And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up: - "What lack I yet?" (Matthew 19:20) is an important addition in Matthew, though implied in the shorter answer of the other Evangelists. Ah! this gives us a glimpse of his heart. Doubtless he was perfectly sincere; but something within whispered to him that his keeping of the commandments was too easy a way of getting to heaven. He felt something beyond this to be necessary; but since after keeping all the commandments he was at a loss to know what that could be, he came to Jesus just upon that point. "Then," says Mark (Mark 10:21), "Jesus, beholding him, loved him," or 'looked lovingly upon him.' His sincerity, frankness, and nearness to the kingdom of God, in themselves most winning qualities, won our Lord's regard even though he turned his back upon Him-a lesson to those who can see nothing loveable except in the regenerate.