Mark 10:18

10:18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? ¹  No one is good except God alone.

Mark 10:17

The Rich Man

10:17 Now ²  as Jesus ³  was starting out on his way, someone ran up to him, fell on his knees, and said, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ⁴ 

[10:18]  ¹ sn Jesus’ response, Why do you call me good?, was designed to cause the young man to stop and think for a moment about who Jesus really was. The following statement No one is good except God alone seems to point the man in the direction of Jesus’ essential nature and the demands which logically follow on the man for having said it.

[10:17]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[10:17]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:17]  ⁴ sn The rich man wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life, but Jesus had just finished teaching that eternal life was not earned but simply received (10:15).