I want to know why...

[Marcus2Israel]

Why does Jesus say this?

"And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

Isn't Jesus God..? I don't understand why He would say He wasn't good...

[Samer]

Jesus didn't say He wasn't good. He only wanted to get the rich young ruler thinking. We see through the Scriptures that Jesus is good, and is really God.

[Marcus2Israel]

Thank you Samer.

[speerjp1]

Jesus' saying this of himself is akin to our asking Muslims about their "respect" for Jesus. Today a Muslim will claim that Jesus is a good prophet (and therefore can't lie), but when confronted with his self-proclaimed diety, they back down and show their true opinion of Jesus Christ and basically call him a liar.

Similarly, when the religious rulers gave lip service to Jesus and told him he was good, Jesus reminded them that the word of God said that there was none good but God. They had already said that they didn't believe he was God, so it was illogical for them to say that he was "good" and "not God."

[Anon]

I agree with Samer and also, I think that eventually the conversation would have led into the fact that Jesus WAS God in the flesh. But Jesus didn't want to "go there" quite yet, He first wanted to try to convince the young man he himself was a sinner.

[zealyouthguy]

Well, I am sure this will be more than you asked for, but the Rich Young Ruler is a story that is often misunderstood by many people. Many lost people don't understand the story and believe it shows how works support salvation, and many saved people don't understand why Jesus didn't just say... "believe on me and be saved".

Here is the scripture (first off). It can be found in 3 gospels. (Mt 19:16-25; Mr 10:17-31; Lu 18:18-30)

I have chosen Mark's passage, but will refer to a few points in the others:

Mark 10:17-28 17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. 28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

First, observe the man asking questions: We know he was a ruler (whether in the synagogue or elsewhere we can't be sure). We know he was young (this is important in understanding the verses). We know he was wealthy. We he had a high opinion of himself. He was "running" to Jesus and even bowed down to him.

Second observe the question he asked... "what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

Third is Jesus response, which I will address more fully in a second.

Fourth is Jesus response to the his disciples (Jesus tells us what is hard for this young man to give up, ie. wealth).

Knowing what we do about the young man will help us understand Jesus' response to him.

Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

commandments:
Do not commit adultery
Do not kill
Do not steal
Do not bear false witness
Defraud not (associated with coveting, you covet first and then bear false witness to defraud your neighbor of their land, etc. see the story of Naboth's vineyard)
Honour thy father and mother

Here we see six of the ten commandments. What commandments are missing?

Thou shalt have no other gods before me

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, (snip) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Interestingly, these are the first 4 commandments.

These four commandments (I believe) weren't mentioned because Jesus statement about selling all that the young rich man had, directly addressed the man's sins in these four departments. Jesus typically addressed people with their sin so they had the opportunity to admit their sin and repent of it.

This man's God was money and prestige.

Money, gold and silver aren't only bowed down to as an "idol" but it's bowed down to as something that is created with human hands... (today, many people bow down to TV's made by Asian hands, Automobiles made by Mexican hands, designer duds made by French hands, etc...),

Taking the name of the Lord in vain was misunderstood by many in that day as it is today. We profane the name of the Lord in our every day actions, it's not simply saying a swear word, or exclaiming "Oh God" irreverently. We profane the name of God in our business transactions, when we don't act as a follower of Christ should (example someone gives you too much change and you don't take it back). The Jews profaned the name of God by proclaiming to follow Him when they were following all the traditions of their various sects. They profaned his name when they proclaimed their innocence of sin and then berated others (example publican vs. pharisee), etc. THAT is all taking the name of the Lord in vain... saying we are living for the Lord when we are living for ourselves profanes God's name in front of the lost.

Even in the days of the Jews (that Christ lived in) the Jews didn't understand the Sabbath. They didn't understand resting in the fact that God is the Lord and controller, owner, etc of all. Due to this they created all kinds of laws and exceptions and traditions that were used to control people rather than honor God.

So, Jesus statement about "none being good" was a response (before he even told the man how to have eternal life) to the young man's arrogance. He thought he was good. In fact, he states as much... "all these have I observed from my youth". Jesus knew the truth, that he DIDN'T observe all these things from his youth. This young man was an impressive young man I believe. I believe that many of the people (including the disciples) were impressed with this young man (their dismay when Jesus states that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than a rich man to get to heaven leads me to believe they were impressed with him).

And here is the ultimate conundrum for the young man. He calls Jesus "good", he insinuates in saying as much that he (the young man) is good, and in fact other men must be good too, OR he is insinuating that Jesus is God. Either or has dire consequences for this young man... because if Jesus is "good" (and not God) then even being "good" brings not confidence in your eternal destiny and no certainty to your final destination... the other alternative is that Jesus IS God and in which case he directly disobeys God (visually for all to see) and has placed wealth and fame above God. (the second is true, of course).

This is why Jesus HAD to state that there is NONE good except God. He couldn't give the young man a "pass" on stating that "hey, Jesus, WE are pretty good people". He addressed it with the point that... no... YOU aren't good and I am only good if I am God.

Ain't God good?

[Marcus2Israel]

:goodpost:



( ) lol

[HappyChristian]

Well, I am sure this will be more than you asked for, but the Rich Young Ruler is a story that is often misunderstood by many people. Many lost people don't understand the story and believe it shows how works support salvation, and many saved people don't understand why Jesus didn't just say... "believe on me and be saved".

Here is the scripture (first off). It can be found in 3 gospels. (Mt 19:16-25; Mr 10:17-31; Lu 18:18-30)

I have chosen Mark's passage, but will refer to a few points in the others:

Mark 10:17-28 17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. 28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

First, observe the man asking questions: We know he was a ruler (whether in the synagogue or elsewhere we can't be sure). We know he was young (this is important in understanding the verses). We know he was wealthy. We he had a high opinion of himself. He was "running" to Jesus and even bowed down to him.

Second observe the question he asked... "what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

Third is Jesus response, which I will address more fully in a second.

Fourth is Jesus response to the his disciples (Jesus tells us what is hard for this young man to give up, ie. wealth).

Knowing what we do about the young man will help us understand Jesus' response to him.

Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

commandments:
Do not commit adultery
Do not kill
Do not steal
Do not bear false witness
Defraud not (associated with coveting, you covet first and then bear false witness to defraud your neighbor of their land, etc. see the story of Naboth's vineyard)
Honour thy father and mother

Here we see six of the ten commandments. What commandments are missing?

Thou shalt have no other gods before me

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, (snip) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Interestingly, these are the first 4 commandments.

These four commandments (I believe) weren't mentioned because Jesus statement about selling all that the young rich man had, directly addressed the man's sins in these four departments. Jesus typically addressed people with their sin so they had the opportunity to admit their sin and repent of it.

This man's God was money and prestige.

Money, gold and silver aren't only bowed down to as an "idol" but it's bowed down to as something that is created with human hands... (today, many people bow down to TV's made by Asian hands, Automobiles made by Mexican hands, designer duds made by French hands, etc...),

Taking the name of the Lord in vain was misunderstood by many in that day as it is today. We profane the name of the Lord in our every day actions, it's not simply saying a swear word, or exclaiming "Oh God" irreverently. We profane the name of God in our business transactions, when we don't act as a follower of Christ should (example someone gives you too much change and you don't take it back). The Jews profaned the name of God by proclaiming to follow Him when they were following all the traditions of their various sects. They profaned his name when they proclaimed their innocence of sin and then berated others (example publican vs. pharisee), etc. THAT is all taking the name of the Lord in vain... saying we are living for the Lord when we are living for ourselves profanes God's name in front of the lost.

Even in the days of the Jews (that Christ lived in) the Jews didn't understand the Sabbath. They didn't understand resting in the fact that God is the Lord and controller, owner, etc of all. Due to this they created all kinds of laws and exceptions and traditions that were used to control people rather than honor God.

So, Jesus statement about "none being good" was a response (before he even told the man how to have eternal life) to the young man's arrogance. He thought he was good. In fact, he states as much... "all these have I observed from my youth". Jesus knew the truth, that he DIDN'T observe all these things from his youth. This young man was an impressive young man I believe. I believe that many of the people (including the disciples) were impressed with this young man (their dismay when Jesus states that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than a rich man to get to heaven leads me to believe they were impressed with him).

And here is the ultimate conundrum for the young man. He calls Jesus "good", he insinuates in saying as much that he (the young man) is good, and in fact other men must be good too, OR he is insinuating that Jesus is God. Either or has dire consequences for this young man... because if Jesus is "good" (and not God) then even being "good" brings not confidence in your eternal destiny and no certainty to your final destination... the other alternative is that Jesus IS God and in which case he directly disobeys God (visually for all to see) and has placed wealth and fame above God. (the second is true, of course).

This is why Jesus HAD to state that there is NONE good except God. He couldn't give the young man a "pass" on stating that "hey, Jesus, WE are pretty good people". He addressed it with the point that... no... YOU aren't good and I am only good if I am God.

Ain't God good?

:amen:

[heartstrings]

17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Jesus posed the question, but the man overlooked it....he never acknowledged Jesus' Diety.

20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. The man never acknowledged that he was a sinner. He wasn't ready for salvation. He wasn't at the end of himself.

21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him,..... This was an awesome, incredibly powerful moment. God IS love; and Jesus is God. I believe the look of love on Jesus' face was something this man had NEVER seen before and would NEVER forget. I also believe there was Divine compassion in Jesus' voice. I believe at this point, this young man realized he was in the presence of somebody much more than just a "Good Master".

22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. This young man had not yet come to the end of himself. But he had just been in the very presence of love personified. And notice: he is GRIEVED....a very good sign. Though he "went away" he did not leave as he came. And Jesus never turned him away; the invitation was still open.

24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! The man was young and thought he had the world by the tail, so to speak. He thought he was doing alright, trusting in self and the physical world. He was so full of himself, he wasn't ready to trust in God. He had not yet seen enough "hard knocks" nor realized the futility of temporal things.

27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. I see hope at the end of this story.....remember, Jesus IS God...nothing is impossible with Jesus........The young man went away grieved; the Holy Spirit was still working on him....

[Guest Guest]

Jesus' saying this of himself is akin to our asking Muslims about their "respect" for Jesus. Today a Muslim will claim that Jesus is a good prophet (and therefore can't lie), but when confronted with his self-proclaimed diety, they back down and show their true opinion of Jesus Christ and basically call him a liar.

Similarly, when the religious rulers gave lip service to Jesus and told him he was good, Jesus reminded them that the word of God said that there was none good but God. They had already said that they didn't believe he was God, so it was illogical for them to say that he was "good" and "not God."

Nice. :thumb