostle Paul instructs us later in Romans to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds” is so we can see the possibilities of a life lived in harmony with Jesus. A practical, day-to-day, moment-by-moment harmony capable of generating the rest and peace he promises.

Let me encourage you to ponder the foundations of your commitment to be a disciple of Jesus. Here are a few suggestions for meditation and prayer:

Is it possible to learn from him?
If Jesus is my mentor, have I committed myself to failure with no possibility of success?
What kind of Master would invite me to be his apprentice if he thought there was no possibility of following in his footsteps?

The answers spoken from our hearts will determine whether discipleship is possible.

This article is an excerpt from Ray's new book: The Impossible Mentor: Finding Courage to Follow Jesus.

Scriptures: Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 2:20, Matthew 16:24, Romans 12:2, Romans 8:29, Romans 8

Ray Hollenbach (website: Students of Jesus)

View all articles by Ray Hollenbach

Ray Hollenbach helps pastors and churches navigate change. He's the founder of DEEPER Seminars, weekend leadership retreats focused on discipleship in the local church. His newest book is Deeper Grace, a guide to the connection between grace and spiritual maturity. Ray currently lives in central Kentucky, coaching and consulting church leaders. You can visit his blog at Students of Jesus.