Shared Uniquely Matthew Uniquely Mark Uniquely Luke
Firstly, some general observations to give you the time to look at the colour coding if you haven’t had a chance to do it for yourself yet. We will begin the detailed analysis of the passage in the next Gem.
The person referred to in this story is not fixed. He has been called variously: the rich young ruler, a ruler, leader of the Jews, a local official, a religious leader, a man or just someone. But the common element that all agree on is the fact that he was rich, which of course lies behind the motivation for his question. This fits with Luke’s continuing theme of wealth and poverty? Take particular note of the question asked of Jesus. And then, pay even more careful attention to His answer.
Note: Luke follows Mark and does not deviate much from Mark’s account, except for several one-word changes. Matthew however, makes significant changes and adds at the end of the section the comparison of the Kingdom of Heaven with the landowner who hires labourers at different times through the day, and at the end of the day pays them the same amount: a fair amount for a full days wages. Neither of the other two writers have this story anywhere in their gospel. Note too, the repetition in Matthew of “the first shall be last and the last first.” But also note how Matthew has changed the order the second time around. The first time it is as I wrote above: “the first shall be last and the last first.”The second repetition reverses the process – “the last shall be first and the first last”. I will leave you to work out why Matthew did that in the context of his gospel. I can’t cover all the angles and after all, we are looking at Luke’s account this time around.
Notice the two refrains in Mark’s account. One where Jesus repeats twice, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God. Then in the segment related to our recompense for leaving everything and following Him, all the elements are repeated again but with father’s left out and persecutions added. Remember, I drew attention to this in Gem 801. Only Mark adds “persecutions”.
I want to draw your attention to the use of “good” in the opening of each account in the three gospels. In Mark and Luke the word “good” is attached to the word teacher and used as a term of honour addressed to Jesus. In Matthew’s version the “good” is used to describe the thing which the young man must do in order to obtain eternal life. That being the case, it is placing the young man’s response in the context of him doing good and working out his salvation. Which of course, runs counter to all we have been observing in Luke over the last few chapters. In fact, Luke takes his cue from Mark, who tags the adjective “good” to the description of Jesus the teacher, not to the action or activity the person must perform. Why the discrepancy between Mark and Luke, as opposed to Matthew? Remember Mark is considered the first gospel in comparative gospel studies. Clearly, both Luke and Matthew are aware of Mark’s account. So in that case, we have to come up with an explanation as to why the change in the use of “good”. Based the way in the which the three synoptic Gospels are related to each other, the usage of “good” in Mark and then Luke is the standard one, but has been changed in Matthew.
There are two possible explanations for this difference. One explanation is that the early Christians were not comfortable with Jesus’ telling the young man not to call Him good. They regarded Jesus as being only and always good. Depending what the “good” is referring to, elicits a different focus and response from Jesus in each case. Hence, Matthew’s use of “good thing” shifts the focus away from the debate over Jesus being called “Good Teacher” and onto the nature of the man’s goodness and what is necessary for salvation.
The other way of handling it is by suggesting the original statement included “good” in both places. I.e. “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do to obtain eternal life?” But if that were the case, then it leaves us with the problem of why the second “good” has gone from the account in both Mark and Luke. That is harder to account for than the change in Matthew. Whatever the case, it is not an earth shattering change and need not hold our attention for longer than a moment.
I will leave you now to ponder the differences in Luke’s account, as compared with the other writers, now that you have the colour coded differences between the accounts.
Unless he obeys, a man cannot believe.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Even the greatest was once a beginner. Don’t be afraid to take that first step.
Anon
The wise man is not he who gives the right answers; he is the one who asks the right questions.
Anon
I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.
Carl Jung