The young man wanted to know exactly which commandments Jesus meant. Gill suggests he wondered "whether those commandments of a moral, or of a ceremonial kind; whether the commands of the written, or of the oral law," meaning the traditions handed down by the teachers. His one-word question shows a man who wanted clear terms, and his next words show he believed he had already kept every command Jesus named (Matthew 19:20).

Jesus answered plainly. He named five of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother" (Matthew 19:18-19). Then He added one more command from the law: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 19:19; Leviticus 19:18). The young man replied, "All these things have I kept from my youth up" (Matthew 19:20).

The commandments Jesus listed come from the second part of the Ten Commandments, the duties toward other people (Exodus 20:12-16). Barnes notes that Jesus directed him to the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and fifth commandments. Gill says Jesus chose them because "these commandments were more known, and were in common use," and partly to show that "if men are deficient in their duty to one another, they are much more so in their worship of God."

The three Gospels list the commandments a little differently. Mark adds "Defraud not" (Mark 10:19). Only Matthew includes "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 19:19). None of them list the last of the Ten, "Thou shalt not covet" (Exodus 20:17), though Jesus' next command would test this man's heart toward his possessions (Matthew 19:21-22).

The question "Which?" assumes the law can be managed one item at a time. Jesus answered with commands that sound simple, and then summed them up in one that searches the heart: love your neighbor as yourself. That command reaches further than any checklist.

Matthew Henry sees the real issue in this man's heart: "Christ knew that covetousness was the sin which most easily beset this young man." Jesus' answer was patient and clear, but it was leading somewhere the man did not expect. God's commands are not given so that we can prove we are good enough. They show us where we need Him.