The way Mark presents the story certainly gives us the impression that this man was both serious and sincere. This comes out in his own actions and words and possibly also in the fact that Mark says Jesus loved him, suggesting perhaps that although not yet in the kingdom of God, he saw how earnestly he desired eternal life. The response of Jesus to him, ‘Why do you call me good?’ was a challenge to him to think about the words he used. They were the expression of a conventional politeness, in some