When we mention the rich young ruler in the bible, most Christians probably think about how he asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Some think about how he stated that he's kept all the commandments even though everyone knows that isn't probable. Maybe we think of how sad he was when Jesus told him to give everything he had to the poor and follow him.
But have you ever noticed how the conversation started? Jesus reveals something about himself that most people miss.
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. (Mark 10:17-18)
I was talking to my friend James, and he told me that he always believed that when Jesus made this statement, he was telling the people around him that he was God. James said he thought Jesus was communicating to the young man that if you want to call me good, you have to be ready to attribute all that the word good implies to me. Since no one is good but God, and you know by my works and teaching that I am good, you must also be ready to state that I am one with the Father. I am the God of the Old Testament.
James asked what I thought about that. I paused because I was stunned and jokingly told him I thought that was one of the smartest things he'd ever said. I never noticed this, and something leaped in my spirit. As always, I was amazed that we still find Jesus every day when we seek him with all of our hearts.
When we got off the phone, I looked at what some Church Fathers thought about this verse. This is my standard practice because I'm always interested in what the early Church had to say about specific scriptures.
What I found shouldn't surprise me after all these years, but it always does. God revealed to James through the Holy Spirit what many taught in the early centuries. Hilary of Poitiers, who lived in the fourth century, put it this way, "He who is by nature God of God must possess the nature of his origin, which God possesses. The indistinguishable unity of a living nature cannot be divided by the birth of a living nature." (Hilary, n.d).
The small passage about the rich young ruler has a lot going on theologically. But my friend James showed me a teaching that has gone over my head for almost 30 years. Hebrews tells us that God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). Keep your eyes on Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus as you read the scriptures, and he'll reward you with himself.
References
Hilary of Poitiers on Mark 10:18 - Catena Bible & Commentaries. (2024). Catena Bible & Commentaries. https://catenabible.com/com/5838fee5205c248f42e52e05
