“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one — God.
- KJV And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
- NKJV So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
- NASB But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
- NLT “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus asks why the man calls him good, since only God is good. He probes whether the man grasps the true measure of goodness.
Overview
Jesus is not denying his own goodness or deity but pressing the man to consider his words. If goodness belongs to God alone, then either Jesus is more than a mere teacher, or the man's flattering label is empty. The question begins to dismantle the man's confidence in his own moral standing before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Luke 18:19“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.
- Matt 19:17“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.”
- Rom 3:12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
- 1 Sam 2:2There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God.
- 1 Jn 4:16And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
- Ps 119:68You are good, and You do what is good; teach me Your statutes.
- 1 Jn 4:8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
- Jas 1:17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
- Ps 86:5For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
- Ps 36:7–8How precious is Your loving devotion, O God, that the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings!
- John 5:41–44I do not accept glory from men,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 10:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.