Now behold, one came and said to Him,
"Good Master, what good thing shall I do,
that I may have eternal life?"
The rich young ruler went to Jesus asking, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16) He wanted to go to Heaven and thought he had to do something to get there. He called Jesus Good Master, but Jesus turned away his acknowledgment, “Why do you call Me good?” (Matthew 19:17) Jesus didn’t deny He was Good, for He was God, who is Good. Jesus uses this question to impress upon the young man the seriousness of his request. To paraphrase Jesus’ meaning, “Are you sure you know what good means?” What the young ruler didn’t realize was that it took divine forgiveness to get to Heaven. Jesus said to him, “If you want to enter” (Matthew 19:17), which suggests he had not yet entered the kingdom of Heaven.
Lord, You are Good, not because I said it, but because You are God.
Jesus told the young man to keep the commandments, which he claimed he had kept. So, Jesus touched the young man's besetting sin—money—when Jesus said, “Go, sell what you have" (Matthew 19:21). The man "went away sorrowful” (Matthew 19:22). The young man didn’t just have money; his money had him. He was guilty of greed and financial lust. He had broken the 10th commandment, “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20:17).
Lord, I realize just being good is not enough, and that calling You good will not get me to Heaven. I call You my Savior; by grace, You have forgiven all my sin. Amen.
Go Deeper: Matthew 19:16-26
Jesus must be more than a Good Master; He must be your Savior.
