Explanation:

We can deduce from the context that the man wants to know what good deed he can do beyond the law to inherit eternal life. We can deduce this because Jesus’ answer to the question is that if the man would enter life, he should keep God’s commands (Matthew 19:17). The man then explains that he has kept God’s commands (Matthew 19:20), which implies that he does not think doing the commands is enough. Rather, he thinks he must add some good deed beyond the law to secure eternal life.³

Counterargument:

It is possible that the young man asks what he must do to inherit eternal life because he thinks he can do something beyond the law to secure redemption. On the other hand, the fact that he has kept the laws does not support this argument. For it is possible he was simply asking Jesus the question in order to affirm that indeed, he is already doing what is required to inherit eternal life. In other words, it could be that the man thinks that one inherits eternal life by keeping the law. Still, he realizes that Jesus is an important teacher, so he asks him a question to which he already knows the answer. What must he do to inherit eternal life? Keep the law. When Jesus confirms his assumption about how to inherit eternal life, he tries to affirm his righteousness by pointing out that he already keeps the commands. Thus, the man is not wondering whether there are good deeds beyond the law that he can perform. Rather, he is trying to affirm that his conduct has earned eternal life.⁴

Response to counterargument:

The problem with his counterargument is that it cannot adequately deal with Matthew 19:20. When Jesus explains that what the man ought to do to inherit the kingdom is obey the commands, the man responds that he has done these, and yet he believes he still lacks something. That the man thinks he keeps all the commands and yet still lacks something suggests that he believes there is some good deed beyond the law that will secure his salvation.

Explanation:

Matthew explains that a man approached Jesus and asked him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Why does the man ask this? The man would have been aware that the commands of God were meant to be kept, but he likely also believed, like many Jews, that he could do something beyond the law to secure salvation.⁵ The fact is, it was common for Jews to think that a specific act of goodness could win them eternal life. Likely the man who approaches Jesus has this in mind, and instead of asking Jesus whether it is true that one could secure salvation through a good work, he asks Jesus which good work to perform.⁶

Counterargument:

This argument offers no evidence to support the notion that it was common for the Jews to do something over and above the law to secure salvation. In order to accept that it was common for the Jews to think that one could earn salvation by doing something beyond the law, one must produce textual evidence to support this. Unfortunately, this argument simply states that this is the case without lending support.

Possible weaknesses:

The weakness of this view is that the Jews traditionally believed that God’s will is good and is preserved in the law. Thus, we could take it that the man assumes that whatever good deed he must do to have eternal life is wrapped up in the law, but he still has questions. Maybe he is not sure which law is most important, or whether he has to keep all or only some of the laws, to have eternal life.

Explanation:

When the young man asks Jesus what good he can do to achieve salvation, the man has the law in mind. That is, the man is wondering what aspect of the Jewish law he must fulfill in order to secure eternal life. The reason we can surmise that the man has the law in mind is because it was common for Jews to equate the good with the law.⁷ For example, there is a line in the Talmud that says, “And the perfect shall inherit good (Proverbs 28:10), and good means nothing but Torah."⁸

Counterargument:

It is unlikely that the man has the Jewish law in mind, because we know from what follows that the man believes he keeps the law. Jesus tells him that he would enter life if he obeys the commands and then lists several laws (Matthew 19:20). The man explains that he already lives by these but admits that he still lacks something (Matthew 19:20). That the man maintains the law and yet believes he lacks something shows that he has some deed beyond the law in mind.

Response to counterargument:

That the man believes he obeys the commands and yet lacks something does not imply that the man thinks there is some good beyond the law. Rather, it may be rhetorical when the man asks what he still lacks. That is, the man might be saying to Jesus, Ah, I have fulfilled all of the commands you have listed, this means I do not lack anything, correct? If we take the man this way, he is affirming his righteousness to Jesus for obeying the law, and not wondering whether there is an additional good deed for him to perform that goes beyond the law.

Explanation:

The man asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life, and Jesus tells him to obey the commands of God. The exchange reveals that when the man asks what he must do to have eternal life, he has the law of God in mind. Specifically, he is wondering what in the law he must do to enter life. We can deduce this from the fact that Matthew calls the man young (Matthew 19:20).⁹ Since the man is young, he does not yet understand that he cannot fulfill the whole law as though it is a checklist.¹⁰ Still, Jesus appreciates that the man wants to grow in righteousness and so responds by explaining he must keep the law perfectly. In other words, although the young man understands the importance of the law, he still has a lot to learn about what it means to fulfill the law.

Counterargument:

That Jesus calls the man young might only be relevant as a historical fact. In any case, that the man is young is not enough to show that he thought the good deed that would secure eternal life was contained in the law. For the fact that the man is young might explain why he thought he had to do some deed beyond the law. That is, maybe because he is young, he does not realize that the law of God preserves the will of God, and that God is the good. Thus, by asking what deed he must do to fulfill the law, the man fails to realize that only God is the good, and his will is preserved by the law. Thus, Jesus tells him to keep the commands, for there is nothing beyond the commands that reflects God’s good will. In any case, that the man is young is not enough to show that he thinks the good is captured by the law.

Possible weaknesses:

The only problem with this argument is that the natural reading of the exchange between the man and Jesus suggests that the man already upholds the law. If the man already upholds the law and thinks that the law is the good he must do to have eternal life, why ask Jesus any questions at all? That is, why ask Jesus what he must do to have eternal life, since he already knows the answer, which is to keep the law? Thus, it seems that the man senses that God desires something other than a legalistic attitude toward the law.