“And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good?…” Matthew 19:17
The Christian faith takes great courage. Much of what we do comes naturally. Yet, Jesus challenges us to move beyond what comes naturally, or what we normally do. Jesus challenged the people he encountered to move beyond what was simple and easy. He invited them to follow Him into a deeper and more challenging faith.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is questioned by a man who wanted to know, “What good thing must I do to get eternal life? (Matthew 19:16) Jesus returned his question with a question of His own, “Why do you ask me about what is good? (Matthew 19:17) The man who questioned Jesus was no stranger to good deeds. It would seem he had lived a good life. He followed the law and was conscientious about his spiritual life. What was he missing? Why did he approach Jesus with his question?
The man in this encounter has often been described as “The Rich Man.” When he approached Jesus, he was sure of his ability to do the right thing. He had followed the rules all his life. Jesus challenged him to leave behind what was comfortable and follow Him. The rich man had lived a good life, but now Jesus was calling him into a new life, not just striving after good things, but following the source of all things good. Not only would he be following after the source of all things good, but now he would learn to live so he could do good for others.
The man in this encounter with Jesus gives us all reason to contemplate who we are and who we follow. Following Jesus is challenging. Our faith often calls us beyond what is comfortable and normal. This scripture also reminds us that Jesus is good. We can bring our questions to Him. We can bring our worries, our struggles, our faith to Him and He will call us to a deeper life. When we follow Jesus, we will experience a world full of joy and peace that is shaped by a faith that works to build a better world.
-Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
