Good Friday: Goodness

JFK once exhorted Americans by saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Although his famous quote is not from the Bible, it has great biblical insight. JFK recognized that our default setting is to look to our environment, our friends, our church, and our country to meet our needs, satisfy our longings, and increase our comfort. In other words, we are committed to assuring that good things happen in our lives. We often prioritize this over pursuing goodness for those around us.

W. Philip Keller, in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, uncovers some unique insights regarding sheep and their benefit to their environment. If they are properly shepherded and properly functioning, they improve the land where they graze. They eat a lot of the vegetation and keep it from growing too high or too wild. Their droppings fertilize the ground for future growth. The land benefits from their presence. As Keller reviews Psalm 23:6, he states that Christians, like sheep, should leave “goodness and mercy” behind them wherever they go. Sometimes when someone is wearing a fragrant perfume the aroma of that perfume loiters in the air long after that person has left the room. As believers we should leave the aroma of goodness behind.

Jesus was committed to seeing goodness established in the lives of everyone he met. He constantly improved the environment wherever He placed His feet. His words gave life. His touch provided healing. His presence created safety. His look affirmed dignity. His death established freedom. His resurrection confirmed life.

As His disciples, we too are called to produce goodness in the world around us. We, too, are conduits of mercy and goodness. There are broken people, places, and contexts that require our incarnational investment and presence. 

We must be wary of the kryptonite in our lives that drives us towards seeking goodness and mercy for ourselves. We must humbly confess our tendency towards self-centeredness and, instead, cooperate with the Spirit in producing a goodness that encourages and improves the world around us.