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Mark 10:18: “Why Do You Call Me Good?” Did Jesus Deny Being God?
Jehovah’s Witnesses read Mark 10:18 as Jesus refusing the title good and pointing to God. Mark 10:21 says he loved the man and called him to follow.
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Jehovah’s Witnesses read Mark 10:18Mark 10:18 · King James VersionAnd Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Mark 10:18 · King James VersionOpen the Source as Jesus refusing to be called good and pointing that title to God alone. The verse is a question, not a sentence that says “I am not God.” Mark 10:21Mark 10:21 · King James VersionThen Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mark 10:21 · King James VersionOpen the Source says Jesus loved the man and told him to follow. Jesus is God.
Key Points
- The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Mark 10:18Mark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)
Jesus said to him: “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God.
Mark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)Open the Source (1) says, “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God.” - Mark 10:18Mark 10:18 · King James Version
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Mark 10:18 · King James VersionOpen the Source (2) in the King James is the same question: “Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.” - The study noteMark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)
Jesus said to him: “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God.
Mark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)Open the Source (1) on that verse says Jesus recognizes Jehovah as the standard of what is good, and that he leaves the setting of standards to his Father. The note on “Good Teacher” says the man was using a flattering title. - Mark 10:21Mark 10:21 · King James Version
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mark 10:21 · King James VersionOpen the Source (2) says Jesus, beholding him, loved him, and told him to sell what he had, take up the cross, and follow. - Luke 18:19Luke 18:19 · King James Version
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luke 18:19 · King James VersionOpen the Source (3) asks the same question. Matthew 19:17Matthew 19:17 · King James VersionAnd 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.
Matthew 19:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source (4) in the King James also asks why the man calls him good, and says there is none good but one, that is, God. - John 10:11John 10:11 · King James Version
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 · King James VersionOpen the Source (5) has Jesus call himself the good shepherd. John 8:46John 8:46 · King James VersionWhich of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
John 8:46 · King James VersionOpen the Source (6) asks which of them convicts him of sin.
What Mark 10:17–22 Says
A man runs to Jesus, kneels, and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. He opens with a title. The King James prints “Good Master.” The question Jesus asks back is about that title.
Mark 10:18Mark 10:18 · King James VersionAnd Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Mark 10:18 · King James VersionOpen the Source (2) does not say “I am not good,” and it does not say “I am not God.” It asks why the man calls him good, and it says there is none good but one, that is, God. The next verses list the commandments. Mark 10:21Mark 10:21 · King James VersionThen Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mark 10:21 · King James VersionOpen the Source (2) says Jesus looked at him and loved him, and then named the one thing he lacked: sell, give to the poor, take up the cross, and follow. The man goes away sad. The scene ends with a call to follow Jesus, not with a denial that Jesus is good.
On a Christian reading of Mark 10:18Mark 10:18 · King James VersionAnd Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Mark 10:18 · King James VersionOpen the Source (2), Jesus will not take a compliment that treats “good” as a polite word. Good belongs to God. The sentence still leaves open who the one he is speaking to has just knelt before.
What Jehovah’s Witnesses Print at Mark 10:18
The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Mark 10:18Mark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)Jesus said to him: “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God.
Mark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)Open the Source (1) reads:
Jesus said to him: “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother.’”
Mark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)
In that edition, verse 18 ends without a closing quotation mark because Jesus keeps speaking into verse 19. That English is close to the King James question. The difference is in the study notes, not in a swapped noun. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is not Almighty God. They read the question as Jesus handing “good” back to Jehovah and stepping out of that place himself.
What the Study Note Says
The Jehovah’s Witness note on “Good Teacher”Mark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)Jesus said to him: “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God.
Mark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)Open the Source (1) says the man was evidently using the words as a flattering and formalistic title, since such honor was usually demanded by the religious leaders. It adds that Jesus had no objection to being properly identified as “Teacher” and “Lord,” citing John 13:13, but that he directed all honor to his Father. The note on the second half of the verse reads:
Nobody is good except one, God: Jesus here recognizes Jehovah as the ultimate standard of what is good, the One who has the sovereign right to determine what is good and what is bad. By rebelliously eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, Adam and Eve sought to assume that right. ( Ge 2:17; 3:4-6 ) Unlike them, Jesus humbly leaves the setting of standards to his Father.
note on “Good Teacher” · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)
“Them” in that note is Adam and Eve. The note’s last sentence says God has expressed and defined what is good by what he has commanded in his Word, and points to Mark 10:19, the list of commandments that follows. On this reading, Jesus submits to Jehovah’s standard, as Adam and Eve did not. The verse itself does not say whether the one asking the question is or is not the God he names. Mark 10:21Mark 10:21 · King James VersionThen Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mark 10:21 · King James VersionOpen the Source (2) is still in the paragraph: the one who asked the question loves the man and tells him to follow.
Muslims and Biblical Unitarians use the same question as a proof that Jesus is not God. Judaism does not confess Jesus as God. The sentence they share is the question. The same scene also contains the love and the call to follow, and in John’s Gospel Jesus calls himself the good shepherd.
What Matthew 19:17 and Luke 18:19 Say
Luke 18:19Luke 18:19 · King James VersionAnd Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luke 18:19 · King James VersionOpen the Source (3) is the same meeting: “Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.” Luke then lists the commandments, and Jesus tells him to sell and follow.
In the King James, Matthew 19:17Matthew 19:17 · King James VersionAnd 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.
Matthew 19:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source (4) has the same wording as Mark and adds, “but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Modern translations of Matthew read the verse differently, because the Greek manuscripts they follow differ there. The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Matthew 19:17 (7) reads, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good.” Its study note gives the alternative “There is only one who is good,” that is, God, and points to Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19. At Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19, the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) keeps the question about calling Jesus good.
Why Jesus Calls Himself the Good Shepherd
John 10:11John 10:11 · King James VersionI am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 · King James VersionOpen the Source (5) is Jesus speaking: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The word good is the one Mark 10:18 said belongs to God. He uses it of himself, and he ties it to laying down his life.
In John 8:46John 8:46 · King James VersionWhich of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
John 8:46 · King James VersionOpen the Source (6) Jesus challenges his hearers to convict him of sin. Hebrews 4:15Hebrews 4:15 · King James VersionFor we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15 · King James VersionOpen the Source says he was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. A man who asks “why do you call me good?” and who also says he is the good shepherd is not giving a report that he fails the standard. He is asking the man whether he knows what the word means, and who he has just called by it.
Is Jesus God? and The Trinity are the confession that the Son is God with the Father. The question in Mark 10 does not cancel John 1:1John 1:1 · King James VersionIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source, where the Word was God. It asks a kneeling man to mean the word he just used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Was the Man Who Asked Jesus?
Each Gospel adds a detail. Luke 18:18Luke 18:18 · King James VersionAnd a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:18 · King James VersionOpen the Source calls him “a certain ruler.” Matthew 19:20Matthew 19:20 · King James VersionThe young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Matthew 19:20 · King James VersionOpen the Source calls him “the young man.” Mark 10:22Mark 10:22 · King James VersionAnd he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
Mark 10:22 · King James VersionOpen the Source says he went away grieved, “for he had great possessions.” Readers combine these as the rich young ruler.
Is There None Good but God?
Psalm 14:3Psalms 14:3 · King James VersionThey are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Psalms 14:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source and Romans 3:12Romans 3:12 · King James VersionThey are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Romans 3:12 · King James VersionOpen the Source say there is none that doeth good. Christians read Mark 10:18 against those verses: the only exception is the one asking the question, who then calls the man to follow him.
Keep Reading
References
- New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible), Mark 10:18Mark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)
Jesus said to him: “Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God.
Mark 10:18 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)Open the Source (2013 Study Edition. The verse and the notes “Good Teacher” and “Nobody is good except one, God.”) - Gospel of Mark, 10:17–21Mark 10:17–21 · King James Version10:17
And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
10:18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
10:19Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
10:20And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
10:21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mark 10:17–21 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - Gospel of Luke, 18:18–19Luke 18:18–19 · King James Version18:18
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
18:19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luke 18:18–19 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - Gospel of Matthew, 19:16–17Matthew 19:16–17 · King James Version19:16
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
19:17And 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.
Matthew 19:16–17 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - Gospel of John, 10:11John 10:11 · King James Version
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - Gospel of John, 8:46John 8:46 · King James Version
Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
John 8:46 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible), Matthew 19:17 (2013 Study Edition. The verse and the note “One there is who is good.”)
See Also
- Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians? — Jehovah’s Witnesses say yes: they follow Jesus, baptize in his name, and pray in his name. They also say he is not Almighty God and not part of a Trinity. The Nicene confession is that Jesus is God.
- Must Christians Use the Name Jehovah? — Jehovah’s Witnesses say leaving God’s name out of the Bible is a serious mistake. Acts 4:12 and Philippians 2 put the saving name on Jesus.
- Did Jesus Die on a Cross or a Stake? — Jehovah’s Witnesses say Jesus died on an upright stake. John speaks of nails in his hands, and Justin Martyr describes two beams.
- Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays and Christmas? — No. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas. They say birthday parties have pagan roots and that the only birthday feasts in the Bible end in death, and they keep the Memorial of Jesus’ death instead.
- Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Drink Alcohol? — Jehovah’s Witnesses say it is not a sin to drink alcohol in moderation. Their Bible-questions page calls wine a gift, says Jesus drank wine, and condemns drunkenness. It names times when a Christian should not drink at all.