MATTHEW—NOTE ON Matthew 19:16 a man came up to him. Verses Matthew 19:16 have been called the story of the “rich young ruler” since he is rich (v. Matthew 19:22), young (v. Matthew 19:20), and a ruler (compare Luke 18:18). He may have been a religious lay leader, quite possibly a Pharisee (because of his effort in following the law). He first addresses Jesus as Teacher, a title of respect. Then he asks what good deed he must do to have eternal life. It is the first occurrence of the expression “eternal life” in Matthew 1:1 (see Matthew 19:29; Matthew 25:46). In the parallel accounts (Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18), the wording of the question and answer differs somewhat. This seems to be a case of different Gospels reporting different parts of the same conversation.

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