Why do you call Me good? 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 cheat others, honor your father and mother.’
Mark 10:18 and 19
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Why call me good?
A man runs up to Jesus and kneels. Good Master, he says. Jesus picks up that word: no one is good but God. Then he lists the commandments about your neighbour. One of them isn't in the Ten Commandments: do not defraud. Only Mark has it. Perhaps it is about withholding wages.
What does Jesus mean by his counter-question? Is he denying that he is good? Or should the man think it through: if only God is good, who is standing in front of you? The man was looking for a good teacher with good advice. Jesus points to God.
Question for today
What do I actually mean when I call Jesus good?
Prayer
Lord, so often I come to you just for good advice. Show me who you really are. Amen.
My prayer
With your own thought · only on this deviceOne of the 491 words of Jesus on this site, from the temple to Revelation. See all the words in order →