Calling Him Good
“And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.’” —Mark 10:18
God is good. But not in the way many of us understand the term “good.” When we use the term “good” it means the quality, condition, or benefit of something, such as, “that is a good table.” We may mean that the table is useful, or we may mean that it is strong and sturdy and of good quality. But when we use the term “good” in reference to God, the bar is raised and the meaning of the word is intensified. It means the highest moral quality there can be, perfection and benevolence fused together in reference to its application to a creature. When we say that God is good, we are saying that He is perfectly benevolent to His creation, indeed the very definition and standard of the term. A.W. Tozer explains,
“The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people.”—A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 82.
God’s goodness is implied or taught through every page of Scripture. Which is why our passage today is so fascinating. Jesus is approached by a rich young ruler seeking eternal life. The wealthy young man runs up to Jesus and bows, showing honor and respect, denoting a humble and willing heart. He says, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” To which Jesus responds, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Many skip through the passage, wanting to get to the apex of the story when Jesus tells him to sell all that he has, give it to the poor, and then follow Him. Most relish the young man’s unwillingness to part with riches, choosing the things of this world rather than the Son of God, but to focus on that point alone in the story would be misleading and short-sighted. The real meat of the passage is in Jesus’ question, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” What Jesus was saying was, “Why are you calling Me good? Don’t you realize that God alone is good? Are you, then, acknowledging that I am God?” Did he realize that by calling Him “Good teacher,” he was acknowledging Jesus’ deity?
But Jesus wasn’t done. He questioned the young man, made a statement about God’s goodness and then proceeded to hold up the mirror of the Ten Commandments, which were supposed to show the young man his heart, and expose his blind spots to sin. But, rather than seeing himself as deficient in keeping the commands of God, the young man proceeded to maintain that he had kept them from his youth. However, Jesus had given an incomplete list of the Ten. He only listed him five through nine, leaving out numbers one through four, and the last one, number ten.
Seeing that the young man didn’t yet understand, and knowing what was in his heart, Jesus loved him and then said, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me.” Jesus’ requirement for discipleship was His way of bringing the law to bear upon the young man’s heart. Rather than confronting him head on, Jesus took a backdoor approach and set up the requirement for following Him by having the young man get rid of the very thing which he loved—his money and possessions. The idols of his heart were identified. He had another god before God, and was guilty of idolatry, and coveting. He thought that his possessions were the objects that brought him happiness, failing to realize that his true heart’s desire, that which was truly “good,” was standing right in front of him!
God desires what is best for us and He is good toward us, even when we do not deserve it. As the book of Matthew says, “For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”—Matthew 5:45. God is good to us. He desires that all of us recognize His goodness (supremely seen in the giving of His Son for us), and turn to Him in obedience and faith, knowing that His goodness and kindness is to lead us to repentance (cf. Romans 2:4).
Have we presumed upon God’s goodness? Have we, like spoiled children on Christmas, taken the gift that we have been given without recognizing the Giver? May God continue to be good toward us and may all who read this turn to Him alone who is good, knowing that He has treated us better than we have deserved, withholding what we have deserved and given to us what we have not. Amen.
God is good. But not in the way many of us understand the term “good.” When we use the term “good” it means the quality, condition, or benefit of something, such as, “that is a good table.” We may mean that the table is useful, or we may mean that it is strong and sturdy and of good quality. But when we use the term “good” in reference to God, the bar is raised and the meaning of the word is intensified. It means the highest moral quality there can be, perfection and benevolence fused together in reference to its application to a creature. When we say that God is good, we are saying that He is perfectly benevolent to His creation, indeed the very definition and standard of the term. A.W. Tozer explains,
“The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people.”—A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 82.
God’s goodness is implied or taught through every page of Scripture. Which is why our passage today is so fascinating. Jesus is approached by a rich young ruler seeking eternal life. The wealthy young man runs up to Jesus and bows, showing honor and respect, denoting a humble and willing heart. He says, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” To which Jesus responds, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Many skip through the passage, wanting to get to the apex of the story when Jesus tells him to sell all that he has, give it to the poor, and then follow Him. Most relish the young man’s unwillingness to part with riches, choosing the things of this world rather than the Son of God, but to focus on that point alone in the story would be misleading and short-sighted. The real meat of the passage is in Jesus’ question, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” What Jesus was saying was, “Why are you calling Me good? Don’t you realize that God alone is good? Are you, then, acknowledging that I am God?” Did he realize that by calling Him “Good teacher,” he was acknowledging Jesus’ deity?
But Jesus wasn’t done. He questioned the young man, made a statement about God’s goodness and then proceeded to hold up the mirror of the Ten Commandments, which were supposed to show the young man his heart, and expose his blind spots to sin. But, rather than seeing himself as deficient in keeping the commands of God, the young man proceeded to maintain that he had kept them from his youth. However, Jesus had given an incomplete list of the Ten. He only listed him five through nine, leaving out numbers one through four, and the last one, number ten.
Seeing that the young man didn’t yet understand, and knowing what was in his heart, Jesus loved him and then said, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me.” Jesus’ requirement for discipleship was His way of bringing the law to bear upon the young man’s heart. Rather than confronting him head on, Jesus took a backdoor approach and set up the requirement for following Him by having the young man get rid of the very thing which he loved—his money and possessions. The idols of his heart were identified. He had another god before God, and was guilty of idolatry, and coveting. He thought that his possessions were the objects that brought him happiness, failing to realize that his true heart’s desire, that which was truly “good,” was standing right in front of him!
God desires what is best for us and He is good toward us, even when we do not deserve it. As the book of Matthew says, “For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”—Matthew 5:45. God is good to us. He desires that all of us recognize His goodness (supremely seen in the giving of His Son for us), and turn to Him in obedience and faith, knowing that His goodness and kindness is to lead us to repentance (cf. Romans 2:4).
Have we presumed upon God’s goodness? Have we, like spoiled children on Christmas, taken the gift that we have been given without recognizing the Giver? May God continue to be good toward us and may all who read this turn to Him alone who is good, knowing that He has treated us better than we have deserved, withholding what we have deserved and given to us what we have not. Amen.
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