The objection
In Mark 10,18 Jesus asks why he is called good and declares that God alone is good. Does he not thereby expressly say that he himself is not God?
1. A question is not yet a denial
Jesus does not say: “I am not good.” He asks: “Why do you call me good?” He then names God as the criterion of perfect goodness. To derive an exclusion of his deity, the reader must add the unspoken premise that Jesus certainly does not belong to this divine goodness.
But precisely Jesus' identity is under discussion. One cannot presuppose it to then derive it from the question.
2. Jesus examines the concept of goodness
The man treats Jesus as a good teacher and asks about an achievement through which he could obtain eternal life. The conversation leads to the commandments and finally to his attachment to his possessions. His confident assessment of his own lawkeeping is thereby shaken.
God alone is the original and perfect criterion of goodness. Human praise and favorable self-assessment cannot replace this criterion. Jesus' question calls the man to consider the significance of his address and relationship to God.[1][2]
3. Jesus leads the man to a decision about himself
The passage does not end with a general recommendation to take God more seriously morally. Jesus calls the man to follow him. Attachment to his person stands at the answer's center. This, too, is no complete proof of deity by itself, but it fits poorly with the assumption that Jesus merely wants to diminish his significance.
The rest of Mark's account also portrays Jesus' authority to forgive sins and expressly asks about its divine scope. Mark 10 should not be set against this context through an added denial.
4. The text teaches no salvation through moral perfection
As the conversation continues, the disciples are alarmed and ask who can be saved. Jesus points to God's ability where humans cannot. The conversation thus exposes human self-sufficiency; it makes neither renunciation of wealth nor a theological examination the purchase price of eternal life.
The precise conclusion is: Jesus disputes careless use of “good,” not expressly his own goodness or deity. Anyone recognizing him as the good shepherd and sinless Son does not contradict this statement. Rather, they take up the question of his identity at the depth it demands.
Biblical texts in context
Sources and further study
- NET Bible, Mark 10,17–22Notes on the question of Jesus' identity and the rich man's context.
- Robert L. Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian FaithGod's goodness, pp. 200–201: Mark 10,18 within the biblical witness to God's goodness.