Jesus, the Ultimate Counselor

Copyright © 2007 by Dr. Irene Prospere.

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CONTENTS

FOREWORD

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CONCLUSION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FOREWORD

BY DR JOHN S. WEEKES B.A. LAW, TH.D, REL.ED. D

In Jesus the Ultimate Counselor, Dr. Prospere endeavors and from my perspective has eminently succeeded in encapsulating the fundamental and essential ingredients of effective counseling.

In so far as she purposes to advance the view that it is Christ and Christ alone by the power of the Holy spirit brings help, comfort and relief to those who lose their way and so often become mentally, emotionally, and spiritually traumatized by the cares troubles and frustrations of this world, she has most definitely hit the mark.

For when the person in need of counseling would have exhausted the long, dreary and unfruitful pathways to disillusion, hopelessness and pain, he may yet find solace, comfort and healing in the arms of the one who invites us to cast all our cares on him, because he is able and he cares for us, Jesus the Ultimate Counselor.

CHAPTER 1

HIS COMING FROM OF OLD

The Prophet Isaiah foretold the miraculous coming of Jesus our Lord and Savior, years before His birth to Mary and her husband Joseph, to whom she was to be married.

The story is told of his birth, life on earth, his teachings and most of all, his counseling style.

Jesus had a unique style that made him not only the greatest Counselor, but most of all the Ultimate Counselor.

I will contrast secular counseling, Christian counseling and the counseling style of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and try to show that Jesus is the Ultimate Counselor. Excerpts from the word of God as told by the men and women who were with Him will be used to prove that there is no other counselor like or unto him.

Throughout His ministry Jesus counseled many who came to him seeking counseling and advice.

God the father looked down from heaven and saw that many of His people were suffering and were crying out for help so he made His Son man, to dwell among us. He was made a little lower than the angels. "For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have ever lasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved." (Jn 3:16, 17.)

Isaiah made the proclamation of the birth of the Messiah when God revealed it to him. His purpose was going to be the redemption and saving of mankind from their sins. Isaiah proclaimed, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, and the mighty God, the everlasting Father, The prince of peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

According to Isaiah’s proclamation, more than seven hundred years before His birth, God’s purposes on this earth for His Son were predetermined. His destiny was to be the Ultimate Counselor, Savior and Redeemer of mankind.

It is written in The Holy Scriptures that while Mary was waiting to be married to Joseph, an angel of the Lord appeared unto her, and told her that she was with child of the Holy Ghost. Mary was a young girl who was not sure if she could carry the ultimate responsibility that was being laid upon her shoulders. But the angel of the Lord reassured her and Joseph separately that God was on their side.

After the birth of Jesus, it is written that wise men came from the East seeking the child who was born and named King of the Jews.

After arriving at King Herod’s palace in Jerusalem, they were sent by Herod to find the young child ostensibly that Herod may worship Him. But God revealed unto them that Herod’s real intent was to kill the child, and God directed them not to return to Herod. It is not unremarkable that Herod, from the very inception, realized that this newborn babe was no ordinary child and viewing His appearance into the world as an ominous sign, sought to kill Him.

God appeared to his parents and warned them to leave with the child. They escaped King Herod’s and settled in Nazareth. The child grew up under the direction of his earthly parents Mary and Joseph and the divine direction of his Heavenly father.

Jesus went into he temple and astonished the Rabbi’s and learned men with his knowledge about the things of God. They debated among themselves as to where this boy received his education, as they did not train him.

The first documented counseling session Jesus performed was at His first appearance in the temple in Jerusalem at age twelve.

As was the yearly custom, Jesus accompanied His family to the feast of the Passover. After the feast was over and His family left to return home Jesus remained behind without their knowledge. They presumed that he was in the company of their friends and/or acquaintances. The scripture said, They searched for Him and found Him not. After three days, he was found at the Temple in Jerusalem, performing what I believe was His very first counseling session. He was sitting in the midst of the Doctors, Lawyers, Priests and Learned men, both listening to them and asking questions. All who heard Him were astounded. His knowledge far exceeded that of the men he was talking to.

One can only imagine how bewildered the high priests and all who were gathered in the temple were to hear this twelve-year-old boy preaching to and teaching them about the things of God.

They surely wondered where he could have learned such things, as they had not taught him.

He counseled them about the will of His Father, and many were not pleased, as His counsel was not in conformity with their teachings and preaching.

It was also at this time that Jesus counseled His parents on what was to come. He was warning his parents of his upcoming crucifixion, death and resurrection. As he told them he was here To do his father’s will. Jesus’ love for humanity is unparallel. His life was filled with circumstances where people would seek out His counsel when they needed to find peace in their lives. In this way, he was not unlike any other counselor today.

We often seek out counselors when we cannot find the answers for ourselves. This applies to Christians as well as non-Christians. Even though as Christians we possess salvation and understanding, in our relationship with God, we are equally troubled by life’s stresses and individual circumstances. This was also obvious in all of Jesus relationships with man.

For even those who were of strong faith, needed Jesus to teach, and counsel them in varying aspects of their lives. They did not understand then and still cannot understand today, about the love of Jesus. Jesus’ most important counseling techniques involved compassion, and love. He was an individual who had the enlightened ability to see each and every individual as a unique person with unique needs and pains. He did not necessarily clump people in a specific group. He understood the innate abilities of humans and he understood that they felt lonely and fearful. His counseling techniques involved a lot of listening; but most importantly, love.

Many times we talk to someone about our problems, only to realize later, that they did not listen, and did not understand. This is where counseling is most important. It is not just a matter of the individual being able to talk out loud about their problems. It is the inherent need of all people who are troubled, to be able to find someone who will truly listen to their problems, analyze and give good constructive advice.

No one was capable of listening like Jesus. This is very evident in the way he handled people, their pain, complaints and life stresses. When individuals came to Him, he paid attention to what they had to say although he already knew why they came.

How guilty many of us are of not really listening? We think we know the answers; but most of the time we do not even understand the question and end up giving wrong advice.

It is important to note that Jesus had the spiritual ability, and sense of selflessness that enabled Him to deal with difficult situations like no other human being could. It would be impossible for any individual to be as competent a counselor as Jesus was.

Counselors today can learn from Jesus’ techniques and methods of listening and providing compassion. Jesus understands us human beings and he also recognizes us as individuals who experience pain from our own perspective. While he saw that humanity on a whole needed a spiritual Savior, he also saw people in their own unique worlds and perspectives.

Being the spiritual being that he was, he had the capability to see us in all that we were and are, and able to judge us individually and correctly. When individuals approached Him for counsel, he would look at them as individuals in their own unique positions. He saw them as part of the whole he was sent to save, but he also knew their pain and suffering that was unique to them.

Throughout all the written accounts in the Bible that pertained to His life we see that Jesus was a strong individual, yet the most compassionate, sympathetic, and loving counselor ever to be in existence.

Jesus was a man who gave people what they searched for in their family and friends. We as humans find mates and give birth to children. We have friends and family. In our quest for family and friends, we look for compassion and understanding. We hope to find a mate that has an understanding of everything about us. We want someone to love us beyond all of our faults and to see into our psyche, we desire to be understood, and loved. We often judge, but desire not to be judged. We are flawed creatures in this way, but we are also very alone and need to be loved.

Most of us spend our entire lives trying to ease our suffering in one way or another. And we look to others to help us do this. This is what Jesus did for those who came to Him. He gave them the understanding, acceptance, compassion, and love that no one else was capable of giving. He saw all there was to see about an individual and loved without judging.

The people who came to Jesus for help may not have been able to explain what he gave them, but they knew that somehow, everything was all right and their spirits were lifted.

No counselor could possibly hope to accomplish what Jesus did. We all have our own problems and insecurities. Counselors can learn from Jesus’ example in relationship counseling. They can approach each individual as a separate being who has pain and is fearful. They can approach each individual as a frightened and lonely child who only needs love and understanding.

This does not mean that such a reality could always be accomplished, for human nature does not make us capable of doing anything, without some sort of selfish intent attached. But, we as Christian Counselors can learn and do our best to emulate Jesus in His acceptance of the individual.

Secular Counselors cannot and do not follow the principles of Jesus. They look to the teachings of great psychologists like Freud, Erickson and others for their guide and leadership.

As previously mentioned, we cannot hope to ever truly comprehend what Jesus was or what he knew. We can only take what we understand and know and apply that to the best of our abilities in helping others. Christians, who are interested in counseling individuals and in using Jesus’ guide, can learn much more from the unselfishness that Jesus was capable of demonstrating. We cannot understand all of it; but we can understand that what Jesus gave those who approached Him for counseling, was indeed a great amount of comfort and kindness. (Rabey, Steve, 1996. September) Christianity Today v40 pg10¹Stafford Tim, (1993, May) The Therapeutic revolution. (Christian Counselors) (Cover Story)²

That Jesus has always and will ever be the Ultimate Counselor is clearly supported from many scripture texts. Jesus performed many miracles, spoke many parables, taught many lessons; but at the end of each occasion, he counseled His listeners whether they were His disciples, ordinary people in the streets or those who followed Him. Many were with Him because he was the Son of God. Some came to hear Him, some out of curiosity, others to ridicule and those who wanted to put Him to death. Even through all this, he had compassion for all. He healed the sick, raised the dead, opened the eyes of the blind and made the dumb to speak. He performed many miracles. But, he also had a human side. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus, cried out for his father during his crucifixion, asked his father to take away the bitter cup, suffered death and was buried. Crying out that his father’s will be done.

In order to determine the core of counseling, one must first ask the question. What is counseling? It is the ability to understand human nature. To comprehend man’s weaknesses and the ability to give comfort to individuals who are in need. A great Counselor must also be compassionate, loving, merciful, forgiving and above all be a good listener.

Jesus’ understanding of human nature was more in depth that any man who walked the earth. He took on the form of man and was able to—endure some of the physical pain man must endure. He knows our needs and wants even before we ask them of Him. He is able to listen without interrupting. He knows our weakness and shortcomings and is able to deliver us from our sins.

When Jesus began His preaching and teachings on earth, it was the greatest form of counseling man had ever encountered. He counseled all those whom he taught and preached to on a daily basis.

Jesus’ first appearance in the temple in Jerusalem was His first recorded act of counseling but many years later he returned and admonished the Rabbis and Priests for their folly for using Gods temple for other than the purpose for which it was ordained. Jesus also counseled the regarding his death and resurrection within three days of His death and burial.

He went on to counsel those present, that it was the fulfillment of the scriptures. He went into the temple and found those who sold oxen, sheep, doves and the moneychangers. He drove them out, and counseled them not to make His father’s house a den of thieves.

When the Jews questioned His authority, He counseled them saying Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews foolishly thought he spoke of the earthly temple, when he was in fact talking about His death and resurrection. St. John 2: 17-19.

There is another great act of counseling that Jesus performed when a great ruler sought him out by night. His name was Nicodemus. Nicodemus said, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher sent by God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with Him.

Jesus answered and said unto Him, verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:1-3. Nicodemus marveled at Jesus words of counsel.

This great man had power over many earthly things, but had no concept about the things of God. But, he at least had some conviction that Jesus’ teachings were out of the norm and he came to Jesus. Nicodemus was sneaking and hiding because he was worried about what His friends would think and say about Him.

Nicodemus did want to enter through the front door. He was coming in through the back, but Jesus redirected Him. He counseled Him about the new birth. Jesus told Him how he must be born again; but Nicodemus foolishly asked, "How can a man be born again? Can he enter a second time