ἰδού, lo! introduces a story worth telling. εἷς : one, singled out from the crowd by his approach towards Jesus, and, as the narrative shows, by his spiritual state. Διδάσκαλε : this reading, which omits the epithet ἀγαθέ, doubtless gives us the true text of Mt., but in all probability not the exact terms in which the man addressed Jesus. Such a man was likely to accost Jesus courteously as “good Master,” as Mk. and Lk. both report. The omission of the epithet eliminates from the story the basis for a very important and characteristic element in Christ's dealing with this inquirer contained in the question: “Why callest thou me good?” which means not “the epithet is not applicable to me, but to God only,” but “do not make ascriptions of goodness a matter of mere courtesy or politeness”. The case is parallel to the unwillingness of Jesus to be called Christ indiscriminately. He wished no man to give Him any title of honour till he knew what he was doing. He wished this man in particular to think carefully on what is good, and who, all the more that there were competing types of goodness to choose from, that of the Pharisees, and that exhibited in His own teaching. τί ἀγαθὸν ποιήσω. the ἀγαθὸν is omitted in the parallels, but it is implied: of course it was something good that would have to be done in order to obtain eternal life. What good shall I do? Fritzsche takes this as not = quid boni faciam ? but = quid, quod bonum sit, faciam ? that is, not = what particular good action shall, etc., but = what in the name of good, etc. This is probably right. The man wants to know what the good really is … that by doing it he may attain eternal life. It was a natural question for a thoughtful man in those days when the teaching and practice of the religious guides made it the hardest thing possible to know what the good really was. It is a mistake to conceive of this man as asking what specially good thing he might do in the spirit of the type of Pharisee who was always asking, What is my duty and I will do it? (Schöttgen). Would Jesus have loved such a man, or would such a man have left His presence sorrowful ? ζωὴν αἰώνιον : an alternative name for the summum bonum in Christ's teaching, and also in current Jewish speech (Wünsche, Beiträge). The Kingdom of God is the more common in the Synoptics, the other in the fourth Gospel.

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Old Testament