Matthew 19:17
And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus redirects the question from "what good thing shall I do" to the nature of goodness itself. By pointing to God as the sole source of goodness, Jesus challenges the young man's assumption that good works alone lead to life, shifting the focus to God's commandments as the pathway.
A wealthy young ruler approaches Jesus, eager to know how to gain eternal life and, in his eyes, believing he's already met the requirements. Jesus first probes the man's understanding of goodness and His own identity, then directs him to the commandments as the path to life, setting up the subsequent test of the man's true priorities.
Understand the original words
agathos · Greek Adjective
That which conforms to the nature, will, and standard of God. Biblically, God is the ultimate definition and source of all moral perfection and benevolence.
tēreō · Greek Verb
To fulfill the requirements of the Mosaic Law or the divine will of God. It implies faithful obedience and adherence to God's revealed statutes and moral requirements.
entolē · Greek Noun
Divine instructions or statutes given by God to His people. They serve as a reflection of God’s holiness and a guide for living in covenant relationship with Him.
This passage echoes Jesus' instruction to 'keep the commandments' by presenting obedience to God's commands as a choice between life and death.
Leviticus 18:5This verse directly states that 'if you keep my statutes and my rules, then man shall live by them,' directly correlating obedience to the law with life, which is a core theme in Jesus' response.
Romans 3:23This verse highlights the universal failure to keep God's commands, providing a crucial backdrop to Jesus' interaction, as no one can perfectly keep the law as the young man believed.
Mark 10:17-18This parallel account in Mark is significant because it presents a slightly different phrasing where Jesus asks, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone,' which directly addresses the 'good' designation.
Luke 10:25-28This passage features a similar interaction where an expert in the law asks how to inherit eternal life, and Jesus directs him to love God and neighbor, framing the 'keeping of the commandments' in a broader relational context.
vincentMatthew 19:17: "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
Why callest thou me good? (τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν)But the true reading is, τί με ἐρωτᾷς περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; Why askest thou me concerning the good ?There is none good but one, that is God (οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεός)But the reading is, εἷς ἐστὶν ὁ ἀγαθός, One there is who is good. The saying of Christ appe…
calvinMatthew 19:16-22: "And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"
- And, lo, one came and said to him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17. Who said to him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but God alone? [614] but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18. He saith to him, Which? And Jesus said, Thou shalt not murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not…
Jesus redirects the question from "what good thing shall I do" to the nature of goodness itself. By pointing to God as the sole source of goodness, Jesus challenges the young man's assumption that good works alone lead to life, shifting the focus to God's commandments as the pathway.
A wealthy young ruler approaches Jesus, eager to know how to gain eternal life and, in his eyes, believing he's already met the requirements. Jesus first probes the man's understanding of goodness and His own identity, then directs him to the commandments as the path to life, setting up the subsequent test of the man's true priorities.
A wealthy young ruler approaches Jesus, eager to know how to gain eternal life and, in his eyes, believing he's already met the requirements. Jesus first probes the man's understanding of goodness and His own identity, then directs him to the commandments as the path to life, setting up the subsequent test of the man's true priorities.
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"And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”" — Jesus redirects the question from "what good thing shall I do" to the nature of goodness itself. By pointing to God as the sole source of goodness, Jesus challenges the young man's assumption tha…
