Matthew 19:20
Friday, 8 May 2026
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Matthew 19:20
“He says to Him, the youth, ‘All these I guarded from my youth. What yet, I lack?’” (CG)
In the previous verse, Jesus finished His list of things to do in order to merit perpetual life. His answer was in response to the ruler’s question about what he needed to do to obtain it.
Before evaluating the verse, it should be noted that there are some differences between texts –
“He says to Him, the youth, ‘All these I guarded from my youth. What yet, I lack?’” (CG)
“All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?” (BSB)
With these differences noted, and now that Jesus’ list has been given, this man replies to Jesus. Matthew records, “He says to Him, the youth.”
A new word is seen here. The man is now identified as a neaniskos, a youth. The term is used concerning a man up to the age of forty. It is ultimately derived from the adjective neos, new, as in “what was not there before”.
So, despite being a ruler, he is not an elderly person. This may explain why he is naïve about the ways of law, death, and attaining eternal life. Although the inability to perceive one’s own sin does not suddenly perish with age.
However, this person sees that aging and death lie ahead, and he is looking to avoid that by meriting what had thus far eluded the people of Israel. Having been presented with Jesus’ words, he says, “All these I guarded from my youth.”
Two new words are seen here. However, they are only in some texts. For other texts, they will be introduced in the parallel account found in Mark 10. The first word is phulassó. It signifies to watch or guard, being derived from phulé, an offshoot, such as from a race or clan.
The idea is that someone from a particular race is isolated to that race. Hence, one would guard his genealogy, watching or guarding it as his heritage. This young man claims to have watched over his keeping of each commandment given by Jesus, not having strayed at all from faithful observance. And he has done it from his neotés, youth.
This is the second new word. It too is derived from neos, new. So this man is a youth who claims he has kept watch over the necessary commandments stated by Jesus since his youth. It seems a point is being made here about a lack of understanding by saying he was a youth, and yet the man is claiming he kept all the commands since his youth.
He is overly confident in his accomplishments despite lacking the years necessary to understand how things actually work. Despite this, he continues by asking Jesus, “What yet, I lack?”
One more new word is seen, hustereó, to be later. By implication, it means to be inferior or to fall short or be deficient. In other words, if someone is in a race and he comes in later, or last, he is deficient in what is necessary to win.
This young ruler is in a race to attain perpetual life. He wants to know how he can win this race by eliminating whatever will cause him to “arrive later” at the goal.
Life application: The word hustereó is used several times in a manner similar to the question of the young ruler here. In Romans 3, Paul says, “for all have sinned and fall short [hustereó] of the glory of God.” Again, in Romans 4, it says –
“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short [hustereó] of it.” Hebrews 4:1
Another time where it is in a similar context, it says –
“...looking carefully lest anyone fall short [hustereó] of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”
Paul elsewhere equates our time in this life as a race, noting of himself, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippines 3:14). If we are somehow trying to merit our salvation, we will always arrive late, lacking the necessary requirement to attain eternal life.
Paul’s race was not one attempting to merit salvation. Rather, his race was one ran because of his salvation. He was striving ahead in Christ’s salvation, offered to all and attainable by simple faith in what He has done. This is what is pleasing to God. It is certain that God has no time for braggadocios who set out to impress Him with their insufficient efforts to merit His favor.
He is looking for those who are trusting in His provision. We are already in the ocean of sin. There is nothing we can do to get ourselves out of it. But He is pleased to extend His hand through Christ if we are willing to reach out for it. Be wise and take it! That is where God will find true pleasure in you.
Lord God, we are lost sinners heading for destruction without reliance on Jesus. But You sent Him! Despite our fallen state, You were willing to send Your Son into the world to rescue us. Where does such love come from? Thank You, O God, for the wonderful grace found in Jesus Christ our Lord., and Savior. Amen.
