Matthew the apostle wrote how, “one came and said unto” Jesus and said, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”, and in chapter nineteen and verse seventeen of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus asked the man, “why do you call me good?” where we read:
And he said unto him, Why do you call me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:
but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments.
The verse reads, “And he said unto him, Why do you call me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:”. Matthew began with the words, “and he said” or “and Jesus uttered, declared, proclaimed and questioned” “unto him” which refers to “the man”, “why” which means “for what reason and cause” “do you call me” which means “does the young man affirm and maintain that Jesus is” “good” or “pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, excellent and distinguished teacher”? “there is none good” which means “there exists no certain one who is pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, excellent and distinguished teacher” “but one” or “except One certain one”, “that is God” which means “who is the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Matthew shared how Jesus questioned the young man why he “called” Him “good” because not one is “good” except for God Himself.
The verse goes on to say, “but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matthew added the word, “but” or “nevertheless, nonetheless, moreover and” “if you will enter” which means “”whether the young man would come into existence” “into life” or “into life real, genuine, active and vigorous”, “keep” which means “attend to carefully, take care of, guard and observe” “the commandments” or “the orders, charges, precepts and injunctions of God”. Matthew wrote how Jesus said the key to “come into” “age abiding life” is to “observe and guard” the “orders and precepts” of God.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see Jesus' response to the young man. First, Jesus asked him why he called Him “good”, and Jesus' conclusion was that no one was “good” except for God. Either Jesus was saying that He is not good or that He was and is God. Secondly, Jesus told the young man the way to have “eternal life” was to “observe” all the rules and orders of God. Both answers share the key to “eternal life” with God which comes through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus is God, and those who realize that He came to earth, lived perfectly as a man and died for the sins of the whole world. Those who receive Him as “Savior and Lord” shall know “eternal age abiding life” that can be found nowhere else in the world.
Next time Matthew shares how the man responded with the question, “which”?, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
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Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
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