But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? 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.
- 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.
- 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 18:19Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one — God.
- Matt 19:17He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
- Rom 3:12They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one.”
- 1 Sam 2:2There is no one as holy as Yahweh, For there is no one besides you, nor is there any rock like our God.
- 1 Jn 4:16We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
- Ps 119:68You are good, and do good. Teach me your statutes.
- 1 Jn 4:8He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.
- Jas 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.
- Ps 86:5For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.
- Ps 36:7–8How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
- John 5:41–44I don’t receive 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.