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.’”
Mark 10:18-19
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.’”
Mark 10 [20.] He said to him, “Teacher, I have observed all these things from my youth.”
Meaning:
A man had run to Jesus, knelt before him and asked, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). Jesus’ reply seems at first to step aside from the question. He questions the word “good”, and then he points the man to commandments he already knew. Yet both parts of the answer are carefully aimed. The first raises the question of who Jesus is and what goodness really means. The second holds up the law of God like a mirror, preparing for the moment when Jesus will name the one thing the man lacks (Mark 10:21).
- “Why do you call me good?”
Jesus is not confessing that he is sinful, nor is he refusing the title. He is asking the man to think. If “good” is only a polite compliment for an admired teacher, the man has used the word too lightly. If Jesus truly is good in the way that God is good, then the man is speaking to someone far greater than a rabbi, and his words should be obeyed, whatever they cost. Mark leaves the question open for his readers, who have already heard the voice from heaven say of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son” (Mark 9:7).
- “No one is good except one—God”
In Scripture goodness is first of all a quality of God. “Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good” (Psalm 34:8). Human beings, by contrast, fall short: “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn’t sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20), and Paul gathers the Old Testament witness into one verdict, “There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one” (Romans 3:12). The words “except one” also echo Israel’s daily confession that “the Lord is one” (Mark 12:29-30). Jesus is reminding the man that eternal life is measured against the goodness of God himself, not against the standards of decent people.
- “You know the commandments”
Jesus quotes from the second half of the Ten Commandments, the ones that govern our dealings with other people (Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20): murder (Exodus 20:13), adultery (Exodus 20:14), stealing, false testimony (Exodus 20:16) and honouring parents. He places “Honor your father and mother” last, perhaps to stress it. Notice what Jesus does not mention: the first commandments about loving God alone and having no other gods. That is exactly where this man will fail, when his wealth proves to be the god he cannot leave (Mark 10:22-23).
- “Do not defraud”
This phrase is not one of the Ten Commandments in its usual wording. It probably stands in place of the tenth commandment against coveting, applied in a way that suits a wealthy man. The law warned employers and lenders against taking advantage of the poor: “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy” (Deuteronomy 24:14). Rich landowners were often tempted to hold back wages or squeeze their debtors. Jesus names the sin most likely to cling to someone with great possessions.
The Significance of Mark 10:18-19
- God is the measure of goodness
People often compare themselves with others and conclude they are good enough. Jesus moves the measure to God himself. Measured that way, everyone needs mercy, and no one can claim eternal life as a reward.
- The law is a mirror
The commandments show how God wants us to live, and they also show where we fall short. Paul says that “the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). Jesus used the law here to lead the man towards himself.
- Love your neighbour in practical ways
The commandments Jesus quoted are about real people: parents, spouses, neighbours, workers. “Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10). Faith in God shows itself in honesty, faithfulness and fairness towards others.
Cross-References:
Psalm 34:8: "Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Goodness belongs first of all to God.
Ecclesiastes 7:20: "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn’t sin." No human being is good in the full sense.
Exodus 20:12: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you." The commandment Jesus lists last.
Deuteronomy 24:14: "You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers, or one of the foreigners who are in your land within your gates." The kind of fraud a rich man was tempted to commit.
Conclusion: Jesus answered the man’s question with a question and a list. By asking, “Why do you call me good?” he pointed to God as the only true standard of goodness and invited the man to consider who Jesus really is. By reciting the commandments about loving one’s neighbour, including the pointed “Do not defraud”, he held up the mirror of God’s law. The man would soon discover that keeping rules outwardly is not the same as giving God first place in his heart.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible