“”Why do you call Me good?” Jesus answered.
“No one is good – except God alone.””
(Mark 10:18 NIV)
Jesus speaks of goodness and I ponder the meaning of the word.
‘Good’ has been altered, even compromised by the passage of time. Biblically speaking, good means moral excellence, piety, kindness and benevolent. Goodness is an uprightness of heart. It is a quality possessed both singularly and completely by God alone. A “perfection of character which He exercises towards His creatures according to their various circumstances and relations. Benevolence as exercise with respect to the miseries of His creatures it is mercy, compassion and in the case of impenitent sinners, long-suffering patience; all exercise in communication favor on the unworthy it is grace.” (biblestudytools.com)
Good is God-quality that has been eroded by the passage of time to the lowest grade of acceptability. We have watered it down, like lemonade powder on a church budget. We have taken one of God’s most potent, pure and powerful qualities and reduced it to something far less palpable, something less heady and wonderful.
There’s a tire shop in Algona, IA called Jack’s Okay. We’ve long giggled about how it’s implied that their tires aren’t great, but just okay. Jack’s is a long-time Algona establishment, old enough that it’s original name has lost vitality as culture charges forward. If we look up the roots of the word ‘okay’ we realize it stood for ‘Oll Korrect’; which boosters our confidence in those shiny new tires by quite a bit. These tires aren’t just alright, they are correctly installed, aligned and weighted. They are road worthy. They are all correct. Despite the misnomer about the name, we bought from Jack’s Okay several times over; they had excellent customer service and fine products.
When we remember the root of God’s goodness, we find a similar boost of confidence in His character.
“Goodness and justice are the several aspects of One unchangeable, infinitely wise and sovereign and moral perfection. God is not sometimes merciful and sometimes just, but He is eternally infinitely just and merciful.”
(Easton’s Bible Dictionary)
God is good. Let that soak in.
“The Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faintness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:5 NIV)
“Good and upright is the Lord, therefore He instructs sinners in His ways.” (Psalm 25:8 NIV)
Not only is God good, He extends that goodness towards man.
“The Lord’s good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.”
(Psalm 145:9 NIV)
“How abundant are the good things that You have stored up for those who fear You, that You bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in You.” (Psalm 31:9 NIV)
And He invites us to participate in His goodness.
“You are good, and what You do is good; teach me Your decrees.”
(Psalm 119:68 NIV)
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together unity!
(Psalm 133:1 NIV)
Good is not the lowest tier on tire selection. Good is the gold standard for the things of God. He is good and He calls us to reflect His goodness to a broken, hurting world.
Lord, we recognize anew that You are good. Please forgive our faulty definition and consequent poor appreciation of Your goodness. We receive Your goodness in all humility; astounded to be invited into Your presence. Teach us to do good, to be Your hands and feet extended in this weary world. Amen.