Are you seeking justification or God? I wonder this as I watch people use selected Bible verses to justify a sinful lifestyle. Many times, cultural norms are easier to follow than God’s words in Scripture.
This was true in the time of Jesus. Jewish culture taught that if one was wealthy, it meant that God was blessing their lifestyle. In today’s story, a religious leader came to Jesus. A few verses later, Luke notes that this man is very rich. So this man must have been a wealthy young man with social standing in the Jewish community.
Jews of Jesus’ day considered obedience to the law and a Jewish heritage as the way to eternal life. We wonder if this rich young man came to inquire about eternal life in the hope of receiving praise for his lifestyle from Jesus. Yet, he came disguising this motive by appearing to seek God.
Addressing Jesus
Luke 18: 18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good.[1]
Jesus didn’t answer the man’s question immediately, but instead asked another question. It seems Jesus took issue with the way the man addressed Him. In that day, the adjective “good” was used only to refer to God.
Here are a couple of examples. Psalm 25: 8 The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. [2] Psalm 86: 5 O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. [3]
So what was the man saying? Did he think that Jesus was God? Or was the title “good teacher” only flippant flattery? We can’t really tell. But it is possible that this man unwittingly said a truth he didn’t understand.
Jesus is God
Jesus did not deny He was God. In fact, by asking the man this question, Jesus was affirming His deity. It was a test to see if this young man understood what he had just said. However, the man’s subsequent actions demonstrated that he didn’t believe Jesus was God. He went on to brag about his obedience, but then refused to obey Jesus’ request. I think that if the young man truly understood he was in the presence of God, his actions would have been different. God knows our motives.
So, that brings us back to the question: are you seeking justification or God? Our actions may lead others to believe we are genuinely seeking the Lord. But our motive may be to justify a lifestyle that we enjoy. We may want salvation on our terms, not God’s. In that case, we relish our life and don’t want to change. In that mindset, we don’t trust God enough to step out in faith to build a deeper relationship with Him.
Yet, Jesus is God, and as such, we should desire to humble ourselves before Him and follow Him. Even though the rich young ruler didn’t know what he was saying, he was right to say Jesus was good because Jesus is God. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-cost-of-discipleship
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.