As
he was going out into the way, one ran to him, knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
Mark 10:17
Mark 10 [13.] They were bringing to him little children, that he should touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who were bringing them. But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said to them, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these. Most certainly I tell you, whoever will not receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.” He took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
Mark 10 [17.] As he was going out into the way, one ran to him, knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
Mark 10 [18.] Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one—God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not give false testimony,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and mother.’”
Meaning:
Jesus had just blessed the little children and told his disciples that “whoever will not receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it” (Mark 10:13-16). As he sets out again on the road towards Jerusalem, a man comes running with the most important question anyone can ask: how to have eternal life. Mark does not yet tell us who he is. Later we learn that “he was one who had great possessions” (Mark 10:22-23); Matthew calls him a young man and Luke calls him a ruler. His meeting with Jesus is one of the most moving and most sobering encounters in the Gospels.
- “As he was going out into the way”
Mark often speaks of Jesus being “on the way”. In this part of the Gospel the way leads to Jerusalem, where Jesus will suffer, die and rise again (Mark 10:32-34). The man meets Jesus on the road of the cross. The question of eternal life is asked of the one who is about to give his own life so that others may live.
- “One ran to him, knelt before him”
In the ancient world a man of wealth and standing did not run in public; it was thought undignified. Jesus’ parable of the lost son is striking for the same reason, when the father “ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). This man’s running shows how eager he was, and his kneeling shows real respect. Earlier in Mark, a leper had come “kneeling down to him” to ask for cleansing (Mark 1:40). Both men knelt before Jesus, but the leper went away clean, while this man would go away sorrowful. Sincere feeling is a good beginning, but it is not the same as surrender.
- “Good Teacher”
Jewish teachers were seldom addressed as “good”. Goodness in the full sense belonged to God. The man’s polite title may have been meant as flattery, or he may simply have seen Jesus as an outstanding rabbi. Jesus does not let the word pass. His reply, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one—God” (Mark 10:18-19), invites the man to think about who Jesus really is, and about what true goodness means.
- “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
The question assumes that eternal life is gained by doing something. Yet the man uses the word “inherit”, and an inheritance is not earned; it is received as a gift because one belongs to the family. The irony is sharp, coming straight after Jesus’ words about receiving the Kingdom like a little child, who brings nothing and simply receives. “Eternal life” is the life of the age to come, first promised in the Old Testament when Daniel foresaw that many “shall awake, some to everlasting life” (Daniel 12:2). Jesus later promises it to those who leave all for his sake: “in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30).
The Significance of Mark 10:17
- The right question
Many people ask how to be rich, safe or successful. This man asked how to have eternal life, and he brought the question to the right person. Every reader of Mark is invited to ask the same question and to listen carefully to Jesus’ answer.
- Eagerness is not enough
The man ran, knelt and spoke respectfully, yet he still went away sad. Enthusiasm for Jesus must lead on to trust and obedience. It is possible to admire him greatly and still hold back the one thing he asks for.
- Life is a gift
The New Testament answers the man’s question clearly: “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). No one inherits eternal life by a list of achievements, but by receiving it from God through Christ.
Cross-References:
Daniel 12:2: "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." The Old Testament hope of everlasting life after the resurrection.
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." Eternal life given through faith in the Son.
Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Eternal life is a gift, not wages.
Ephesians 2:8-9: "for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast." Salvation comes by grace, not by what we do.
Conclusion: As Jesus set out on the road to Jerusalem, a man ran to him, knelt and asked, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” His eagerness and respect were real, and his question was the most important one he could ask. Yet his words reveal the belief that eternal life can be earned by doing. Jesus’ answer in the verses that follow will show that eternal life is received, not achieved, and that it is found by following him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible