Mark 10:18 (WEB)

Passage

Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one—God.

Nearby Context

Mark 10:16 He took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Mark 10:17 As he was going out into the way, one ran to him, knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

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

Mark 10:19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not give false testimony,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and mother.’”Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20

Mark 10:20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have observed all these things from my youth.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "said", "call", "good", and "except". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "As he was going out into the..." into verse 19's "You know the commandments Do not murder...", so "jesus" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jesus" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.