Goodness

The rich young man calls Jesus "Good Teacher". Many of the church Fathers point out that in this designation the young man mis-identified Jesus, that he was merely good. I don't know that Jesus rebuffed him, as they say. He asks why do you call me good? Jesus later invites this man to follow him, so I like to think of his response in the way he treats a disciple. Who do you think I am? He is prodding the man's faith. Only God is good, do you sense the truth in what you are saying?

He goes on to the goodness of the commandments. The goodness of obeying the law reflects the One goodness. Or better yet is God's Goodness. I've been trying hard to understand this statment of ultimate goodness in non-platonic thougth. The goodness of God is whole and one, the goodness of men isn't simply a shadow of the real good like plato says but in mystic union with God's Goodness. Jesus draws out from the man his sense of need. In his questioning he reveals how being good by the law does not satisfy the longing. The goodness of the law are made complete in Jesus.

Jesus then invites the man to reject something good for something better. Riches were seen as a sign of God's blessing. Indeed every perfect gift comes from above. It is right to recognize that our belongings are ours only because God has given them. We are to hold them lightly as stewards. The young man is challenged to give up those manifold blessings to follow him. Holding on to even the blessings of God makes the blessings a burden when they weigh us down from the path of discipleship.

Releasing our blessings, aspirations, and even God given dreams, alows us the freedom of the eternal life.

To remember

• The young man was sincere – he knelt before Jesus as one in need of healing


• The young man wasn’t prideful – although he had kept the precepts of the law there was a sense of lack.  He knew he needed something to inherit eternal life.


• Jesus wanted the young man to follow him on the difficult path of discipleship – leading to a cross.


• He had invited his disciples to leave everything and take up a cross


• What he was calling him to was already hard, but the added burden of all that he had to leave made it harder.


• It wasn’t the act of giving up everything that would cause the man to inherit eternal life, but the grace of following.


• The disciples would receive all that they gave up back in hundredfold with persecutions.