“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.”

This statement by Jesus is an excerpt found in three of the four Gospels and is commonly known in Christian circles as the story of the Rich Young Ruler. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke record a wealthy young man’s discussion with Jesus regarding gaining entrance into heaven.

There are many points worth considering and discussing in the story of the Rich Young Ruler. We could consider why Mark and Luke chose to frame the Rich Young Ruler's question in terms of inheritance. Which begs the idea, can heaven be inherited? Perhaps more notably, why did Matthew’s account record the Rich Young Ruler asking a different question? There are more questions one should ask regarding this short encounter recorded in these Gospels, such as whether a person can work their way into heaven.

However, if we overlook the point Jesus is making by reframing the rich man’s question, we miss the story's real meaning. Those who study any scripture earnestly at all will find that Jesus had a unique way of always cutting to the heart of anyone’s genuine concerns by reframing the question.

The Rich Young Ruler's deep-down-in-his-heart question to Jesus is essentially the same as Nicodemus's first question in John 3: "Who are you?” (my paraphrase) Matthew 16:13-15 records Jesus point-blank asking his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?

Therefore, when Jesus says unto the Rich Young Ruler, “Why callest thou me good? “None is good, save one, that is, God.” Jesus is asking him to consider what his heart already knows. This “poor young ruler” lacked only one thing to enter heaven: confessing what his heart knew with his mouth. Romans 10:10

Jesus is God. Do you know it? Will you confess what your heart already knows?