“You are not far from the kingdom of heaven.” Mark 12:28-34
Now a scribe comes with a question for Jesus. He seems to have a different approach as Mark tells us he had been listening as the others asked their questions. He readily saw that Jesus had answered well. The scribes were the theologians. They were experts at interpreting the scriptures, so he asks a scripture-based question: “Which is the greatest commandment?”
Jesus answers without hesitation, “The first: The Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” But then Jesus implies that this is not enough. There needs to be more to make the command complete: “You must also love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
The scribe responds, “You have spoken well,” agreeing with his synopsis. “Such love is greater than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Jesus saw that he spoke thoughtfully, “You are not far from the kingdom of heaven.”
Note that Mark mentions what the scribe thought of Jesus’ previous answers. How did he know this? Mark was not there and the scribe does not reveal his reasoning. Could he have been one of those Jewish leaders who later came to the Lord and believed on him? We do not know for sure, but it is nice to think that he might have. Such is the hope of the gospel. None are excluded, no matter what their previous state had been.
The answer of Jesus is deceptively simple. The scribe’s question boils down to this: “What must a person do to please God?” or, “What must I do to be saved?” It is easy to learn phrases and pat answers and then parrot them back when the subject comes up. It is a much different thing to actually live it. Which commandment would you choose? Would you pick one you thought no one could ever catch you breaking? Or one that God would pick?
The one Jesus picked is harder than it first appears. What does it mean to love the Lord with all your “heart, soul, mind and strength”? Does he really mean all of my affection, desires, thoughts and activity should be directed at him? How is that even possible? I think we all know, either by trying or by wishing, that none of us could even begin to achieve this kind of sustained devotion. That is the point of this and all Law. None of us are able. Our best and only response is to throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus and beg for his mercy. Only through his help and strength can we start to become the people God intends us to be.