Matthew 19:16–19 (ESV) —
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 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.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
NOTE: This is a difficult passage to interpret because we don't know the man's intent, nor his knowledge of the matter in question, nor his motivation. Matthew changes the question a little bit (at least from the way Mark recorded it in Mark 10) so that it focuses on what "good deed" is required to gain eternal life? With our illumination of scripture from Paul, we know the answer -- you can't do anything but believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation. But at this point in the story, Jesus has not died for sins. Jesus repeats the technical answer -- you must obey all the commandments. But the man knew that answer, all Israel knew that answer, the problem was that obeying all the commandments was impossible. It is impossible to be good or to do good at all times. In many ways, Jesus' response is a repeat of the Sermon on the Mount. It is a message that drives people to see their need for a solution. The first step in seeing someone come to Christ is that they must recognize that they are a sinner in desperate need for a savior.
PONDER:
- Have I ever recognized my total inability to please God by my actions? Or do I still believe that God sees me as good?
PRAYER: Father, free us of the danger of thinking that we are good. Without Jesus, we are wicked in your eyes. Our best efforts are filthy rags in your sight. Without Jesus, we are nothing. Only Jesus' righteousness even allows us to come before your presence.
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