Jesus: The Good (?)[?]

I think we all heard stories of brave heroines and heroes who had to undertake an enormous challenge, to achieve something big, or something impossible, to complete a great task, if they were to gain..... 

(The hero was probably portrayed as of impeccable character, even if a bit impudent.) In the Synoptic Gospels we encounter an active man who wanted to achieve.....

 

Jesus calls people (as we shall see). He was like a magnet. People could be drawn to him without us hearing how.

Take the man (below). He would not have been forgotten in those days, for he had a lot of wealth!

(Think of those who get media attention today; even disgraced and discredited, holders of vast wealth command popular attention and are not easily forgotten.)

Here is the Gospel story, as Luke told it:
An important man asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?”
Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. You know the commandments: ‘Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Respect your father and mother.’”
He told Jesus, “I have obeyed all these commandments since I was a young man.”
When Jesus heard this, he said, “There is one thing you still need to do. Go and sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower.” When the man heard this, he was sad, because he was very rich.
Jesus saw how sad the man was. So he said, “It’s terribly hard for rich people to get into God’s kingdom! In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into God’s kingdom.”
When the crowd heard this, they asked, “How can anyone ever be saved?” (Luke 18:18-26, CEV).

The man’s question - was it answered? What did he need to do? Did Jesus tell him what he needed to know? What happened? For the moment, assume that Jesus recognised the main thing the man said and left secondary (action) issues until later. Notice that Jesus listened to the man and responded to him. We can tease it out a bit more by looking at the parallels in Matthew and Mark.

 

Sometimes it is said: "She is a good woman" or "he was a good man". I think we know the idea. What about Jesus - was Jesus denying that he himself was good? He does not say that. He does question that important man's use of the word, "good". He does say that God alone is good. There is one who is good. There is One who is Good. That may have been an accepted view? Jesus wants the reality taken seriously. Jesus does not claim to be good, nor deny being good, but what is implied?

 

God alone? Jesus thus implies that all other goodness is flawed. Jesus was and is indeed good. I think Jesus wants the man to recognise his (the man's) human imperfection. I think Jesus wants the man to abandon any idea that he can manipulate Jesus by using formula words. He wants the man to know that only God can designate a person as "good". That is the gift God will impart if....

 

We are familiar with complimentary language and graduated terms used to acknowledge high status: Your honour; your worship; the honourable; the right honourable; my lord; your grace; and so on. It is possible that a person addressed thus may actually deserve punishment for crime; perhaps for misuse of public trust or office. Social or legal status does not necessarily reflect inner quality or integrity.

 

What of us who know we are sinners? There is a "Sinners' Friend" - Jesus demonstrated that more than once.  https://www.jesussaviour4unme.com/2017/09/sinners-friend.html

The word “good” comes into all three reports, but not in exactly the same way. All three agree the man wanted to know what he had to do to inherit (or have) eternal life. He must have wondered if something was lacking, something more was required of him, or would make the difference and determine his forever destiny. He does not want to miss out on eternal life. [The expression "eternal life" is unusual in the Synoptic Gospels. Luke has it on three occasions. It may sound more like John - indicating Jesus was known to teach things like John recounts! See previous post.]

How common is it for people to think they can or must act in some way to get God onside? To think salvation is an achievement, rather than an undeserved gift?

 

Yes, God does lay down paths of right living. First comes entry into the path, with rebellion cancelled by God. The man in the report recognised that there was an invitation. Did he ever come to realise he had to accept the offer?

The man is remembered by Matthew, Mark and Luke. Perhaps that is a reflection of his prominence or, more likely, the shock of seeing so demolished the commonplace idea of the opportunities or power or rights of the “great ones”. As easy as for a camel to pass through a needle!

Before I look back at Jesus’ priority - see the young man’s earnestness and humility:

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.”[a]
He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.”
Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,[b] follow me.” But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions (Mark 10:17-22, CSB).
He ran up. He knelt down right there in the road. He was so earnest and diligent. He was just loveable (and decent).

Treasure in heaven? Not enough! Note, however, this instruction was specific to a time and a person. It is never turned into a general directive; not by Jesus. (I believe it has been sometimes misunderstood.)

The prospect of letting go his place in the world was too much for the man. After being affluent he was being offered a life without financial security. How could he just sell up and dispose of all he had? To replace his life with a new, unfunded, life with Jesus. Could belonging with Jesus matter that much?

Perhaps now we may realise why Jesus challenged the man’s idea or concept of “good”. That was the point Jesus picked up, even if the "good" question made less impression on the hearers.

Let’s compare:
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19, NIV)

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments:  (Mark 10, NIV)

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: (Luke 18, NIV).

They differ!  The reader may notice that "good" is used differently in Matthew. Mark and Luke agree in use. (It is unusual for Mark to support Luke rather than Matthew.)  Do we have to require that all witnesses give exactly the same account? Must we insist the account is fully and completely detailed, with no editorial selectivity? Is it impossible to harmonise the data we have? Could both views be right? (The Gospel writers do not ever claim to be giving word-for-word accounts. Also, it is an oversimplification, but I noted that all three have the same words in adjacent position, "good" and "what", or, "what" and "good", but Matthew has the different order. All have the adjective in the grammatical form that governs the translations.)

 

Mark and Luke agree that the rich young man applied “good” to Jesus. How did the man know Jesus was good? What did he mean by "good"? Popular? Poor? Unsophisticated? Not "in with" the “powers-that-be”? Decent? Trustworthy? God-fearing? Honest? Respectable? What did he think being “good” was?

Matthew also has Jesus picking up the central point in the man’s view - his view was all about achievement; about striving; about meritorious actions. Such things are surely worthy, but nothing earns God’s pity and mercy. God is good. God alone. God loves and gives. Eternal life is accepted, not earned. Merit could never be sufficient and could not cancel the rebellion.

Why did Jesus put such a severe test on the young man? (I presume he was not a family man with dependents!) Why, indeed. Maybe the man later took up the challenge and came back? That was between him and Jesus and not for us to replicate.

 

He would not have been easily forgotten. What about Jesus' gentle rebuke and correction? Is that still remembered?

 

And today - are the upper classes, the wealthy, the sophisticated, the academic, the celebrated, the well-connected, the educated, the comfortably off - are they on an express lane to God? No such thing in the Bible. Look back up at the Luke account - it is hard for the "want nots" to humble themselves under the hand of God and trust simply in God's mercy. Is not that what Jesus said - and again shocked those people? The real playing field of actual salvation is completely level. The problem arises with the riches, treasures and cares of this life.

Imperfection does matter. Imperfection does not have to be fatal to life eternal. The One who is Good is ready to act.

There is no record of anyone asking him, but Jesus created scandal by going about freely giving individuals forgiveness of failure to meet God's standard. (See for example, Luke chapter 7, verse 48.) The theme of deliverance availability through Jesus is there from the start of the report.

 

Did the man ever (inwardly) seek forgiveness of his shortcoming? Did he reflect on the Jesus he met and come back? Did he ask? How easy would it have been for a self-made or well connected or highly esteemed person to again kneel in the dust before Jesus, and ask? So it is for people - people like us. 

 

Was the people's question answered? Did they want the answer?

 

Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”
He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” (Luke 18:26-27, NLT)

 

Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
 

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Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.


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Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Note: I retain in the publishers' text where they occur the references [ ] to footnotes, but usually not the notes. You can check footnotes out by viewing the text on-line. Often they are replicated in different translations. 

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