Here is a truth for unsaved, but it is also good instruction for the Christian. A person is in a dangerous condition when he is close to being saved but still doesn’t make the move. Being so close is good, but it’s not good enough. We can’t be too close either.
Jesus was bombarded with questions, all meant to snare him in some way. No matter their questions though, Jesus answered them because even the most complex question can be answered by the Lord. After this questioning took place, a scribe came to Jesus and asked a question. After hearing Jesus’ reply, the man made a comment that caused Jesus to respond with a statement we want to look at. “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” These words teach us about our responsibility and the importance of being near and ever growing nearer to the Lord in our Christian life.
Mark 12: 28And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, which is the first commandment of all? 29And Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: 33And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst asks him any question.
What a statement! It’s interesting, but it is also a statement of caution. A scribe studied the scriptures. He knew the Old Testament. It was his job to copy it if needed. Due to the nature of his job, he knew where to find answers on most any subject. Still this scribe asked Jesus a question. He had seen and heard how Jesus answered the other questions. Jesus wasn’t arguing or pushing back. The scribe didn’t like what was going on; he saw something better in Jesus than the others. When Jesus answered a question, the meaning was revealed. He knew Jesus understood the scriptures.
His question was basic. Which is the greatest commandment? The Jews had over 400 of them. The Ten Commandments were the moral law showing right and wrong. They had ceremonial laws that applied to worship and civil laws that applied to dealing with each other. The moral law was the foundation of it all; it’s the foundation of society in general. Jesus knew this man’s heart. He wasn’t trying to trip him up. Jesus was straight with his answer. The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Everyone has always had trouble with these two truths. We are to love God supremely. We can only have one Lord. There is only one Savior, and he’s revealed through the gospel. By love we are to serve him. The second thing we’re to do is love our fellowman like we love ourselves. Love the Lord first and others as we do ourselves. The scribe thought about it. He knew Jesus was speaking correctly. He could feel it. He risked who he was by agreeing with Jesus. He said thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he. He further added and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. He acknowledged that doing this was worth more than all the animals that could be brought to the altar for sacrifice. Jesus marveled and told him he was very near the kingdom of God. He told him where he stood. It shows us that too.
Being near to God should be our goal. We should work at it every day. This man was blessed in that he was closer than any of the others who questioned Jesus, but it also told him he wasn’t close enough. We can never be close enough to the Lord. Being close serves to show us how much closer we need to be. If we ever come to the place that we think we’re as close as we need to be, we’re in trouble.
The scribe’s sincerity put him closer than it did the others. His honesty put him closer. This man was acquainted with the Word but it wasn’t enough. When we let the Word near us and take it to heart, we get nearer to the Lord. That’s called growing in grace. This man knew the law and still needed to be taught. You may be able to quote lots of the Bible, but do you know it? There is always something to learn. This man had head knowledge; he needed heart knowledge. We always stand in need of being taught the Word. Our Adam nature tends to forget it. The pressures and opinions of the world play on us. There is a danger in getting satisfied with where we are and not being conscious of the need to be nearer to the Lord than we are.
Jesus let this man know he was not far from where he needed to be. He wasn’t quite there. He needed to be saved. Even as a Christian we will never be close enough until we get to heaven. Keep growing and growing nearer. Let’s get closer. Never go backward. Make it a matter of your daily efforts to be closer today than you were yesterday.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 