The question or rather the answer to the question is so obvious that most of you will be bored reading this. If that’s the case, well, that’s the case.
Did you know that in the NIV translation of the Bible, the word good, not a form of the word good, jut the word good, is mentioned in 168 verses for a total of 174 times? It’s not as much as I thought it would be.
It’s mentioned in 88 verses of the New Testament for a total of 92 times. I need not tell you why this was a bit surprising to me. (Hint: THE Good News abounds throughout the NT)
I guess those numbers don’t really have a lot to do with this post other than just letting you know that the word, specifically a verse I’m fixing to throw out, has been heavy on my thoughts for about a week now. So heavy that I pulled out my concordance and counted all those up.
Here is a few more that are a little closer to my main thought.
In the New Testament from here on out:
Good is used to describe God (God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit) – 8 times w/ one of those in sort of a negative side of the scale, as in..not good. Seriously.
Good is used to describe man – 8 times as well, some being used multiple times in different gospels.
Now, those are subject to scrutiny. I’m no Bible scholar. So, sure, I’m sure we can dig and pick and prod and pull some more out, but I didn’t get into that much digging.
We’ve all heard the conversation at some point in our life from a non-believer or maybe even a believer that goes something like, “Well, what about such and such. She/He was such a good person. If she/he ain’t going to heaven then I don’t see how anyone can.”
This she/he person was probably not a Christian but as far as good goes, there wasn’t anyone better, in our eyes. That’s where those conversations usually get started.
Heaven isn’t attainable just by being good. In fact, if it were, Heaven would be a very empty place. You’re not good. I’m not good. There isn’t a person on the face of the planet that is good enough to get into Heaven.
Here is the verse I ran across and I hope someone can clear it up for me. It’s that one verse that Jesus used to describe himself as being “not good.” I may just be reading it wrong, but it sure has struck me in an odd way.
18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good – except God alone…” Luke 18:18-19
Maybe he was saying that to prove a point completely off base from what I’m seeing. But, if Jesus is not good, per Jesus, then there is no way any of us can claim to be good enough to get into Heaven. It’s why I thank God for his grace every day.
Because of HIM
SC
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7 Comments
I’m no Bible scholar either, so here’s my opinion.
This ruler saw Jesus in his humanness. He was looking at the works of Jesus and comparing them to his own. At the same time, Jesus knew that this man was trying to earn favor with God (what must I do..?), which we know cannot be done. Jesus could have been subtly pointing out that in this world, none of us is good enough. Oh, and since Jesus IS God, he wasn’t really calling himself not good, but in this guys eyes, Jesus was just a teacher.
karen’s last blog post..More than I can Handle
I love this stuff. I believe Jesus was trying to say he wasn’t perfect. And that is in a sense because he still had a mortal body subject to pain, hunger and death. Until he fulfilled his mission on earth and was resurrected with a perfect body only his father could be considered perfect. See Matt. 5:28 where he asks that we be perfect like his father. He doesn’t mention himself. Yes Jesus was good but at this time not yet perfect.
Being the Mormon that I am, I also believe that Christ visited his “other sheep” here in America after his resurrection and in his words to those people he asked them to be perfect even as he or his father were perfect. So, if he were called the Good Master then I don’t think he would have denied it.
In the New Testament Jesus was always defering to the Father as the perfect one saying he did nothig but what the Father commanded him. His humble response when referred to as the “Good Master” was telling of both his nature and his relationship with his father.
@Karen – I’m with ya, I think. Jesus wasn’t calling himself not good, just the way the ruler was addressing him was the wrong good? Kind of like a mis-use of the word maybe you think?
@Ryan – Perfect vs. Good. Hmm. I’m going to lean towards Jesus knowing that he was good and he was perfect. Otherwise his sacrifice wouldn’t have been as impressive, if that’s the right word to use there…I don’t think it is. I can’t think of the word I’m wanting to use. Anyway, Jesus knew how the folks he was addressing was thinking. So, when the ruler said Good teacher, it was all (as Karen said) so that he could get on Jesus’ good side, and Jesus knew this. So, Jesus put him in his place using the same mindset that the ruler was in.
I think.
Thanks for the comments. Makes me think…a lot.
Jesus Christ was asking a question, “Why do you call me good?” Then He makes a statement, “Only God is good.” Put it together and His question asks, “Are you calling me God?” Jesus was not commenting on His qualification of His righteousness; He was commenting on the question and what the question implies.
@jlcurtis3 – I may have to think about this one for a bit. Haven’t heard it put that way. I think it’s an interesting way to put it. Yet, Jesus is God, just not the way the ruler was thinking. You think?
The comments here suggest that Jesus comments give insight to His goodness; however it is possible that He used the situation to give insight to His deity. Either way Jesus was interacting with the statement of “Good Teacher” – He was pointing out that God only is good. He did not have to exclude Himself in that statement, because He was also God at the same time He was the Son of Man. The ruler was not the only one who Jesus addressed this way Matt. 19:16&17 He also pointed back to the Father when the someone wanted to know what “good thing can I do to get into heaven” – meaning it is not about what you can do, it is about what God can do.
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