Mark 10:17-19 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

There came one running,— St. Luke 18:18 calls this person αρχων τις, a certain ruler, by which may be meant either a ruler of the synagogue, or a member of the sanhedrim. This person expected to have found Jesus in the city of Ephraim; but when he understood he had justleft that place to go to Jerusalem, he ran after him, and, coming up to him, he kneeled to him, in token of respect, and addressed him upon an important question, with the title of good master, or, as the words might better be rendered, good teacher. See on Matthew 23:7. This young ruler, in his address, intended or pretended to do great honour to Jesus, by kneeling to him, and giving him the title of good teacher, and asking him such an important question, with an air as if he would have acquiesced in his decision whatever it might be. Jesus therefore first of all rebuked him for the flattery of his address, Mark 10:18. Why callest thou me good? There is none good, but one,—that is God. "What means thy calling me, by way of eminence, Good, since thou dost not take me to be any thing more than a man? This title is too high and flattering to be applied so emphaticallyto any rabbi, or mere creature; forthere is none absolutely good but God himself, who is the author of every kind of goodness." See Matthew 19:17. However, because he had expressed a desire of knowing the way to eternal life, and possessed somevirtuous dispositions, Jesus answered his questions, by directing him to keep the commandments of the second table of the law, Mark 10:19 which he mentioned on this occasion, not because they are of greater importance than the precepts of the first, but because there is a necessary connection between the duties of piety towards God, and of justice, temperance, and charity towards men; and because these latter are not so easily counterfeited as the former. As St. Mark seems to put the words defraud not for the tenth commandment, some have supposed it to be a key to the sense of those words, thou shalt not covet; as if it had been said, "Thou shalt not be so desirous of thy neighbour's possessions, as to be willing to injure the owner, by depriving him of them, that thou mayest securethem to thyself." But St. Paul strongly intimates, that the sense of that command is much more extensive, Romans 7:7.: and as the preceding commandments had forbidden to invade the life, the bed, the property, or reputation of another; so this undoubtedly requires a guard on those irregular appetites and passions, which might by insensible degrees lead men to murder, adultery, theft, or false testimony.