And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Jesus meets the rich young ruler who addresses Him as Good Master and asks what to do to inherit eternal life. He asks why the ruler calls Him good when none is good except God alone, rebuking a casual use of the title, directing attention to the goodness of God, and testing whether the ruler truly recognizes Him as the Son of God. He answers by calling for keeping God's commandments, not as outward rule-keeping alone but as obedience expressed in character, in supreme love to God, reliance on Christ's perfection, and love to neighbor. He makes selling what he owns, giving to the poor, and following Him the test of that obedience, showing that eternal life requires surrendering wealth and becoming a faithful steward of what God has entrusted to relieve human need. The ruler values his great possessions more than heavenly treasure and goes away sorrowful, showing the terms for all that self-surrender and obedience are required and whatever keeps a person from putting God first must be given up.
Context and Meaning
The saying belongs to Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler who comes to Him as Good Master asking what to do to inherit eternal life. The same account is told also in Matthew 19 and Mark 10 and is joined to the parable of the laborers in the vineyard in Matthew 20. In that meeting the young man asks about eternal life, is told to keep the commandments, declares he has done so, is told he yet lacks one thing to go sell all he has and give to the poor so he will have treasure in heaven, and goes away sorrowful because he has great possessions. The exchange leads into the question about eternal life and the call to obey God's commandments and follow Him, exposing the young man's failure to love his neighbor as himself and a close, covetous spirit that tithes small things but neglects weightier matters.
Jesus answers by asking why the ruler calls Him good and declaring that no one is good except God alone. The question challenges a casual use of good as a mere title and directs attention away from calling Him good in that empty sense toward recognizing that goodness belongs fully to God. Goodness belongs ultimately and so fully to God alone that the words point to God as the one who is good.
The question tests the ruler's sincerity and draws out how he regards Jesus. It presses whether he truly recognizes the One speaking to him as the Son of God and His representative rather than merely as an honored rabbi. If he recognizes Jesus as truly good, he must receive Him as God's Son and representative.
The ruler has a high estimate of his own righteousness and does not suppose himself defective in anything, yet he is not altogether satisfied. He feels the want of something he does not possess and hopes Jesus will bless him as He blessed the little children and satisfy his soul-want. His self-love and claim to have kept the commandments show he lacks heart devotion and Christian goodness, for he lacks the love for God and others that is the spirit and life of the law. He needs a humble, contrite heart that gives God supreme love and relies on Christ's perfection, rather than mistaken confidence in his own goodness and obedience.
Call to Surrender
Jesus answers the question about eternal life by calling for keeping God's commandments and following Him, for the obedience God requires is not outward rule-keeping alone but obedience expressed in life and character. That obedience is obedience in spirit, in supreme love to God, in reliance on Christ's perfection, and in love to neighbor, which is the spirit and life of the law. Claiming to have kept the commandments is not enough, for the claim must be tested by surrender of wealth and by becoming a faithful steward who uses what God has entrusted to relieve human need. The call to sell what is owned, give to the poor and suffering, and follow Jesus makes sacrifice and help for the poor that test.
Jesus meets the ruler in love, hoping he will become His co-worker. He seeks to develop and sanctify character through close union with Himself so that the one thus united can reflect God's likeness and serve in the work of salvation. Understanding Christ's costly sacrifice to save and ennoble humanity leads people to value their souls, turn from worldly attractions, surrender all they are and possess to Christ, and make obedience to His Word their highest aim. Receiving Christ as the bread of life means He becomes the soul's sustaining, circulating life.
The ruler values his great possessions more than heavenly treasure, so the demand chills his desire to follow, and he goes away sorrowful, choosing earthly wealth and power over eternal life. His wealth is his idol, and holding on selfishly weakens moral strength and draws affections away from God. That choice shows love of riches outweighing love for God, for neighbor, and for eternal life, a miserable exchange that makes a person unfit for the eternal riches and the kingdom of God. The encounter thus presents the condition and terms of salvation and discipleship for all: self-surrender and obedience are required, and whatever would corrupt must be given up rather than clung to when it keeps a person from putting God first. That giving up extends even to earthly treasure, family interests, and life itself, for receiving the life of God requires willingness to give up everything rather than cling to earthly treasure. Refusing Christ as leader when following requires surrender is dangerous, and the ruler's resistance illustrates the difficulty of reaching people whose hearts resist giving Jesus all that they have and are.
The same failure is seen in many who profess to keep all God's commandments while holding wealth, showing by it how poorly they return God's love. They show a close, covetous spirit that tithes small things but neglects weightier matters, stretches economy into meanness, and lacks the true spirit of sacrifice acceptable to God. By contrast, serving God wholeheartedly does not make a person useless in this world, for true knowledge of Christ equips people to show His love and bless those around them. Goodness belongs so fully to God that one should acknowledge one is not as good as one ought to be and should not be praised.
Jesus meets the rich young ruler who addresses Him as Good Master and asks what to do to inherit eternal life. He asks why the ruler calls Him good when none is good except God alone, rebuking a casual use of the title, directing attention to the goodness of God, and testing whether the ruler truly recognizes Him as the Son of God. He answers by calling for keeping God's commandments, not as outward rule-keeping alone but as obedience expressed in character, in supreme love to God, reliance on Christ's perfection, and love to neighbor. He makes selling what he owns, giving to the poor, and following Him the test of that obedience, showing that eternal life requires surrendering wealth and becoming a faithful steward of what God has entrusted to relieve human need. The ruler values his great possessions more than heavenly treasure and goes away sorrowful, showing the terms for all that self-surrender and obedience are required and whatever keeps a person from putting God first must be given up.
Context and Meaning
The saying belongs to Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler who comes to Him as Good Master asking what to do to inherit eternal life. The same account is told also in Matthew 19 and Mark 10 and is joined to the parable of the laborers in the vineyard in Matthew 20. In that meeting the young man asks about eternal life, is told to keep the commandments, declares he has done so, is told he yet lacks one thing to go sell all he has and give to the poor so he will have treasure in heaven, and goes away sorrowful because he has great possessions. The exchange leads into the question about eternal life and the call to obey God's commandments and follow Him, exposing the young man's failure to love his neighbor as himself and a close, covetous spirit that tithes small things but neglects weightier matters.
Jesus answers by asking why the ruler calls Him good and declaring that no one is good except God alone. The question challenges a casual use of good as a mere title and directs attention away from calling Him good in that empty sense toward recognizing that goodness belongs fully to God. Goodness belongs ultimately and so fully to God alone that the words point to God as the one who is good.
The question tests the ruler's sincerity and draws out how he regards Jesus. It presses whether he truly recognizes the One speaking to him as the Son of God and His representative rather than merely as an honored rabbi. If he recognizes Jesus as truly good, he must receive Him as God's Son and representative.
The ruler has a high estimate of his own righteousness and does not suppose himself defective in anything, yet he is not altogether satisfied. He feels the want of something he does not possess and hopes Jesus will bless him as He blessed the little children and satisfy his soul-want. His self-love and claim to have kept the commandments show he lacks heart devotion and Christian goodness, for he lacks the love for God and others that is the spirit and life of the law. He needs a humble, contrite heart that gives God supreme love and relies on Christ's perfection, rather than mistaken confidence in his own goodness and obedience.
Call to Surrender
Jesus answers the question about eternal life by calling for keeping God's commandments and following Him, for the obedience God requires is not outward rule-keeping alone but obedience expressed in life and character. That obedience is obedience in spirit, in supreme love to God, in reliance on Christ's perfection, and in love to neighbor, which is the spirit and life of the law. Claiming to have kept the commandments is not enough, for the claim must be tested by surrender of wealth and by becoming a faithful steward who uses what God has entrusted to relieve human need. The call to sell what is owned, give to the poor and suffering, and follow Jesus makes sacrifice and help for the poor that test.
Jesus meets the ruler in love, hoping he will become His co-worker. He seeks to develop and sanctify character through close union with Himself so that the one thus united can reflect God's likeness and serve in the work of salvation. Understanding Christ's costly sacrifice to save and ennoble humanity leads people to value their souls, turn from worldly attractions, surrender all they are and possess to Christ, and make obedience to His Word their highest aim. Receiving Christ as the bread of life means He becomes the soul's sustaining, circulating life.
The ruler values his great possessions more than heavenly treasure, so the demand chills his desire to follow, and he goes away sorrowful, choosing earthly wealth and power over eternal life. His wealth is his idol, and holding on selfishly weakens moral strength and draws affections away from God. That choice shows love of riches outweighing love for God, for neighbor, and for eternal life, a miserable exchange that makes a person unfit for the eternal riches and the kingdom of God. The encounter thus presents the condition and terms of salvation and discipleship for all: self-surrender and obedience are required, and whatever would corrupt must be given up rather than clung to when it keeps a person from putting God first. That giving up extends even to earthly treasure, family interests, and life itself, for receiving the life of God requires willingness to give up everything rather than cling to earthly treasure. Refusing Christ as leader when following requires surrender is dangerous, and the ruler's resistance illustrates the difficulty of reaching people whose hearts resist giving Jesus all that they have and are.
The same failure is seen in many who profess to keep all God's commandments while holding wealth, showing by it how poorly they return God's love. They show a close, covetous spirit that tithes small things but neglects weightier matters, stretches economy into meanness, and lacks the true spirit of sacrifice acceptable to God. By contrast, serving God wholeheartedly does not make a person useless in this world, for true knowledge of Christ equips people to show His love and bless those around them. Goodness belongs so fully to God that one should acknowledge one is not as good as one ought to be and should not be praised.