And 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.
Jesus replied, 'Why are you calling me good? Only God is truly good. But if you want real life, the kind that actually matters, then follow the commandments.'
Jesus pointed to God as the source of all goodness and said the path to real life runs through living right.
📚 Historical Context
In the historical context of Matthew 19, Jesus is speaking to a rich young man who approaches Him asking what good deed he must do to have eternal life, reflecting the Jewish cultural emphasis on keeping the Law for righteousness. Jesus challenges the man's view of goodness by affirming that only God is truly good, then points him to the commandments as the way to enter life. This exchange occurs during Jesus' ministry in Judea, around AD 30-33, amid discussions on morality and eternal security in first-century Jewish society.
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