THE INSUFFICIENCY OF GOOD BEHAVIOR
And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me" (Mark 10:21, R.S.V.).
He's been raised in the church. Before he scarcely knew how to talk, he's been taught memory verses from the Bible. Eager to please, he was always a model student. After college he neutered the business world, and because of his strict sense of honesty and good dealing, he soon accumulated wealth. He served on the church board and, on occasion, led out at the Wednesday night prayer meeting. In short, he had everything: wealth, a good reputation, and religion.
One day he saw Jesus of Nazareth with some children. He was impressed by the way He handled them, how tenderly He received them. A tremendous desire was awakened in his heart to become His disciple. As Jesus started to leave, he ran after Him and fell at His feet. "Good Teacher," he implored, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone" (Mark 10:17, 18, R.S.V.).
Jesus' reply was not meant to put off this young seeker. From the next few words of exchange, we may understand that Jesus was working to redefine the man's internal values. "Good" had always been associated with behavior; Jesus obviously had good behavior! So had the young man; yet he felt he was missing something. By singling out God only as "good," Jesus sought to differentiate between behavioral religion and an awakened understanding of God. To follow Christ means more than the performance of good behavior; it is friendship of the highest quality.
What was Jesus' intent in telling the young man to sell all that he had and give to the poor? Would not this encourage to "do" even more, a religion of works? May I suggest that, quite to the contrary, getting rid of his riches would severely restrict his present ability to perform. Evidently his status as a wealthy and respected man in the community afforded him endless opportunities to practice his religion of goodness. It simply was too easy for him to "give" good behavior rather than to give of himself. Consequently, his focus was on the gift of eternal life rather than on the Giver.
And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me" (Mark 10:21, R.S.V.).
He's been raised in the church. Before he scarcely knew how to talk, he's been taught memory verses from the Bible. Eager to please, he was always a model student. After college he neutered the business world, and because of his strict sense of honesty and good dealing, he soon accumulated wealth. He served on the church board and, on occasion, led out at the Wednesday night prayer meeting. In short, he had everything: wealth, a good reputation, and religion.
One day he saw Jesus of Nazareth with some children. He was impressed by the way He handled them, how tenderly He received them. A tremendous desire was awakened in his heart to become His disciple. As Jesus started to leave, he ran after Him and fell at His feet. "Good Teacher," he implored, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone" (Mark 10:17, 18, R.S.V.).
Jesus' reply was not meant to put off this young seeker. From the next few words of exchange, we may understand that Jesus was working to redefine the man's internal values. "Good" had always been associated with behavior; Jesus obviously had good behavior! So had the young man; yet he felt he was missing something. By singling out God only as "good," Jesus sought to differentiate between behavioral religion and an awakened understanding of God. To follow Christ means more than the performance of good behavior; it is friendship of the highest quality.
What was Jesus' intent in telling the young man to sell all that he had and give to the poor? Would not this encourage to "do" even more, a religion of works? May I suggest that, quite to the contrary, getting rid of his riches would severely restrict his present ability to perform. Evidently his status as a wealthy and respected man in the community afforded him endless opportunities to practice his religion of goodness. It simply was too easy for him to "give" good behavior rather than to give of himself. Consequently, his focus was on the gift of eternal life rather than on the Giver.
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