The Good Teacher

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I was reading the Gospel of Luke yesterday and ran into something interesting. I forget what chapter but it was when someone said to Jesus "Good Teacher", and Jesus responded "Why do you call me good? Only God alone is Good."

This caught my attention because Jesus is God. It seemed to me that Jesus was hinting his Divinity in a somewhat humble way. Almost requireing the person asking to be *sure* that Jesus was God. In noting that the person doesn't take back what he said, it is confirmation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

What are your comments? Thanks.

In Christ.

-- Jake Huether (jake.huether@lamrc.com), July 24, 2002

Answers

To the top.

-- Jake Huether (jake.huether@lamrc.com), July 24, 2002.

Nice thread Jake. If I may Christ often directed others to look to the Father not Himself. We have made Jesus the man in to an icon whereas He wants to be just one of us.

-- Jean Bouchard (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), July 24, 2002.

So, Jean, Jesus "wants to be just one of us"?

Did he then detach himself from his divine nature completely and forever? He must have done so, if he wants to be "just one of us," right? Surely he is no longer God, right?

Since he is "just one of us," after he died, he did not rise -- correct? And he did not really ascend to heaven to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- right?

Since he is "just one of us," he will not judge us at the end of time, correct? Maybe the Father will judge Jesus, since he wants to be "just one of us"?

Please get rid of the fuzzy (borderline heretical) thinking, sir.
God bless you.
John

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 24, 2002.


Maybe he is using the word 'good' in its best description as 'being' or that which is, or the source of all that is, and He (Jesus) himself being the son of the father, also came from Him (the father, the source) in some sense.

On the other hand, I have no idea what He is talking about... lol

-- Emerald (emerald1@cox.net), July 24, 2002.


Jake,

I really like your interpretation of this passage. I never stopped to think about what Jesus was saying when I read that before. But it does make sense that Jesus was testing the person who asked the question. Thanks for the thought provoking question.

-- Glenn (glenn@excite.com), July 24, 2002.



JFG - your are sooo boringingly linear in your thoughts as many here. Get with the programme and think in hills and dales - mountains and valleys. YOur missing the wonderful romance of Christ as lover.

-- Jean Bouchard (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), July 25, 2002.

Jean,

This is the 21st century. Why are you so closed-minded when it comes to John's post. Are you afraid of letting go of the past?

Mateo

PS--Emerald, how am I doing? 2+2=5

-- (MattElFeo@netscape.net), July 25, 2002.


Argument: If we are made in the image of God and Christ became man then are we not spiritual in nature? Therefore Christ made man by the Father was the second Adam as we are like Adam made in the image of God.

Yes the hills and dales valleys and mountains of the Supreme Love Affair alludes many but not all. " I am a jealous God sayeth the Lord.

-- Jean Bouchard (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), July 25, 2002.


Jmj

Jean, you stated: "We have made Jesus the man in to an icon whereas He wants to be just one of us."

I tried to show the deficiencies in this statement by calling to your attention the inescapable fact that Jesus is God -- NOT merely (not "just") one of us.
I was amazed that you neither accepted my correction nor attempted to refute what I wrote, point by point. Are you so intellectually lazy as to reply with an insult, and with zero thinking, to anyone who opposes what you write? I fear so.

Your expression ("He wants to be just one of us") is leftover heresy from the "silly seventies" (1970s), wherein many people were temporarily unwilling to acknowledge the fact that Jesus has two natures, human AND divine. They wrongly thought that Vatican II wanted us to think of Jesus "just" as a man. Apparently, Jean, you (who were in your formative late teens and early twenties during Vatican II) have never loosed yourself of the bonds of that deficient way of thinking.

There have been times in Christian history (and even now, in some parts of Protestantism and in some schismatic circles) where the opposite was true -- that Jesus's divinity was overemphasized, with little or no recognition that he is also man, our loving Brother and Friend. But a Catholic must have a balanced thinking on this point, remembering ALL the truths about Jesus that arise from his two natures, including the fact that he is our Brother and Lord and Friend and Judge. Please be a true Catholic, Jean.

God bless you.
John

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 26, 2002.


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