Luke 18:18-21
18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
In Luke 18 we find a conversation between Jesus and the rich young ruler. This has been for many a challenging portion of scripture to understand. This passage is about the rich young ruler who approached Jesus with a question. He asked “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18 – ESV).
While the question posed was asking about how he could inherit eternal life, (which we will deal with in another writing), much stirring has been made about
Jesus’ goodness and that which questioned His divinity.
Let’s look at it:
Jesus responded to his question by asking a question! “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19).
Some teachers interpret this passage as Jesus denying His own goodness and deity, but it’s apparent that Jesus was offering a deeper meaning. Furthermore, those especially in other religions who seek to interpret this passage as a denial of Christ’s deity, are willing to only read this scripture, and not to compare the entirety of the gospels which give us comprehensive understanding of Christ’s deity and lordship. If a religious skeptic is willing to take this text as a denial, they cannot take this text away from the whole of scripture.
We can see that with this question, Jesus didn’t reject the title of being good, but instead challenged the question concerning goodness and divinity.
Key Thoughts for Consideration:
Jesus’ Deity: By asking why he calls Him good, Jesus subtly pointed to His own divine nature. He invited the young man to recognize that true goodness can only come from God, and that only God is intrinsically good, while human goodness is always imperfect.
The Rich Young Ruler’s Perception: The rich young ruler addresses Jesus as “good teacher,” but he didn’t fully grasp Jesus’ identity as His being God. The true teaching of scripture is that Christ existed in the hypostatic union, being fully God and fully man at the same time, or more simply – Jesus was 100% God, and 100% man while walking on earth.
Jesus didn’t deny His own flawless goodness but he rather encouraged the rich young ruler to realize and truly perceive Him as more than a “good teacher.” Jesus’ response was revealing His unique position as both fully human and fully divine, and challenged the rich young ruler to recognize Him not merely as a moral teacher but as the embodiment of God’s goodness.
Christ is not a moral teacher alone. He is not a prophet alone. The whole of the gospels reveal that He is truly God incarnate. He is Lord, and His lordship requires our response.
Ultimately, Jesus’ goodness is inseparable from His identity as the Son of God
Jesus’ question to the rich young ruler is an invitation to explore His divinity and to recognize that true goodness finds its source in God alone.
Have you received Christ as Lord of your life? By surrendering your life to His Lordship, Christ will come into your heart by faith, and give you His great gift of forgiveness of sins, and eternal life!
Featured Photo, by Charles Curtis, “Bridge: Guandong Province, China”
