And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
When a sincere young ruler of position and great possessions ran to Jesus, kneeled, and asked what to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus answered by asking why he called Him good since only God is good. He said this to turn the ruler from empty respect and to test what he truly believed, for the ruler saw only an honored rabbi and did not discern that the One speaking was the Son of God. The saying teaches that God alone is truly good and the source of all goodness, so that no goodness in man stands apart from God. Jesus then answered the question directly by requiring keeping of His Father's commandments from the heart, and with pity exposed the ruler's hidden selfishness and love of wealth beneath his claim to have kept them all. When told to sell what he had, give to the poor, take up the cross and follow Him, the ruler chose his earthly treasure above heavenly treasure and turned away sorrowful, showing that true obedience demands the whole heart and life and not outward keeping only.
The Ruler Seeks Eternal Life
Mark 10:18 belongs to the meeting on the way when a young ruler of great possessions and responsible position ran after Jesus, kneeled before Him, and asked with sincerity and earnestness what to do to inherit eternal life. He had watched Jesus tenderly receive little children and take them in His arms until his heart was kindled with love for Jesus and desire to be His disciple. His question is the important question for his own soul and for the soul of every human being.
He came with a high estimate of his own righteousness, supposing himself defective in nothing, yet he was not altogether satisfied. He felt the want of something he did not possess and hoped Jesus could bless him as He had blessed the little children and satisfy his soul-want. The young man who ran to Jesus in the way, kneeled, and asked what to do to inherit eternal life represents some whom the Lord is calling to engage in His service.
Only God Is Good
The saying turns the ruler's eyes to God as the source of goodness and teaches that God alone is truly good, so that goodness belongs fully to God and is bound to God, and goodness in human beings is not independent of God. In that meeting Jesus names commandments and then calls the man to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him, and this exposes the selfishness and covetousness beneath the man's claim to have kept the commandments and his question about eternal life. The ruler needed to recognize that outward obedience did not supply the heart devotion and Christian goodness he lacked.
Jesus declines the title good when it is applied to a human being apart from God, while He Himself is equal with the Father. By asking why the ruler calls Him good and affirming that only God is good, Jesus tests the ruler's sincerity in order to reveal whether he understood that the One speaking to him was the Son of God and to draw out what he truly believed about Him. He sought to learn whether the rich ruler understood who He was when he called Him good, whether the ruler recognized that he was speaking to the Son of God.
Jesus challenges the ruler to consider what he means and on what ground he calls Him good, turning him away from a merely respectful greeting. The ruler saw Him only as an honored rabbi and did not discern Him as the Son of God, but if he recognizes Jesus as good in this sense he must receive Him as God's Son and representative. In declaring that God alone is good, Jesus also identifies Himself with the Father and claims perfect righteousness, whose sinless purity remained complete even while tempted and surrounded by corruption. The ruler needed the humble, contrite heart, supreme love for God, and perfection found in Christ that outward obedience could not supply.
Obedience Exposes Divided Heart
To the direct question what to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus gave a direct answer to keep His Father's commandments, naming the commandments and declaring that obedience to them is necessary for salvation and life. That keeping requires giving all one's powers to God.
The young man claimed to have kept all the commandments from his youth. He supposed he had kept them and declared he had done so.
With pity and love Jesus pointed directly to the defect in his character and revealed his failure to keep them from the heart. Beneath the claim lay selfishness and covetousness, with selfishness and love of worldly gain ruling his heart. He had failed to love his neighbor as himself and to recognize the goodness and love required by God's law.
Jesus set before him His own self-denying, cross-bearing life and told him to sell whatsoever he had, give to the poor and to the suffering poor, take up the cross, and come follow Him, with the promise of treasure in heaven. That requirement of love and self-sacrifice is the great test at the final judgment and the touchstone of character. The obedience God requires is more than outward rule-keeping but enters the life and is shown in the character. Following Christ requires offering Him all that one has and is, including entrusted means used in His work, and giving up whatever would corrupt the whole person. The costly surrender is a sacrifice that brings treasure in heaven.
The conditions seemed severe and demanding, yet the words were wise. They were the ruler's only hope of salvation, for he had to obey rather than let his position and possessions take God's place. Attachment to worldly things weakens moral strength and can absorb the heart.
The young man valued his great earthly possessions, his riches, money, and power, more than the heavenly treasure and immortal life. His property was his idol, and he wanted to keep it while gaining heaven. His willingness to keep the commandments did not remove the one thing he lacked. The meeting exposes a close and covetous spirit that tithes mint and rue yet neglects weightier matters, stretches economy into meanness, and lacks the true spirit of sacrifice acceptable to God.
He would not transfer his treasure to heaven by doing good with it, withdrawing his affections from it, blessing the widow and the fatherless, and becoming rich in good works. He could not consent to give to the poor and follow Christ. The demand chilled his desire, and though very sorrowful he turned away from the cross and the heavenly inheritance. He chose to retain his wealth and sacrificed heaven for the world because he wanted both worlds, sacrificing the heavenly for the earthly. His love for earthly treasure proved stronger than his love for his fellow men, his neighbor and God, and the immortal inheritance.
His question and choice test professed followers of Christ, for when the way is pointed out and the cost is counted they show they love riches more than God and decide heaven costs too much. The greater the earthly treasures, the harder it is to realize they are not one's own but lent to be used to God's glory.
When a sincere young ruler of position and great possessions ran to Jesus, kneeled, and asked what to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus answered by asking why he called Him good since only God is good. He said this to turn the ruler from empty respect and to test what he truly believed, for the ruler saw only an honored rabbi and did not discern that the One speaking was the Son of God. The saying teaches that God alone is truly good and the source of all goodness, so that no goodness in man stands apart from God. Jesus then answered the question directly by requiring keeping of His Father's commandments from the heart, and with pity exposed the ruler's hidden selfishness and love of wealth beneath his claim to have kept them all. When told to sell what he had, give to the poor, take up the cross and follow Him, the ruler chose his earthly treasure above heavenly treasure and turned away sorrowful, showing that true obedience demands the whole heart and life and not outward keeping only.
The Ruler Seeks Eternal Life
Mark 10:18 belongs to the meeting on the way when a young ruler of great possessions and responsible position ran after Jesus, kneeled before Him, and asked with sincerity and earnestness what to do to inherit eternal life. He had watched Jesus tenderly receive little children and take them in His arms until his heart was kindled with love for Jesus and desire to be His disciple. His question is the important question for his own soul and for the soul of every human being.
He came with a high estimate of his own righteousness, supposing himself defective in nothing, yet he was not altogether satisfied. He felt the want of something he did not possess and hoped Jesus could bless him as He had blessed the little children and satisfy his soul-want. The young man who ran to Jesus in the way, kneeled, and asked what to do to inherit eternal life represents some whom the Lord is calling to engage in His service.
Only God Is Good
The saying turns the ruler's eyes to God as the source of goodness and teaches that God alone is truly good, so that goodness belongs fully to God and is bound to God, and goodness in human beings is not independent of God. In that meeting Jesus names commandments and then calls the man to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him, and this exposes the selfishness and covetousness beneath the man's claim to have kept the commandments and his question about eternal life. The ruler needed to recognize that outward obedience did not supply the heart devotion and Christian goodness he lacked.
Jesus declines the title good when it is applied to a human being apart from God, while He Himself is equal with the Father. By asking why the ruler calls Him good and affirming that only God is good, Jesus tests the ruler's sincerity in order to reveal whether he understood that the One speaking to him was the Son of God and to draw out what he truly believed about Him. He sought to learn whether the rich ruler understood who He was when he called Him good, whether the ruler recognized that he was speaking to the Son of God.
Jesus challenges the ruler to consider what he means and on what ground he calls Him good, turning him away from a merely respectful greeting. The ruler saw Him only as an honored rabbi and did not discern Him as the Son of God, but if he recognizes Jesus as good in this sense he must receive Him as God's Son and representative. In declaring that God alone is good, Jesus also identifies Himself with the Father and claims perfect righteousness, whose sinless purity remained complete even while tempted and surrounded by corruption. The ruler needed the humble, contrite heart, supreme love for God, and perfection found in Christ that outward obedience could not supply.
Obedience Exposes Divided Heart
To the direct question what to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus gave a direct answer to keep His Father's commandments, naming the commandments and declaring that obedience to them is necessary for salvation and life. That keeping requires giving all one's powers to God.
The young man claimed to have kept all the commandments from his youth. He supposed he had kept them and declared he had done so.
With pity and love Jesus pointed directly to the defect in his character and revealed his failure to keep them from the heart. Beneath the claim lay selfishness and covetousness, with selfishness and love of worldly gain ruling his heart. He had failed to love his neighbor as himself and to recognize the goodness and love required by God's law.
Jesus set before him His own self-denying, cross-bearing life and told him to sell whatsoever he had, give to the poor and to the suffering poor, take up the cross, and come follow Him, with the promise of treasure in heaven. That requirement of love and self-sacrifice is the great test at the final judgment and the touchstone of character. The obedience God requires is more than outward rule-keeping but enters the life and is shown in the character. Following Christ requires offering Him all that one has and is, including entrusted means used in His work, and giving up whatever would corrupt the whole person. The costly surrender is a sacrifice that brings treasure in heaven.
The conditions seemed severe and demanding, yet the words were wise. They were the ruler's only hope of salvation, for he had to obey rather than let his position and possessions take God's place. Attachment to worldly things weakens moral strength and can absorb the heart.
The young man valued his great earthly possessions, his riches, money, and power, more than the heavenly treasure and immortal life. His property was his idol, and he wanted to keep it while gaining heaven. His willingness to keep the commandments did not remove the one thing he lacked. The meeting exposes a close and covetous spirit that tithes mint and rue yet neglects weightier matters, stretches economy into meanness, and lacks the true spirit of sacrifice acceptable to God.
He would not transfer his treasure to heaven by doing good with it, withdrawing his affections from it, blessing the widow and the fatherless, and becoming rich in good works. He could not consent to give to the poor and follow Christ. The demand chilled his desire, and though very sorrowful he turned away from the cross and the heavenly inheritance. He chose to retain his wealth and sacrificed heaven for the world because he wanted both worlds, sacrificing the heavenly for the earthly. His love for earthly treasure proved stronger than his love for his fellow men, his neighbor and God, and the immortal inheritance.
His question and choice test professed followers of Christ, for when the way is pointed out and the cost is counted they show they love riches more than God and decide heaven costs too much. The greater the earthly treasures, the harder it is to realize they are not one's own but lent to be used to God's glory.