Why Call Me Good: Did Jesus Deny Being God? 1-Minute Case
How a passage used to show Jesus is not God actually shows the EXACT OPPOSITE
Why Call Me Good: Did Jesus Deny Being God?
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In Mark 10:17-22 (also Luke 18:18-23), a rich young ruler approaches Jesus, calling him “Good Teacher” and asking what he must do to inherit eternal life (v.17). Jesus responds in v.18, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”
Does this show Jesus is not God? In context, it shows the complete opposite and that Jesus was merely testing the man to see if he thinks Jesus is divine.
After the man has explained how he has kept the commandments since birth, Jesus tells him he lacks “one thing”, to go sell all that he has, giving it to the poor, and follow Jesus (v.21).
Jesus adds forsaking all to follow him to the very commands of God!
The man’s obedience to God is lacking unless he forsakes all to follow Christ.
What a blasphemous claim for a man to make! Unless, of course, Jesus is God..
Earlier in Mark, we similarly read that no one can forgive sins but God alone (2:7) and yet Jesus forgives sins (2:5), showing he has power on earth to forgive sins (2:10).
Jesus is charged with blasphemy in Mark 14:60-64 for claiming to sit at the right hand of (co-rule with) the Power, as the Son of Man with divine traits from Daniel 7:9-14 (see also Psalm 110:1).
Likewise, in Luke 4:8 Jesus says, quoting the OT, you shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Yet, Luke uses the same Greek word (proskyneia) to describe the disciples worshipping Jesus (Luke 24:52) while recording Peter refusing proskyneia (Acts 10:25-26).
Mark and Luke also apply OT passages about YHWH to Jesus (Mark 1:3; Lk. 3:4; Is. 40:3).
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