Seeing Jesus' Goodness (Part 7)

"But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your behavior" (I Peter 1:15). Holiness is nowhere more important than for deity. A god with incredible power and wisdom would be frightening if he were not also good. Goodness, as used in the fruit of the Spirit, refers to intrinsic virtue; it describes someone who by very nature is moral and upright, who naturally does the right thing. Jesus embodied that characteristic perfectly.

Jesus was virtuous in His relationship with the Father.

·         This is evidenced by the fact that the Father was pleased with Him. "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased" (Matthew 3:17).
·         Jesus was perfectly unified with the Father. "Even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You....Just as We are one." (John 17:21-22).
·         Jesus gave His devotion to God only. "For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only'" (Matthew 4:10).
·         Jesus was committed to the Father's will, even as a youth. "I can do nothing on My own initiative. . . . I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 5:30). "Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house [affairs]?" (Luke 2:49).

Jesus showed His virtue by devotion to the truth.

·         He claimed truthfulness. "My testimony is true" (John 8:14).
·         He had an unwavering reputation for truth. "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any" (Matthew 22:16).
·         He regularly taught the truth. "Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them" (John 8:2).
·         He responded to people's questions with truth. "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven" (John 3:3). Also Matthew 18:2; 18:21; 19:4; 19:28; 24:4, among others.
·         He praised truth in others. "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17).
·         He defended God's truth when it conflicted with man's traditions. "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry? . . . Or have you not read in the Law?" (Matthew 12:3,5).

Jesus practiced virtuous and godly habits.

·         Jesus sang. "After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" (Matthew 26:30).
·         Jesus thanked God. "And He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them" (Matthew 15:36).
·         Jesus was dependent on prayer. "After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray" (Matthew 14:23).
·         Jesus turned to prayer in times of anguish. He "said to His disciples, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' And He . . . began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, 'My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.' And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed" (Matthew 26:36-39).

Jesus displayed virtue in His dealings with others.

·         Jesus was appreciative. "But Jesus, aware of this [indignation], said to them, 'Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me'" (Matthew 26:10).
·         Jesus trained others for service. "Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of sickness" (Matthew 10:1). The remainder of the chapter comprises "giving instructions to His twelve disciples" (11:1).
·         Jesus admonished others to do right. "Go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded" (Matthew 8:4). "Go. From now on sin no more" (John 8:11).
·         Jesus prepared His followers for the future. "From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day" (Matthew 16:21). Also Matthew 17:22; 20:18; 24:2; 26:2, among others.
·         Jesus showed proper respect for government. "He said to them, 'Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's'" (Matthew 22:21). Regarding the tax collectors, He told Peter, "However, so that we do not offend them," he should take the coin supplied "and give it to them for you and Me" (Matthew 17:27).

Jesus valued virtue in others.

·         Jesus commended another servant of God. "Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, 'What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? . . . A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet." (Matthew 11:7,9).
·         Jesus acknowledged the strengths of others. "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!'" (John 1:47).
·         Jesus recognized and praised the faith of others. "Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, 'Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven'" (Matthew 9:2). "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel" (Matthew 8:10).

Jesus was perfectly virtuous, entirely holy, and incomparably good. He did everything that could be expected by man's morality; beyond that, He did everything that was expected by God's standards. "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17).

Jesus' goodness should be very reassuring to His followers. While Christians cannot match Jesus in the perfection of His goodness, they should nevertheless strive toward His example. Their desire and effort should be toward being holy as the One who called them is holy.