Luke 18:18-19
Jesus on Humility
18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
When Jesus is called good by a certain ruler, He tells them that no one good -except God alone...Jesus, it seems, who is good, in fact, very good, humbles Himself here...He is so humble throughout all the gospels...Jesus did many miracles, He healed many, He becomes very popular and yet one does not feel He is arrogant, or self conceited, as you read through the four gospels, the Acts, and even the entire New Testament...When someone calls Him good, He takes the focus off of Himself and tells us that no one is good but God alone...I think this is because He is so humble...And humility and being humble, is just the opposite of pride...
C. S. Lewis who says pride leads us to all the other vices, also says that finding pleasure in a compliment from another is not a sign of pride...But I think Jesus wants us to think about our compliments, when others give them to us...Jesus could have easily said thank you to the certain ruler for calling Him good, and went about answering the question on how one inherits eternal life...But Jesus wants to teach us, and make a point to us about goodness and about our compliments...Because one is a good worker, and receives compliments about that, or because one is good looking and receive compliments about that, or because someone is good at something and receives compliments about that, He wants us to be humble and show humility in our compliments...
Pride, the opposite of humility, rejects God and His will, because we are focused on ourselves and not on Him or others...Jesus was always doing God's will...So it is natural for Jesus, who knows all things, including what pride is and does to people, takes all the focus off of Himself and puts it on God, who has sent Him, and allows Him to do all things...Throughout the gospels Jesus was not focused on Himself, but on God and helping others...No one talked about God more than His Son did...No one did the will of the Father, better than He does...Jesus does not say He is not good, He just says no one is good -except God alone...Maybe, since He is God's Son, and a part of God in the Trinity, He naturally shares this goodness of the Father...Regardless, these verses show us the Son's humility, about Himself...