we tend to think of eternal life as something that begins after our death, eternal life begins in, and includes the present. But that "present" must be with, and in God. That the question on eternal life was posed to Jesus by a young man (Matthew reports that he was a rich young man) is not a mere coincidence: although it is the question that every human person asks, it is nonetheless epitomized in the yearnings of the young, that is, those who are still waiting to adventure and explore.
Eternal life, as the young man indicated and subsequently affirmed by Jesus, involves doing some good. For us who follow Jesus as our master and guide, the good that we must do is enshrined in the commandments (Jesus response to the man). The commandments are, first and foremost, a roadmap for a disciple meant to help him/her safely navigate the complicated world in which he/she finds him/herself. As a roadmap, the commandments set boundaries and parameters for a disciple. Staying on the inside of the boundaries means safety for a disciple while straying outside the set boundaries spell doom. This is certainly how the young man understood the concept of the commandments. However, the commandments are meant to do more than mere setting of boundaries. And this is what Jesus went on to suggest to the young man. Commandments are also meant to set a disciple free so that he/she can achieve his/her full potential. The young man was certainly comfortable with the boundaries that the commandments had set. He was comfortable because the commandments had set for him his limits. He knew what he could and could not do. He was safe within the boundaries. But Jesus wanted him to get off his feet and do more. Unbeknown to him, the commandments had set him free to achieve perfection. All that he had to do was to focus on the aspects of the commandments that emphasized being rather than doing ( then come follow me).
The young man went away troubled at Jesus’ suggestion. He went away sad because what Jesus suggested involved getting his hands "dirty," as it were. He was not comfortable because there were no boundaries, no judge, no limits in what Jesus was suggesting. He was the one to set the rules, he was the one to set the boundaries. In other words, he was to assume the control of things. And this is what he, like all of us, was afraid of.
The “doing good” which the young man wanted to know about is involving. “Doing good” is more than faithfully observing the commandments of Jesus. “Doing good” involves taking risks by being involved in the lives of others. While our observance of the commandments can keep us out of the lives of others, “doing good” will take us to the center of the action. It is scary and it is tasking. But we have to do it if we are serious about living with God. God did not stay at a distance when we needed him. He came and got involved in our situation.