Not Good.

Scripture: Luke 7:4 "And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, 'He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.'"

Observations:
"Jesus, you should help out this most honorable man. After all he has done so much good--he deserves it. He has earned it."

This passage reflects some deep concepts and truths. Foundational ones. Is there any such thing as a "good" person? Can we earn God's favor? Or to put it another way, can God's favor be earned? What is the benefit of the good things we do--the things that bless others? These questions should be answered individually

1. Is there any such thing as a "good" person? That question is answered on multiple levels, but the answer is pivotal in grasping the error of what the Jewish elders said. If we judge according to what people can see, the answer is "Yes," and not just religious people would be judged thus. Most unreligious persons live morally good lives. This fact leads to the objection, "Then does religion have anything to do with morality? Is religion dispensable?" In a way, yes; but ultimately, no. Why? Because there is a difference between the state of a thing being good and the reason that such a thing is good. [This is way too extensive a subject to discuss here, but it is the difference between our epistemology and our metaphysics. I've seen many, if not most, people confuse these two and the consequences of doing so have been frustration on my part and really bad logical processes on their part.] Essentially, people are generally morally good because the moral law is written on our hearts. God wrote it there to testify of himself. So, even if we were not taught a set moral code by society we would still arrive at many of the same moral decisions most cultures hold as right and good. So, "yes" there are good people.

However, if we answer the same question by climbing high into the mountains and looking down upon the moral value question, taking the sight of God, the answer becomes "No" and a resounding one at that! Some may ask, "Is it arrogance to assume to know the mind of God on this?" But luckily it is not arrogance, but rather this question has already been clearly given by God Himself, "No one is good, but One, that is, God" (Matthew 19:17 spoken by Jesus). The same truth is affirmed through the Holy Spirit by the Jewish disciple Paul when he said, "There is no one good; no, not one . . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10 and 23).

That last statement is so key to this first question: "the glory of God." As Jesus stated that God alone is good, God is the actual standard for good. I can walk at street level and identify the good things people do, but from God who stands in the skyscraper looking across the city of humanity the term "good" becomes my--our--impartial judge and condemning jury.

Alas, if the God of all creation condemns us as evil, whatever shall we do?

2. Can we earn God's favor? Or to put it another way, can God's favor be earned? I group these two questions together because I think the second is really just a more appropriate way of stating the first. The answer to the latter is, "Yes, God's favor can be earned." . . . if I'm perfect . . . and by perfect I mean, entirely sinless for my entire life. So, now the question has transitioned from theoretical to practical--and now the answer is "No," or rather, "Not by me" (or any other person). But that is exactly what the Jewish elders were claiming. This centurion deserved God's blessings. He had earned it. The Jewish elders sought to convince Jesus to give healing to the centurion's servant based on the merit of the centurion. They brought a resume of accolades for him. This very concept is what Jesus rebuked the Jewish leadership on over and over and over. They were living their whole lives as hypocrites . . . knowing they weren't good, but pretending like they were and trying to earn eternal life by following rules. They were fooling themselves.

Of course, now I'm in just as dismal as a place as at the end of the first answer. Now no one is actually good and no one can earn God's favor. The situation seems hopeless.

3. But the centurion's own words tell a much different story and reveal what Jesus saw and why he would go with the elders at all. The centurion revealed humility and a recognition of his real standing before a holy God (vs. 6 and 7). The elders thought they could argue or convince God into blessing the centurion with healing; the centurion knew he could never--not with decades of "good" works--earn favor. Jesus responded to the heart of the centurion, not the hard work of the centurion. Jesus was attracted to the lowliness of his attitude, not the lavishing of praise by the elders.

This is the summation of it: Jesus always offers grace to the humble, but resistance to the proud. His favor is a gift only made possible by his very own grotesque death on a brutal cross. And the only work that could be done to make one acceptable before God has already been completed by Jesus--it is a finished and complete work. This then leaves to us only the work of submitting ourselves to God as unworthy of his presence and falling into the gentle arms of his wonderful, endless, comforting, tireless grace.

So, can we be good truly? No. Can we earn acceptance from God? No. But in this passage the exact reason for Jesus' life and death and resurrection from the dead are revealed. He lived to fulfill every rule that God has given us in our place. He died to take the true penalty for our sin in our place. He rose from the dead as Lord of everyone who will accept him for who he is and for everyone who will accept what he has done.

But that still leaves one question unanswered, but this is long enough at this point.

Application: Stop trying to flaunt my impressive qualities; God sees the truth of my sinful character and Jesus died for it. Stop trying to earn God's approval; Jesus did that for me. Rest in the finished work of Jesus.

Prayer: Father, you are so, so good. Bless you, bless you. I just say Amen and I love you.