A Man With the Right Question
As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone." Mark 10:17, 18, NASB.
The most remarkable thing about this individual is that he approached Jesus at all. Matthew tells us that he was young and rich (Matt. 19:20, 22, 23), while Luke says that he was a ruler (Luke 18:18). It is that very class that Jesus had the most difficult time with. The poor and the prostitutes and the tax collectors flocked Him, but not the Jewish aristocracy of either the religious or political realms.
The man not only came, but he "ran." And not only that, he knelt before Jesus. Here was a person who defied his social class, someone willing to face the scorn of his peers. Now other rich men of the ruling class found themselves drawn to Jesus. One thinks of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. But they were discrete. Nicodemus, for example, came to Jesus secretly "by night" (John 3:2). And Joseph quietly went to Pilate to request permission to bury Him (Matt. 27:57, 58). One can hardly imagine running up to Jesus and publicly kneeling before Him in the dust. This young man had something special about him, a zeal that is refreshing.
The aristocrat also had a concern, one that blinded him to everything else. He was in earnest about salvation. Addressing Jesus as "Good Teacher," he inquired what he had to "do" to inherit eternal life. Obviously he saw behavior as the key to religion.
Before giving an answer, Jesus questioned him on why he had described Him as good. After all, Jesus noted, "no one is good except God alone." Apparently Jesus was seeking to get the young man to be explicit as to where he stood on His identity. Was He merely a teacher or was He God, as the use of the term good implied? The rich young ruler had undoubtedly heard Jesus before. But he was still in the valley of decision on his identity. Jesus' question was a gentle nudge to force him to come to grips with the issue.
In the face of this remarkable young man I need to ask myself anew, "How is my enthusiasm quotient for Jesus?" And beyond that, "Is my interest in eternal life the dominating aspect of my life." Good questions to meditate upon today.
As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone." Mark 10:17, 18, NASB.
The most remarkable thing about this individual is that he approached Jesus at all. Matthew tells us that he was young and rich (Matt. 19:20, 22, 23), while Luke says that he was a ruler (Luke 18:18). It is that very class that Jesus had the most difficult time with. The poor and the prostitutes and the tax collectors flocked Him, but not the Jewish aristocracy of either the religious or political realms.
The man not only came, but he "ran." And not only that, he knelt before Jesus. Here was a person who defied his social class, someone willing to face the scorn of his peers. Now other rich men of the ruling class found themselves drawn to Jesus. One thinks of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. But they were discrete. Nicodemus, for example, came to Jesus secretly "by night" (John 3:2). And Joseph quietly went to Pilate to request permission to bury Him (Matt. 27:57, 58). One can hardly imagine running up to Jesus and publicly kneeling before Him in the dust. This young man had something special about him, a zeal that is refreshing.
The aristocrat also had a concern, one that blinded him to everything else. He was in earnest about salvation. Addressing Jesus as "Good Teacher," he inquired what he had to "do" to inherit eternal life. Obviously he saw behavior as the key to religion.
Before giving an answer, Jesus questioned him on why he had described Him as good. After all, Jesus noted, "no one is good except God alone." Apparently Jesus was seeking to get the young man to be explicit as to where he stood on His identity. Was He merely a teacher or was He God, as the use of the term good implied? The rich young ruler had undoubtedly heard Jesus before. But he was still in the valley of decision on his identity. Jesus' question was a gentle nudge to force him to come to grips with the issue.
In the face of this remarkable young man I need to ask myself anew, "How is my enthusiasm quotient for Jesus?" And beyond that, "Is my interest in eternal life the dominating aspect of my life." Good questions to meditate upon today.
RSS Feed
