As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me Good? No one is good except God alone."
I've puzzled over this passage. Why would Jesus not acknowledge His own goodness?
There is a tendency in the Church that I am familiar with (that is, the Church in America)to try to win the admiration of our culture. We think it is a gain to the cause of Christ for His people to be seen as good and set an example; to be looked up to. We say things like, "We just want to show them we are normal people like everybody else." I belong to a movement that has been billed as, "America's Favorite Charity" and "The Most Effective Organization in America." I am not suggesting that pride is the motivation for statements like that, simply this idea that someone who admires you is more likely to join you.
Nearly every time I've mentioned to someone what I do with The Salvation Army, their response is, "What you do is great" and the conversation usually goes no further. When I mention what Jesus did and is doing, I seldom get a response of admiration for my following Him. The mention of God elicits a personal response, either positive or negative. I think Jesus, in speaking to the rich young man, told him something that would make it about the young man and his dependency, not about the messenger and his strength.
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