One Good Thing

3.3.2011

Mark 10:18 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. NIV

Mark 10 is one of my favorite Bible chapters. It always reminds me of my friend Brent Earwicker* who preached a wonderful sermon from this chapter one Sunday at a church we both attended. I like Brent a lot, and he and his wife Virginia, minister to Ugandans who live along the shores of Lake Victoria in Africa.

In this account Jesus qualifies ‘good’. Jesus said, good is only attributable to God alone. I call people good all the time, “he’s a good guy’”; “she’s a good person.” That’s really good cake!” Jesus said goodness is only attributable to God-ness. And Jesus called the man – who ran up to Him in Mark 10 asking how he could inherit eternal life – on his usage of the word, good. Jesus seemed to be saying something like, “Careful sport, you’re calling Me good; and since good is only attributable to God, are you calling Me God?”

And then Jesus began to call the man on his own understanding of goodness: “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” And then the man begins to justify himself: “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” And Jesus calls him on one last thing: “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” All he needed was one good thing and he didn’t have it…

Things that look good to me may not be good at all to God. Religion looks really good sometimes but Jesus was very harsh on religion. What society says is good may not be good at all – many in our society think a woman’s right to choose is a good thing… yet we never seem to get around to asking the babies slated for abortion if they think it’s good…

Father in Heaven,
You are right, there is only One who is good, and that One is You! May I measure my goodness by Your standards and by my faith in Jesus Christ. My faith in You is the only good thing I can bring before You. Help me to walk in the light and power of Your goodness today – I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.

*http://www.pleadthecause.com/v2/