A Tough Lesson: Mark 10:17-18

“Well done, faithful servant.”  Do we want to be a servant?  Doesn’t the world chafe against the idea of self?  Our culture is about being yourself, doing what you want, and everything being okay.  How often do we hear the example of submission to another as something to be admired?

These verses for today speak deeply to truth that underpins almost everything I do and think.  After being called Good Teacher, Jesus turns to the young man who approached Him and replied, “Why do you call me good?  No one is good, except only God.”

It is important to understand the thrust of Jesus’ words.  He is God, so He didn’t need to say this.  If He is God, then He is good.  The young man who approached Him didn’t say anything wrong; there was no need to correct him.

The fact that Jesus corrects him implies there is a significant point to make.  Perhaps the point is so simple we gloss over it.  Perhaps it is so deep we don’t grasp it fully.  Perhaps it is so contrary to our human sinfulness that we prefer to bury it.  Jesus’ point is that I am not good.  There’s no way to sugar-coat it.  I am not a good person.  Only God is good, and I am certainly not God.  Therefore, I am not good.

This understanding is fundamental to understanding our place in life.  Don’t hear me saying that good things have never happened around me.  Lord willing, people have blessed by the works of my hand and the words of my mouth in the past.  Lord willing, people will continue to be blessed in the future, too.  In those cases, though, it is God who deserves the praise.  Best case scenario, I am the willing vessel that He uses to work through.  Worst case scenario, He is working through me and I’m not that willing.  In either case, God is the good one.  He deserves the praise, not me.

That’s the depth Jesus communicates to the young man who approaches Him.  When good things happen, it is an opportunity to give God the adulation.  If someone sees good in me – and I hope they do – it is a perfect opportunity to give God praise.  If I say something timely and it speaks deeply into a person’s soul, it is a perfect opportunity to give God the glory.  The highest praise that can be given to me is not to call me good, but to praise God’s work seen through His use of me.

This is harder than it sounds.  It feels good to be told we have done well.  Fundamentally, though, this is the struggle between pride and humility.  The proud person wants to be told how good they are.  The humble person wants to be told how useful they were as a servant.  In the end, when I stand before the Lord, I hope to hear the words, “Well done, faithful servant.”