Vv. 20-22, 6 νεανίσκος, the youth; whence known ? from a special tradition (Meyer) ; an inference from the expression ἐκ νεότητός µου in Mk. x. 20 (Weiss).— ἐφύλαξα (-άμην). Kypke and Elsner take pains to show that the use of this verb (and of τηρεῖν, ver. 17) in the sense of obeying commands is good Greek. More
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µην ἐκ νεότητός µου1: τί ἔτι ὑστερῶ;
nvids Ch. v. “Ei θέλεις ™tédevos εἶναι,
48. él oCh. xili.44. καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς p Ch. iv. 19; 2 pe xi. 28 (pl. ἀκολούθει prot. form δεῦτε).
23. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ,
q here and ο
21. Ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ιησοῦς, ὕπαγε, "πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα,
καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανῷ 2: καὶ ” δεῦρο, 22. ᾽Ακούσας δὲ ὁ νεανίσκος τὸν λόγον, ἀπῆλθε λυπούμενος: ἦν γὰρ ἔχων κτήµατα ” πολλά.
Αμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν,
in ρατα]]. ὅτι δυσκόλως πλούσιος δ εἰσελεύσεται eis τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν
1 For εφυλαξαμην εκ νεοτητος pov (from the parall.) 9 ΒΙ; have simply εφυλαξα.
2 ev ουρανοις in BCD.
3 τον λογον (as in T. R.) in CD; τον λογον τουτον in B (W.H. in brackets). * B has xpypara, which even W.H. have disregarded.
5 rhovc.os δυσκολως in SBCDLZ 33.
important is it to note the declaration the verb contains: all these I have kept from youth. To be taken as a simple fact, not stated in a self-righteous spirit (Weiss-Meyer), rather sadly as by one conscious that he has not thereby reached the desired goal, real rest in the highest good found. The exemplary life plus the dissatisfaction meant much: that he was not a morally commonplace man, but one with affinities for the noble and the heroic. No wonder Jesus felt in- terested in him, “‘ loved him ” (Mk. x. 21), and tried to win him completely. It may be assumed that the man appreciated the supreme importance of the ethical, and was not in sympathy with the tendency of the scribes to subordinate the moral to the ritual, the commands of God to the traditions of the elders.— τί ἔτι ὑστερῶ: the question interesting first of all as revealing a felt want: a good symptom ; next as betraying per- plexity = I am on the right road, accord- ing to your teaching ; why then do I not attain the rest of the true godly life? The question, not in Mk., is implied in the tone of the previous statement, whether uttered or not.—Ver. 21. «4 θέλες τέλειος εἶναι (on τέλειος vide ν. 48): if you wish to reach your end, the true life and the rest it brings.—tmaye, etc.: go, sell off, distribute to the poor, and then come, follow me—such is the advice Christ gives: His final lesson for this inquirer. It is a subjective counsel relative to the individual. Jesus sees he is well-to-do, and divines where the evil lies. Itis doubtful if he cares passionately, supremely for the true life; doubtful if he be τέλειος in the sense of single- mindedness. It is not a question of one more thing to do, but of the state of the heart, which the suggestion to sell off
will test. The invitation to become 2 disciple is seriously meant. Jesus, who repelled some offering themselves, thinks so well of this man as to desire him fora disciple. He makes the proposal hope- fully. Why should so noble a man not be equal to the sacrifice? He makes it with the firm belief that in no other way can this man become happy. Noblesse oblige. The nobler the man, the more imperative that the heroic element in him have full scope. A potential apostle, a possible Paul even, cannot be happy as a mere wealthy merchant or landowner. It is “a counsel of perfection,’’ but not in the ascetic sense, as if poverty were the sure way to the higher Christian life ; rather in the sense of the adage : of him to whom much is given shall much be required—Ver. 22. ἀπῆλθεν: he would have to go away in any case, even if he meant to comply with the advice in order to. carry it into effect. But he went away λυπούμενος, in genuine dis- tress, because placed in a dilemma between parting with wealth and social position, and forfeiting the joy of dis- ciplehood under an admired Master. What was the final issue? Did “the thorns of avarice defile the rich soil of his soul”’ (Euthy.), and render him per- manently unfruitful, or did he at last decide for the disciple life? At the worst see here the miscarriage ofa really noble nature, and take care not to fall into the vulgar mistake of seeing in this man a Pharisee who came to tempt Jesus, and who in professing to have kept the commandments was simply a boastful liar. (So Jerome: ‘‘ Non voto discentis sed tentantis interrogat . . « mentitur adolescens ”’.)