TEXT:

‘When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him,”You are not far from the kingdom of God”’ – Mark 12:34

THOUGHT:

One of the greatest mistakes a Christian can make is to encourage interested non-believers that they are not far from the kingdom of God. They use phrases like: keep on praying; it took me a long time too; God will reveal Himself to you soon.

The truth is, God has commanded all men, everywhere to repent, in order that they may be saved. So all a person can and must do is “Repent”. Feelings do not need to come into it and in fact are usually a distraction and misleading. Obedience is the key. By faith a person obeys God’s command and the reward for doing that is very clear – forgiveness of all sins and the gift of eternal life! The Bible urges, ‘Right now God is ready to welcome you. Today he is ready to save you’ – 2 Corinthians 6:2 Living Bible.

So why was it such an encouragement for Jesus to tell this scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God”? As we consider the context (see Mark 12:28-34), it will become apparent and an example for us too.

• He was the first scribe recorded in the Bible who had anything good to say about Jesus

Most of the time the scribes and the Pharisees were so upset by what Jesus taught that they joined forces to contradict His teaching, persecute and eventually crucify Him – Mark 14:53. In fact they even accused Him of casting out demons by the name of the Beelzebub the prince of demons – Mark 3:22. Jesus made a scathing attack on the hypocritical actions of the scribes and Pharisees – Matthew 23:1-36, Mark 12:38-40.

• He believed in only one God – ‘For there is one God, and there are no other but He’ v32

Israel’s downfall was largely caused by the acceptance and worship of other gods. The devil promotes this so that he might be worshipped. It’s a great thing when a person can stand up in the midst of an unbelieving and unruly mob and state with absolute certainty, “Jesus has spoken the truth; there is only one God.”

• He saw that the key to salvation was based on love not works – ‘To love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is more that all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices’ v33

Love meant more to God than any burnt offering or sacrifice. Love meant a person would treat their neighbour in the right way. God is love. That love gave Jesus, so that through Him the world could be saved. The scribes spent their time inventing new religious rules and requirements that only served to keep people far from God.

• He distanced himself from those wanting to destroy Jesus – ‘Then one of the scribes came, having heard them reasoning’ v28

He was not in the group of scribes and Pharisees who tried to catch Jesus out with crafty questions. He heard the answers Jesus gave and something stirred in his heart. The one question he asked convinced him that Jesus was telling the truth. To become a Christian means you have to stand up for Jesus against the crowd. When you are willing to do that, you are not far from the kingdom of God.

• He knew that once he spoke well of Jesus, he would be ostracised by his world

Jesus warned His disciples that they would experience similar persecution to Him. Perhaps in Great Britain it is not so evident, but in many countries it is exactly the same persecution as Jesus faced.  ‘Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven’ – Matthew 10:32. It is well known that Peter failed in the heat of the moment, denying that he even knew Jesus, but just fifty days later, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, he boldly declared to the crowded streets of Jerusalem that Jesus was the only way to be saved!

There are too many “secret” Christians. Their work and leisure colleagues, friends and even family members have no idea that they belong to Christ. They do not let their light shine for fear of being called a religious fanatic and ostracised. They do not want to stand out in the crowd but blend into the background even when the name of Jesus is being ridiculed.

Today you will have an opportunity to let someone know who you really are and who you really belong to. Do not miss that opportunity for someone’s eternal destiny may well depend on it.

Perhaps you are not a Christian but believe that Jesus spoke the truth about being the Saviour of the world. Today, right now, you can ask him into your life and He will save you. But remember, first we confess our sins to God, then we must confess our Saviour to the world around us!