Mark 10:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Some misrepresent this young man as an artful and deceptive instigator. In reality, he was simply a man consumed by greed, rather than a true tempter. Observe the insight of the evangelist: ‘Jesus looked at him and loved him’ (Mark 10:21). Christ's response, ‘No one is good,’ arises because the young man approached Him as merely another individual among many teachers. Christ points out, ‘If you regard me as good solely as a teacher, then no one can be considered good in comparison to God; but if you see me as good in the divine sense, why do you refer to me merely as a teacher?’ Through this exchange, Christ aims to elevate the understanding of His identity, urging the young man to recognize Him as God.

God alone embodies goodness and cannot lose it. He does not share in anyone else's goodness, for His essence is goodness itself. In contrast, if a person is to be virtuous, that goodness is granted to them by God, as humans cannot possess goodness inherently. By His Spirit, individuals can become righteous—if one does become righteous—by having the capacity, according to their nature as created beings, to willingly accept and hold onto the goodness bestowed by Him who is inherently good. In turning away from Him, we are left without any goodness of our own.

If the Savior is not righteous, then He must inevitably be wicked, for He is one and does not permit any ambiguity in between. Can it be seen as fitting for the Creator of goodness to embody evil? If life is indeed good and Jesus' words convey life, as He stated: “the words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63), then why did He respond to the Pharisee calling Him “Good Teacher” with: “no one is good, but God alone” (Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:17; Luke 18:19)?

The phrase no one is good (cf. Luke 18:19) provides the response to the lawgiver who tested Jesus and acknowledged His goodness as a human being. Jesus asserts that ultimate goodness resides solely with God, though the term 'goodness' can also be appropriately attributed to humanity (cf. Psalm 36:23, Psalm 111:5; Proverbs 31:10-31; Acts 11:24).

The young man referred to Him as good, as if trying to win His favor. Similarly, those who wish to gain approval from others often compliment them, yet He refrained from seeking validation from humanity. To illustrate that this goodness is inherent to Him by nature and birth from the Father, and not merely a title, He declared, “He alone is good.” Furthermore, He did not stop there; He continued by addressing Him as “Father,” thereby affirming that the Son shares the same goodness as the Father, reflecting His likeness.

It resembles a scenario where an individual who holds a disdain for his bishop continues to address him as such. In response, the bishop might say, "You do not recognize me as your bishop, so depart from me!"

The sacred texts celebrate goodness as the essence and revelation of God's original being. What more can we glean from holy theology when it states that the Divine proclaimed, "Why do you ask me about goodness? No one is good but God alone" (cf. Lk. 18:19)? In this context and in numerous others, we have demonstrated through careful study that all the names attributed to God are consistently presented in Scripture—not in isolation, but in reference to the complete, perfect, and unified Godhead. Furthermore, these names are applied in a way that is indivisible, absolute, unconditional, and total, reflecting the entirety of the divine nature.

There can be no deity of the Father unless through His incarnation He possesses the same essence as the Divine. Furthermore, the immutable oneness of the living God’s nature remains intact despite the Son’s incarnation (cf. Jn. 1:1-15; Gal. 4:4). Those who falsely cloak themselves in the salvific truth of the Gospel’s faith seek to misrepresent reality (cf. 2 Pet. 2:1-3). They attempt to detach the Son from His inherent oneness with the Father by distorting statements made in different contexts and with alternative intentions.

A rational being can attain goodness solely through communion with the divine benevolence of God.

Jesus responded, "You refer to me as Teacher, acknowledging my role as a human. Why then do you call me good? Only God is truly good."