John Gill Commentary Matthew 19:16

"And behold, one came to him and said, Teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" — Matthew 19:16 (ASV)

And behold, one came
The Persic version reads, "a rich man"; and so he was, as appears from what follows: Luke calls him, "a certain ruler"; not of a synagogue, an ecclesiastical ruler, but a civil magistrate:

perhaps he might be one of the sanhedrim, which consisted of "twenty one" persons; or of that which consisted only of "three", as in some small towns and villages Mark represents him as "running"; for Christ was departed out of the house, and was gone into the way, the high road, and was on his journey to some other place, when this man ran after him with great eagerness; and, as the same evangelist adds, "kneeled to him"; thereby paying him civil respect, and honour; believing him to be a worthy good man, and deserving of esteem and veneration:

and said unto him, good master :
some say, that this was a title which the Jewish doctors were fond of, and gave to each other, but I have not observed it; he seems by this to intimate, that he thought him not only to be a good man, but a good teacher; that he was one that came from God, and taught good doctrine, which induced him to run after him, and put the following question to him:

what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life ?
Or, as in the other evangelists, "inherit eternal life"; a phrase much in use with the Jewish Rabbins ^F1 :

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FOOTNOTES:

• F1: T. Bab. Sota, fol. 7. 2.