“He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 19:18 Mean?
A rich young man asks Jesus which commandments he should keep. Jesus responds with a selection from the Ten Commandments—specifically the ones governing human relationships: no murder, no adultery, no stealing, no false witness. He then adds "love thy neighbour as thyself" from Leviticus 19:18. Notably, Jesus omits the commandments about the relationship with God (no other gods, no idols, no taking God's name in vain, keep the Sabbath).
The omission is strategic. Jesus knows the young man's actual idol isn't a statue—it's his wealth. By listing only the relational commandments, Jesus sets up the eventual challenge: sell everything and follow Me. The commandments about God will be tested not through religious observance but through the young man's willingness to part with his money. His true god is about to be revealed.
The young man's response—"All these things have I kept from my youth up"—reveals both his sincerity and his blindness. He genuinely believes he's kept these commandments. And externally, he may have. But Jesus is about to show him that the commandments he listed are only half the picture. The other half—having no other gods—is the one he's actually failing.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which commandments do you keep well—and which ones reveal an idol you haven't addressed?
- 2.The young man was morally impressive but spiritually idolatrous. How do you check for hidden idols behind good behavior?
- 3.If Jesus listed only the easy commandments to set up the hard one, what 'hard commandment' might He be building toward in your life?
- 4.Are you confident in your obedience but haven't been asked the real question yet? What might that question be?
Devotional
Jesus lists the commandments about human relationships: don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, love your neighbor. And the young man says: done. All of them. Since I was a kid. I've kept them all.
What Jesus doesn't list is as important as what He does. He leaves out the commandments about your relationship with God. Not because they don't matter—because the young man's actual test is coming. The idol in his life isn't a golden calf. It's his bank account. And Jesus is about to ask him to choose between his money and his God.
The young man's confidence—"All these have I kept"—is genuine. He probably has been a good moral person. He didn't murder. He didn't steal. He didn't lie. By the standards of the commandments Jesus listed, he's passing. But the commandments Jesus didn't list—the ones about having no other gods—those are the ones the young man is about to fail spectacularly.
This is a warning about the danger of partial obedience. You can keep every relational commandment perfectly and still have an idol. You can be morally upright in every visible category and still give your heart to something that isn't God. The young man's moral resume was impressive. His heart was owned by his wealth. And when Jesus exposed the idol, the young man walked away sad—because the one commandment he couldn't keep was the first one: no other gods before Me.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
He saith unto him, which?.... Whether those commandments of a moral, or of a ceremonial kind; whether the commands of…
This account is found also in Mar 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-39. Mat 19:16 One came - This was a young man, Mat 19:20. He was…
Which? Accurately "what sort of commandments."
Comp. this enumeration with that in ch. Mat 15:19. Here, as there, the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture