The question has been asked about Jesus (and others, a few times) in the pages of the Bible saying something like "There is no one good but God..." as Jesus does in Luke 18 and other places where Jesus is speaking to the "rich young ruler" (who approached Jesus, saying, "Good teacher, why...")
First of all, we have to note at least two things:
1. Jesus (and other biblical authors/speakers) refer to good people. "The sun shines on the evil and the good," for instance. But many other instances, as well. Jesus clearly thought there were good people.
2. The reality that, in spite of what the Bible says, of course, there are good people as good is typically defined/understood. There ARE good people definitionally, in the real world.
Now, dealing with the passage in question. In Luke 18, Jesus is in the context (here and throughout his ministry) of dealing with the legalism and gracelessness of the Pharisees. Jesus even offers a parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector:
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else,
Jesus told this parable:
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.
For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled,
and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Following that parable, Jesus reminds everyone (with an eye to the Pharisees who he JUST addressed):
Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
He said that in dealing with the arrogance and gracelessness and self-perceived "righteousness" of the Pharisees.
In THAT literal, specific context of the proud, arrogant, graceless, legalistic Pharisees, the story moves to a rich ruler approaching Jesus - another of the typical antagonists in Jesus' life and message... the OPPOSITE of the humble poor and marginalized that Jesus told us he'd come to preach good news to (and in contrast to the wealthy, powerful and arrogant, who would be "brought down" in Mary's Magnificat and other places). The rich ruler talks and Jesus answers:
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered.
“No one is good - except God alone.
Then, when the rich ruler tells Jesus (rather arrogantly!) that he's kept all the rules since he was a boy (!!) to THAT man (and by extension, the other arrogant legalists like the Pharisees) and THAT man specifically, Jesus says:
“You still lack one thing.
Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
Jesus using the hyperbolic saying "there is no one good but God" is addressing the arrogant rich and powerful ruler, along with the Pharisees in the crowd and for the benefit of the poor and marginalized people that Jesus came to preach good news to. Indeed, for those humble poor and marginalized folks, THIS response of Jesus WAS good news. "He's taking on the man! He's bringing down the arrogant and powerful rich ones!"
The marginalized poor folks were well aware that they weren't perfect... that they fail to hit the mark. They understood/understand imperfection and the flaws of humanity. They know that they are not perfectly good like God. But the rich and powerful, the arrogant and legalistic like the Pharisees, THEY often didn't know this, blinded as they were by their wealth and privilege.
In the text and context of this story, Jesus makes clear who he is addressing with his "No one is good" hyperbole...
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else...
If no one is good, at all, then radical protestantism must conclude that god is insane.
ReplyDelete- Banishment from Eden
- Destruction of the Tower of Babel (because we were becoming godlike! “nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them”)
- The Flood
- Giving Israel Judges
- Famine and fleeing to Egypt
- Slavery in Egypt
- The Ten Commandments
- The Mosaic Laws
- Giving Israel a King
- Sending how many prophets?
- Exile twice!
- Sending the Son in human flesh and personhood
- Sending the Holy Spirit to teach us everything
- Sending angels to guide and warn (Book of Revelation in case the Protestants don’t know and protest)
God tried how many times in human history to appeal to human Will to be good? And kept doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it.
But… no one is good? Not one? And god knew this? But didn’t send the Son to save us after the first couple of tries?
The radical protestant god is insane. They worship a ridiculous god.
Or…
Holy Scripture does not give us history but made up stories. Feel free to choose this one Marshall, and you other thugs, because depravity is maintained - but only in the fictions of the Bible that need a ridiculous god to drive the point home. Was there even an Israel that god loved? Or is the OT just an object lesson so we read the NT right?
Or…
Holy Scripture frames the activity of god as the force of divine love for humanity breaking into our lives across all history… CONSTANTLY appealing to our capacity to love as beings made in the image and likeness of god and juuuuuust a little lower than the angels.
But, then, we are good. But fragile. Sometimes weak, definitely imperfect. But we progress under god’s constant presence in one form or another.
Depravity is only a needed doctrine for those who thrill for brutality. An unconscious confession, a subconscious desire to project evil on others, a tortured conscience that feels guilty.
Choose Marshal: 1. An insane god or 2. Biblical narrative isn’t about realities. It’s just a long propaganda effort to sell depravity.
You can’t choose 3, Marshal. Choosing love and kindness as the heart of the universe will break who you are.
Beautifully put.
ReplyDeleteMarshal worships a god who keeps reaching out to humanity despite “knowing” that human beings are totally depraved and incapable of change.
DeleteThe insane inanity of such a deity, replicated in irrational followers, serves the sole function of keeping the myth of superiority protected. “I keep trying to win them to Christ, but, what can you do? They’re slaves to hell, unable to help themselves. The whole liberal throng with their gays and trans and neither-here-nor-there’s. Depraved. But not me! I’m saved by an idiot god.”
Such is his thrill to brutality. Together with the rest of the thugs.
Marshal, unsupported and vulgar attack comments are not going to remain, coming from you. I've let you know that ANY comments you make need to be supported OR acknowledged as your own opinions. And I've asked you to be respectful and adult in your comments, not immediately jumping for vulgar comments like an under-educated 9 year old boy might make.
ReplyDeleteBe better.
As a friendly reminder: ANY comments that you make where you say you're offering your opinion OR where you provide data to support claims WILL REMAIN... with the caveat that I ask you to be respectful and adult, not vulgar and childishly hateful. Those are the comments that get deleted.
ReplyDeleteThe angel Gabriel to Zechariah promising him and Elizabeth a son they should name John: “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in order the spirit and power of Eli′jah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
ReplyDeleteto make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Apparently there are good people around - “the wisdom of the just” - to whom thugs should listen.
Further in the birth narrative of Luke, Gabriel again was sent, this time a young girl: “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you…. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Apparently Mary was found to be good. Perhaps because, being a lowly maidservant, her heart was always with the poor and oppressed. How does she greet Elizabeth when she visits while pregnant?
“He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.”
The thugs don’t read their idol.
Didn’t Stan just finish defending total depravity? Ink is still wet but today he’s writing about admirably good people. SMH. Idiots.
ReplyDeleteThe reason the Thugs need a god who will choose just a few from among the totally depraved: they shrug off Hitler adoration.
ReplyDeleteYeah. They’re pro life.
Luke 17
ReplyDeleteAnd when He was asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them, and said, “The Kingdom of God does not come with observation. Nor shall they say, ‘Lo, here!’ or ‘Lo, there!’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.”
Wow! Even the Pharisees aren’t totally depraved. Some good must be there for the possibility of the Kingdom to live within them prior to the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. And clearly it depends on their Will to choose to strive to believe in good.
Words of warning for the Thugs.
Good humans vs bad humans, Dan:
ReplyDeleteAmong Kamala Harris closing speech policies in her speech at the site of the Jan 6 insurrection: Medicare aid for covering the cost of home care for the elderly.
Trump on his racism/bigotry/misogyny fueled closing night at MSG: it was a love fest!”
And then, Dan, of course the brilliant moral words of Michelle Obama:
ReplyDelete“This is real. So, do you think Donald Trump is thinking about the consequences for the millions of women who will be living in medical deserts? Does anyone think he has the emotional maturity and foresight to come up with a plan to protect us? Y’all, we are teetering on the edge.”
And this will not just affect women, it will affect you and your sons. The devastating consequences of teen pregnancy won’t just be borne by young girls, but also by the young men who are the fathers. They, too, will have their dreams of going to college, their entire future is totally upended by an unwanted pregnancy.
I am asking you all from the core of my being to take our lives seriously. Please! Do not, do not put our lives in the hands of politicians, mostly men, who have no clue or do not care about what we as women are going through, who don’t fully grasp the broad reaching health implications that their misguided policies will have on our health outcomes. The only people who have standing to make these decisions are women with the advice of their doctors. We are the ones with the knowledge and experience to know what we need. So please, please do not hand our fates over to the likes of Trump, who knows nothing about us, who has shown deep contempt for us. Because a vote for him is a vote against us. Against our health. Against our worth.”