An Exegesis on Matthew 19, 16-22

Source: James T. Bretzke, A Morally Complex World: Engaging Contemporary Moral Theology (Collegeville: Liturgical
Press, 2004), 11-16.

Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?“
And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you
wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said,
“You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false
witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young
man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be
perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven; then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for
he had many possessions (Matt 19: 16-22).1

I believe that the above passage, which was also used by Pope John Paul II in Veritatis
Splendor, his I993 encyclical on Fundamental Moral Theology, sets out nicely many of
the main aspects of what moral theology is all about. This gospel passage introduces
not only a number of key terms which concern the discipline of moral theology, but
more importantly outlines the larger aim of attempting to live out the life of Christian
discipleship. Let us begin our study by looking at a few of these key words.
The first word to consider is just what in fact is meant by the term “good.” At first
glance it seems that everyone is pretty clear on what this term means, but as we shall
see throughout this book, upon deeper reflection just exactly what counts as good or
bad, right or wrong, is not always absolutely crystal clear in complex situations. In this
gospel passage the young man initially asks about “doing” a “good deed.” However,
Jesus at first sidesteps this question and responds with one of his own. Jesus’ question
points us to a more important moral concern, namely, the source, ground, and ultimate
reference for our understanding of “goodness.” This ultimate source is God, who is
both Jesus and our Father. Therefore, a key aspect of lived morality is not just “doing”
the right things and avoiding the wrong things, but more fundamentally living in right
relationships—-first with God and then with the rest of God‘s children, and finally with
the whole of God’s creation.
The second key word is “commandments.” I remember once seeing a cartoon of Moses
coming clown the mountain wearing a frown and carrying the two stone tablets, while
saying, “It’s just a first draft, but it looks like we're not going to get away with
anything!” I think this catches well how we often do look at commandments, whether
biblical or human, as burdens or obligations that constrain our freedom and possibly

1
Unless otherwise stated, all scriptural quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

EXEGESIS ON MATTHEW 19 BY JAMES BRETZKE 1

limit our pleasure, if not our happiness. However, for the Jewish people the Ten
Commandments were not seen primarily as negative boundaries that limited their
activities. Rather, for the Israelite nation the Ten Commandments were the Decalogue,
the Ten Holy Words, which were a gift from God to God’s Chosen People. The Decalogue
was a “code” in both senses of the word, i.e., a collection of laws, but more importantly
a way of deciphering God's own holiness. The context of the gift of the Decalogue is
key to understanding how we are to view the Ten Commandments, namely, a gift given
to a specially loved community which is “on the way” (a pilgrimage, a holy journey)
from slavery to freedom. This gift is certainly God‘s revelation, but not just of God’s
rules and regulations, but more as a revelation and concrete sign of God’s special
relationship (the Covenant) with the Chosen People.
Nevertheless, the concept of commandments does tell us something about what
morality is all about. It implies that certain things are to be done and other things are
not to be done. The notion of commandments is grounded in a moral rightness and
wrongness that stands in some way above us, and which has a claim on us to observe.
We will be considering this claim further in the second and third chapters, but for now
it is sufficient to acknowledge that commandments presume some sort of normativity
to our moral lives. In other words, there are certain moral standards that help guide us
in our individual decisions and that also help us grow in our moral character.
Commandments also provide us with certain boundaries or parameters of our moral
lives and express certain moral duties that we should observe. In moral theology this
understanding of morality is often called “deontology.” Deontology comes from the
Greek word (deon) which means “duty.” Thus, to be moral means to do one‘s true
duty and to live within the boundaries of human morality. Deontology gives us a very
important understanding of part of what morality is all about, but it does not give us
the entire picture.
We find another side of this picture of what morality is all about in looking at the next
term which comes up in the encounter between Jesus and the young man. This is a pair
which at first seems to be polar opposites: “lack/perfect." The young man's question
about what he is lacking is answered by the corresponding desire “to be perfect” and
this vocabulary needs to be carefully understood. We will look at this vocabulary term
again in chapter 3, but for now it will be helpful to note that the word “perfect” comes
from the Latin, and in Latin this word usually connotes something that is absolutely
complete, without any blemish or deficiency, e.g., a room that is in “perfect” order.
However, this notion of “perfection” is rather static and certainly not what the original
Greek of the New Testament text here primarily means to convey. I will treat this issue
in greater depth in chapter 3, but for now it is sufficient to note that the Greek word
comes from (teleios) and was probably meant to express the Hebrew concept of
shalom. Most people know that shalom means “peace” but it is a much richer notion
EXEGESIS ON MATTHEW 19 BY JAMES BRETZKE 2
that includes the ideas of wholeness, harmony, health, and in that combined sense the
word means “complete” and “perfect.” As we will see throughout this book, these
Greek and Hebrew words are foundational in the moral theory of teleology which
stresses the sense of moral striving, becoming, character, and virtue.
This also shows us another important dimension of our moral lives: it is not just a
matter of keeping the commandments, but growing and developing ever more into a
people of broader and deeper moral character. Much of Roman Catholic moral theology
builds on this approach to morality which is called “teleology.” Teleology comes from
the Greek word (telos), which means a goal, an ideal, and an “end” to which our
moral lives should orient themselves. The Latin translation for the Greek (telos) is
finis, and we will see in the next chapter how this notion of a moral finis developed as a
way of trying to evaluate the moral meaning of an action in itself and the person who
performed that action. However, to return to the basic thrust of teleology, perhaps the
old expression, “a person’s reach should exceed their grasp, or else what's a heaven
for,” expresses well how teleology works in our lives. We all have ideals which we strive
after, yet we know that probably we will never fully realize all of them. Think of a great
concert hall musical artist. How did she or he get to be a virtuoso? Certainly they had to
have a certain level of native talent, but that alone would not account for success. Lots
of practice, supported by a vision or ideal of becoming ever better is what helped them
become concert performers. Yet, even after making an appearance at Carnegie Hall, a
true artist doesn’t stop practicing or striving. The moral life is much the same thing. We
really should aim at becoming moral virtuosi. However, as soon as I say this I can hear
some people objecting that this then makes morality either optional (since there is no
requirement lo try to become a concert pianist), or impossible, since very few of us will
make it into Carnegie Hall except by buying a ticket.
This though is not a good response. Rather, I mean to suggest through this metaphor
that our lived expression of morality bears a relation to the objective moral order of
God’s will somewhat like a musical score: the notes, time value, key, etc., are standard
and are all given, but the level of “perfection” in the execution of the score depends
much on the talent, commitment, and passion of the performer. A computer, James
Bretzke, and Glenn Gould might all “perform” a Bach variation, with reasonable
“accuracy” in terms of sticking to the musical score. However, there is little doubt that
most if not all listeners could easily discern whose performance was whose, and
probably there would be widespread, if not unanimous, agreement that the noted Bach
interpreter Glenn Gould’s performance is “best” (Grandma Bretzke being long dead!).
While on this side of heaven we can never sit back and say we’ve finally and fully
arrived, yet we should keep on striving. It is this commitment to the ongoing process of
moral growth that helps us grow moral goodness—in short, moral virtuosi.

EXEGESIS ON MATTHEW 19 BY JAMES BRETZKE 3

“Go, sell what you have.” At first glance it may seem that Jesus is giving a very difficult
commandment, but really he is presenting the rich young man with a mission, not a
moral prescription. The Christian moral life should be understood in the sense of being
on a God-given mission. “Sell what you have” has two meanings here for the young
man. Jesus is inviting him to a new self-understanding that is not predicated on
amassing and holding on to material possessions. Jesus shows him and us that in God's
eyes our true identity is not grounded in what we have, but who we are. Even without
one’s “possessions” (whether these be material possessions, honors, accomplishments,
etc.) the individual is still worthy in God's eyes. Second, the meaning of divesting
oneself of one’s possessions is not meant to leave one bereft of all means of livelihood,
but is explained in the next phrase, “and give to the poor." Care and concern for the
poor is not only a key gospel theme, but should mark our entire Christian moral living.
When we pray the Lord‘s Prayer, with its petition that God’s will be done on earth as in
heaven, we are expressing a hope that both our desires and our actions correspond
more closely to God's own concerns.
We might see this as an example of what later has become termed the “preferential
option for the poor,” and I think we can also understand this mandate in terms of a key
insight in St. Ignatius of I.oyola’s meditation, the Contemplation to Obtain the Love of
God, which comes in the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises.2 Here Ignatius suggests
that true love is shown more in deeds than words. The one who “has” shares with those
who have not. While Ignatius gives as a concrete example the sharing of knowledge,
the whole tradition of moral theology, especially as seen in the sub-area of social
ethics, stresses that true moral goodness is always measured not only in individual
terms, but more fully in consideration of the flourishing of the whole community, i.e.,
in social terms related to the common good of all of God's creation, but especially God’s
prized possessions, our sisters and brothers.
“Treasure in Heaven.” In God's economy there is no zero-sum game. The selling and
giving of one’s possessions always enriches those who give. “Treasure” indicates a solid,
lasting, and life-long richness. “Heaven” is used in Matthew’s Gospel often in the sense
of ( [Basilea ton ouranom]) and thus serves as a short-hand
expression of not only of the Kingdom itself but also for God whose Kingdom is being
brought ever more fully into the world. Treasure in heaven really comes down to
accepting that we are treasured by God and trying to live more authentically as God’s
precious treasures.3 The Christian moral life is essentially about living in accord with

2
For a good contemporary translation and commentary on this text, see Ignatius of Loyola, The Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius: A Literal Translation and a Contemporary Reading, adapted by David L. Fleming, S.J.
(St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1978).

3
I am indebted to John Donahue, S.J., for this particular insight.

EXEGESIS ON MATTHEW 19 BY JAMES BRETZKE 4

the values and expectation of God's Kingdom to come, and here on earth is lived out
best by responding to Jesus’ final invitation/command to the rich young man: "Come,
Follow Me.” The mission given above to “Go, and sell your possessions” finds its
completion in Jesus’ invitation to return and follow (after) him. The verb “follow” in
Greek takes as its object the preposition “after” and so literally means to come and
“follow after” Jesus. This is the discipleship stance, following after Jesus. Discipleship,
and not just “doing” the “right” action, really is the key to Christian moral living.
Now many people may say, “Well that’s all well and good, but how does that apply to
me in my everyday life?! If l go and sell all I have how can I live? What does it mean here
and now to ‘follow’ Jesus anyway? Aren’t these really just nice-sounding words
addressed to ‘professional religious’ like nuns and priests?” Bridging the ideal between
the gospel vision of the moral life and the concrete realities of our world is in fact what
moral theology is ultimately all about. The stakes seem high, not only just what is
considered “right” or “wrong” in this world, but entrance into the life that is to follow.
Because of this sometimes moral theology has provoked very sharp debates over both
methodology and concrete applications, especially in the area of how we judge moral
success or failure.

EXEGESIS ON MATTHEW 19 BY JAMES BRETZKE 5