Matthew 19:17 kjv
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.
Matthew 19:17 nkjv
So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."
Matthew 19:17 niv
"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments."
Matthew 19:17 esv
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."
Matthew 19:17 nlt
"Why ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. But to answer your question ? if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments."
Matthew 19 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 10:18 | Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." | Parallel account; God's exclusive goodness. |
| Lk 18:19 | Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." | Parallel account; God's unique goodness. |
| Ps 106:1 | Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good... | God's inherent and constant goodness. |
| Jas 1:17 | Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father... | God as the source of all true good. |
| Deut 30:19 | choose life, that you and your offspring may live, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying his voice... | OT principle of life through obedience. |
| Lev 18:5 | You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD. | Direct link between commandments and life. |
| Rom 7:12 | So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. | The Law itself is good and righteous. |
| Jn 14:15 | "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." | Obedience as an expression of love for Jesus. |
| Jn 15:10 | "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love..." | Connection between obedience and abiding. |
| 1 Jn 5:3 | For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. | Keeping commandments as a sign of loving God. |
| Rom 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 as a gift, not earned by works. |
| Jn 3:16 | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. | Eternal life through belief in Christ. |
| Jn 10:10 | The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. | Jesus' purpose to provide abundant life. |
| Mt 22:37-40 | "You shall love the Lord your God... and your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." | Jesus' summary of the commandments. |
| Ex 20:1-17 | The Ten Commandments given by God. | The specific commandments in mind. |
| Mt 5:17-20 | "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law... but to fulfill them... unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." | Jesus deepens the meaning of the Law. |
| Rom 3:20 | For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. | Law reveals sin, doesn't justify perfectly. |
| Gal 2:16 | a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. | Justification by faith, not law works. |
| Mt 19:26 | But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." | Human inability to perfectly obey without God. |
| Rom 8:3 | For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do, by sending his own Son... | God's provision for human weakness regarding the Law. |
| Phil 2:13 | for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. | God's empowering role in true obedience. |
Matthew 19 verses
Matthew 19 17 Meaning
Jesus' response in Matthew 19:17 clarifies the nature of ultimate goodness, pointing to God alone as inherently good. He redirects the rich young ruler from viewing Him merely as a "good teacher" to acknowledging God as the supreme standard of good. Furthermore, Jesus states the pathway to eternal life is found in keeping the divine commandments, echoing Old Testament principles while setting the stage for demonstrating humanity's inherent inability to perfectly fulfill them without divine grace.
Matthew 19 17 Context
This verse is part of Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler, who approaches Jesus seeking guidance on how to inherit eternal life. The interaction begins with the young man addressing Jesus as "Good Teacher." This particular chapter, Matthew 19, deals with themes of discipleship, commitment, and the nature of God's Kingdom. It follows Jesus' teachings on marriage and divorce and precedes the discussion about a camel passing through the eye of a needle, highlighting the difficulty of entry into the Kingdom for those reliant on worldly riches. Jesus' response challenges the young man's understanding of goodness, his perceived ability to earn salvation, and ultimately reveals the radical nature of true discipleship. In the Jewish context of the time, keeping the commandments was widely understood as the path to righteousness and life, reflecting the Law given by Moses.
Matthew 19 17 Word analysis
- "And he said to him,": This marks a direct and significant response from Jesus to the rich young ruler. It signals Jesus taking control of the direction of the conversation.
- "Why" (Τί - Ti): An interrogative, posing a challenging question. Jesus prompts the young man to consider his underlying premise or understanding. It implies Jesus perceives a misunderstanding in the young man's initial address.
- "do you ask me about what is good?" (με ἐρωτᾷς περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ - me erōtas peri tou agathou): This probes the rich young ruler's perception of Jesus. The young man likely used "good teacher" as a mere complimentary address, without fully understanding its profound theological implications. Jesus gently confronts this superficial understanding.
- "There is only one" (Εἷς ἐστιν - Heis estin): An emphatic statement, pointing to uniqueness and singularity.
- "who is good." (ὁ ἀγαθός - ho agathos): This refers directly to God, the Father, as the ultimate, inherent, and absolute standard of goodness. It is not a denial of Jesus' own goodness, but a theological redirect. Jesus subtly compels the young man to recognize that if Jesus is truly "good" in the ultimate sense, then His goodness must be derived from God or must be God's own goodness. It establishes the divine benchmark.
- "If you would enter life," (εἰ δὲ θέλεις εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν - ei de theleis eis tēn zōēn eiselthein): This clause sets the condition and purpose. "Life" (zōēn) here signifies eternal life, communion with God, spiritual salvation, not merely earthly longevity. Jesus acknowledges the young man's sincere desire for this life.
- "keep" (τήρησον - tērēson): An imperative verb, a direct command. It implies careful observance, guarding, and diligently carrying out the requirements.
- "the commandments." (τὰς ἐντολάς - tas entolas): Refers to the divine instructions, primarily the Mosaic Law. Jesus initially points to the established, understood path for righteousness in the Old Covenant, before revealing its deeper demands.
Word-groups analysis:
- "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.": Jesus critiques the young man's casual use of "good teacher." He subtly corrects the implied theology, emphasizing that ultimate goodness resides in God alone. This prompts a reflection on divine identity. If Jesus is good, He shares God's unique essence.
- "If you would enter life, keep the commandments.": This pairing links salvation to obedience. It mirrors the Old Testament teaching (e.g., Lev 18:5, Deut 30:19), indicating that a life lived according to God's revealed will is the path to spiritual life. However, this is given to expose the limitations of self-effort.
Matthew 19 17 Bonus section
This verse subtly prefaces the challenge of Christian discipleship. By affirming the Law ("keep the commandments") as the path to life, Jesus prepares to expose the depth of that requirement in the next few verses, particularly when He lists some commandments and then challenges the young man to sell all he has (Mt 19:18-21). This deeper challenge reveals that merely outward adherence to the letter of the Law is insufficient for true, radical commitment required to "enter life" and follow Jesus. It transitions from a legalistic question to a heart-level challenge about devotion and dependence on God rather than self. The conversation ultimately illustrates the tension between human effort and divine enablement in achieving salvation, a central theme across both Old and New Testaments.
Matthew 19 17 Commentary
Matthew 19:17 reveals Jesus' approach to revealing truth: starting from His questioner's own premises, then gently correcting or elevating their understanding. When the rich young ruler calls Jesus "Good Teacher," Jesus immediately focuses on the profound implications of the term "good." He redirects the conversation to God the Father, stating, "There is only one who is good." This is not a denial of His own divine nature or goodness but a pointer to the ultimate source of all perfect goodness. If Jesus is truly good, He must participate in God's unique goodness.
Then, Jesus articulates the traditional path to life: "If you would enter life, keep the commandments." This response is a crucial setup. Jesus is not introducing a new way but confirming the divinely appointed pathway known in the Law (Torah). This seemingly simple instruction, however, becomes the lens through which Jesus will soon expose the human inability to achieve salvation through perfect adherence to the law. He acknowledges the Law's role, as "good," in setting a standard, but His subsequent interaction with the young man will unveil that true "keeping" of the Law demands a radical internal commitment and ultimately, divine grace that goes beyond mere external obedience. It serves to highlight the law's function in showing humanity its need for a Savior, rather than being the sole means of justification.