Matthew 19:16–17: And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “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 would enter life, keep the commandments.”

I am studying the story of the rich young ruler the young man who “had great possessions”. Matthew calls him a “man” (v. 16), then a “young man” (v. 20), then says “he had great possessions” (v. 22). Why do we call him rich young ruler? Probably because the Mark and Luke accounts provide more information and that in some translations, the heading before the section of scripture designates him as such. I typed said question in the Logos Premium smart search to test this new feature, filtered by the books tab, and got this synopsis with linked references:

The term “rich young ruler” is derived from a combination of details provided in different Gospel accounts of an encounter between Jesus and a man seeking eternal life[1][2]. According to one of the articles, Mark describes the man as rich, Matthew adds that he was young, and Luke identifies him as a ruler, possibly of a synagogue[2]. The man is noted for his wealth, with the articles mentioning he had “great possessions”[1] and was “very rich”[3]. His youth is implied by Matthew’s reference to him as a “young man”[2]. The term “ruler” comes from Luke’s account, though the exact nature of his rulership is not specified in the provided articles[2][3]. This composite description has led to the popular traditional designation of this individual as “the rich young ruler”[2], although it’s important to note that this exact phrase does not appear in the biblical text itself.*

[1] Frank Stagg, “Matthew,” in Matthew–Mark, ed. Clifton J. Allen, Broadman Bible Commentary (Broadman Press, 1969), 190.1

[2] Donald English, The Message of Mark: The Mystery of Faith, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 176.2

[3] Bruce Larson and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Luke, vol. 26, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1983), 268.3

This accurate statement from the synopsis appears to be AI generated: “…It’s important to note that this exact phrase does not appear in the biblical text itself.” AI results are only as good as the data. AI doesn’t “know” the importance of biblical scholarship; this Smart Search feature only scans data sources within Logos as directed by the filter the user applies. AI doesn’t control the results, the data sources we allow do.

Software and technology can be powerful tools to help us study scripture, but our priority is to have a personal encounter with the Word.

If we aren’t satisfied with what AI returns, the problem lies with the data. As the old adage says, “Garbage In, Garbage Out”. That concept is applicable in many other areas of life.

Lord, thank you for your word. And thank you for distractions. Sometimes they are just what we need to reawaken an obvious truth that we've forgotten. Your word is perfect and it is an extension of you. Increase my desire for more of you and deepen my faith.
  1. The first reference happens to be one of my favorite references that I stumbled upon since beginning Matthew in January 1, 2024. I use “stumbled upon” because that is how I found new resources in Logos Bible software prior to subscribing to Logos Premium. ↩︎
  2. I wouldn’t have know this resource existed had I not utilized the Smart Search feature. The author explains that the designation of “rich young ruler” comes from combining what we learn from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, saying, “We see the value of having more than one gospel account of Jesus’ ministry.” ↩︎
  3. I’ve already got sidetracked by this reference earlier this morning by a beautiful description of true worship found on pages 267–268: “The Roman Catholic novelist Romano Guardini wrote that worship is rather like play. It is the most nonutilitarian of all human activities. He says: ‘It [worship] is in the highest sense the life of a child, in which everything is picture, melody, and song. It is a kind of holy play in which the soul, with utter abandon, learns how to waste time for the sake of God.’ You can come to worship to do something, to learn something, to take some notes. Or, you can come as a child to celebrate the God who loves you and wants to make you a partner with Him in redeeming the world.” ↩︎
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