GOOD MASTER

The natural inclination of the human heart is to want to do something to please others. We often feel the need to do something to gain the favour of other people.

It is often the case that natural logic does not apply when we are talking about spiritual issues. The aim of the man in our reading was to gain eternal life. However, he had not yet grasped that eternal life was not the result of his effort, but of the grace of God, Eph. 2. 8.

As the lawyer approached the Lord Jesus that day, he may have been unclear about the fact that eternal life was not secured by human effort, but he knew that the One he approached was worthy of his honour and respect. He calls the Saviour ‘Good Master’. The term ‘Master’ was used to address teachers of great standing in the nation of Israel. Nicodemus, ‘a ruler of the Jews’, also called the Lord Jesus ‘Master’ when he said, ‘Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God’, John 3. 2, and Nicodemus was a recognised ruler in Israel. The fact that this lawyer called Him ‘Good Master’ leads the reader to understand that he had come to appreciate not just the intellectual superiority of the Lord Jesus, but also his moral superiority. He was ‘good’, which describes how He behaved and the standard by which His teaching was measured.

The Lord Jesus contests the word ‘good’, stating that this was a title reserved for God alone. Those whose spiritual eyes have been opened will note the irony of the statement as the one who is talking is ‘God, yet become truly human’. The young man had not yet grasped that only God can be essentially good.

If we measure the Lord Jesus against his own criteria, as stated in verses 17-21 of this chapter, we can see that He alone fulfilled all the requirements of the law. The young man made the rash claim that he had kept all the things the law required from his youth, which could not have been long since he was still a young man, but he stumbled when he was required to give up his wealth, ‘give to the poor’, and follow Christ.

The Good Master had already given up all to follow the will of His Father. How do we measure up?