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Response
It is often argued by those who deny the divinity of Christ that in Mark 10:17-22, Jesus rejects His divinity by refusing to accept being called good. The passage reads as follows:
“As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to him and knelt before him, asking, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus replied. ‘No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ‘Teacher,’ he declared, ‘I have kept all these since I was a boy.’ Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this, the man’s countenance fell. He went away sorrowful, for he had great wealth.”
Is Jesus rebuking the man for addressing Him as good and thus denying His divinity? No. Instead, He is using a thought-provoking question to prompt the man to contemplate the implications of his words, to grasp the idea of Jesus’ goodness, and particularly, the man’s own lack of goodness. The young ruler “went away sad” «And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. », (Mark 10:22) because he realized that despite his adherence to the commandments, he had neglected the primary and greatest commandment—to love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength (Matthew 22:37-38). His wealth held more value to him than God, hence he was not “good” in God’s eyes.
The core lesson Jesus imparts here is that goodness does not stem from a person’s actions, but rather
There from God Himself. Jesus invites the man to follow Him, the only means of doing good by God’s ultimate standard. Jesus describes to the young ruler what it means to follow Him—to be willing to give up everything, thus putting God first. When one considers that Jesus is drawing a distinction between man’s standard of goodness and God’s standard, it becomes clear that following Jesus is good. The command to follow Christ is the definitive proclamation of Christ’s goodness. Thus, by the very standard Jesus is exhorting the young ruler to adopt, Jesus is good. And it necessarily follows that if Jesus is indeed good by this standard, Jesus is implicitly declaring His deity.
Thus, Jesus’ question to the man is designed not to deny His deity, but rather to draw the man to recognize Christ’s divine identity. Such an interpretation is substantiated by passages such as John 10:11 wherein Jesus declares Himself to be “the good shepherd.” Similarly in John 8:46, Jesus asks, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” Of course, the answer is “no.” Jesus was “without sin” «For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. », (Hebrews 4:15), holy and undefiled «For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; », (Hebrews 7:26), the only One who “knew no sin” «For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.», (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The logic can thus be summarized as follows:
1: Jesus claims only God is good.
2: Jesus claims to be good.
3: Therefore, Jesus claims to be God.
Such a statement is logical considering the progression of Mark’s narrative concerning the gradual disclosure of Jesus’ true identity. It is not until facing the high priest in Mark 14:62 that Jesus’ identity is explicitly revealed. The account of the wealthy young ruler is part of a series of narratives intended to direct readers to recognize Jesus as the everlasting, divine, and incarnate Son of God.
