When good is not good Enough

Read Matthew 19.

The unnamed, wealthy, successful young man had it all.  Yet, deep down inside he knew something was missing in his life.  He did everything that others told him to do in order to please God but it was not good enough.  So, he came to Jesus.  "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?"

Much like other one on one encounters, Jesus masterfully began His response on one level and continued to drill down to the very heart of the real problem.

1. "What is good?"
For human reasoning, this is a question of moral ethics.  But Jesus took that simple word and elevated it to its ultimate definition.  "There is only one who is good."  Earlier Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 5:48, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  The young man would have known Leviticus 11:44 where God commanded "be holy, for I am holy."  But the problem is sin.  Sin separates us from God.  And, because of our sinful state the Psalmist wrote: "...there is none who does good....not even one" (Psalm 14:1-3)

2. "Keep the commandments."
Quickly, Jesus changed the focus from internal to external.  Just as the question of "good" was meant to cause the young man to sense his genuine lack of goodness, this challenge questioned his complete obedience to God.  It is a common belief that if I do enough good works, God will accept me.  "Which ones?"  The religious leaders of the day had added so many rules to God's word, he evidently was not sure.  Jesus took him straight back to the Scriptures alone.  Interestingly, Jesus listed a few of the Ten Commandments that have to do with how we treat people.  The young man treated the Scriptures like a check list.  "Got it!"  "What do I still lack?"  This returns then to his original question of "what must I do?"  He is trying his best to earn God's favor.

3. "Sell what you possess and give to the poor."
First, this is not a prescription of how to get to heaven.  This is a tailor-made response for this inquirer.  Jesus knew that his love of wealth was more important to him than God.  His obedience was incomplete.  Instead of using the resources God had allowed him to have for helping others, he hoarded it to feed his pride.  The challenge from Jesus struck him in his heart and he walked away downcast.

This became a teaching moment for the disciples.  The Pharisees taught that financial wealth was the result of spiritual health.  And, if this young man is not pleasing to God then what chance do these twelve men have who have "left everything and followed" Jesus.

4. "With man this is impossible, with God all things are possible."
On his own, perfection was an impossibility.  He could never be good enough.  On his own, pleasing God in his life would always be incomplete.  The heart of the matter was his heart.  He loved something more than God.  It is only by receiving the free grace of God that may live a godly and know for certain we have a home in heaven.  "And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." (Romans 4:5)