And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one — God.
- BSB “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.
- 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 18:19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
- Matt 19:17And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
- Rom 3:12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
- 1 Sam 2:2There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.
- 1 Jn 4:16And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
- Ps 119:68Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
- 1 Jn 4:8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
- Jas 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
- Ps 86:5For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
- Ps 36:7–8How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
- John 5:41–44I receive not honour 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.