Jesus was impressed with a wise answer

JESUS WAS IMPRESSED WITH A WISE ANSWER
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Mark 12:34 34WhenJesus saw that he had answered
wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the
kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask
him any more questions.
GreatTexts of the Bible
Not Farfrom the Kingdom
And when Jesus saw that he answereddiscreetly, he said unto him, Thou art
not far from the kingdom of God.—Mark 12:34.
If these had not been the words of Jesus Christ, there would probably have
been some Christians found strongly objecting to them. They would have
said—“No one is nearer to the Kingdom of God than another, for all men are
alike dead in trespassesand sins. How can there be degrees ofnearness when
every one is at an infinite distance?” There is a side of truth in this. The
difference betweenChristian and non-Christian is one not of degree but of
kind. “Once ye were darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.” And yet
there are different degrees ofapproximation to the light. Our world is closer
to the edge of dawn in one part of its course than another. The blind men who,
whether through God’s providence or their own choice, took their seatby the
wayside at Jericho, were nearerreceiving their sight than they had ever been
in their lives before, and nearer still when their earwas caught by the tread of

the multitude and they beganto call on Jesus of Nazarethas He passedby.
And there are circumstances andassociations in life that still bring some men
closerto the Gospelthan others. There are dispositions of mind and attitudes
in certain persons towards it which make us very anxious that they should
take but one decided step; which cause us to wonder why, when they are so
near, they go no farther. They speak so discreetlyabout religious things, and
have so amiable and reverent a spirit, that we feel as if Christ would still
single them out, as He did this scribe, and saytenderly, regretfully, may we
not add hopefully?—“Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.”1 [Note:
John Ker.]
We may divide the subjectinto four parts—
The Kingdom
The Scribe
Not far from the Kingdom
Not in the Kingdom
I
The Kingdom

1. What is the meaning of this expression, “the kingdom of God,” which was
so frequently on the lips of our Lord? It occurs fourteen times in the Gospelof
Mark, thirty-two times in that of Luke, while the equivalent phrase, “the
kingdom of heaven” (or more properly, the Kingdom of the Heavens)occurs
thirty-two times in the GospelofMatthew. The Kingdom is the rule of God,
whether in the human heart or in society. It exists now, but it has its full
realisationin eternity. Some have to seek and gain it. Those who have gained
it have to labour to retain it, and this retaining may be regarded as winning it.
It is to be noted that Christ Himself never gave any definition of the Kingdom,
and perhaps it is not wise for us to attempt to do so. Any definition which we
could frame would be almost certain to exclude important elements of truth.
He seems to have used more than one phrase to express it, and He places each
phrase in a variety of contexts which do not always seemto be quite
harmonious. The idea of the Kingdom is planted in the minds of His hearers
as a sort of nucleus round which different truths may gather. The Kingdom is
sometimes the Way, sometimes the Truth, sometimes the Life. Perhaps most
of all it is the Life. It is something living, organic, and inspiring, in which the
will of God, through the free and loyal actionof those who receive it, prevails.
It works inwardly both in individuals and in communities, but it manifests
itself outwardly. It wins adherents, and inspires and controls them. And it
possesses powers, notmerely of growth and improvement, but of recoveryand
reformation. While it prevails againstthe oppositionand persecutionof
enemies, it triumphs also in the long-run over the errors and slacknessand
corruption of its own supporters. We possessit, and yet we have to seek it and
win it. It is within us, and yet we have to strive to enter it. The truth about it is
so vast that we need to have it statedin all kinds of ways in order to
appropriate some of it.
2. The expressionshows clearlythat there is a “kingdom of God” in this
world, and that it has distinct boundary lines. Those boundary lines do not
shade off so that either it should be impossible to say whether you are in it or

not in it, or that you can be partly in it and partly not in it. The words
evidently convey the contrary: you may be “near” it, or you may be “far”
from it, but either you are in it, or you are out of it.
3. Observe the negative side. The “kingdomof God” is not the Church. The
Church is visible, the Kingdom is not. The Kingdom is the end, complete,
perfect, and final; the Church is the means to the end, working towards
perfection and striving to realise its ideal. So far as it expresses the will and
characterof the Messiah, the Church may be calledthe Kingdom of Christ,
but it is not what is setbefore us in the Gospels as “the kingdom of God” or
“the kingdom of the heavens.”1 [Note:A. Plummer.]
II
The Scribe
1. The office of Scribe.—The scribes combineda scientific and technical
knowledge ofHebrew laws, and of Hebrew scriptures generally, with the skill
of trained teachers in expounding them to the common people. They were the
teachers oftheir countrymen. Holding the keyof knowledge,they were
chargedwith the duty of unlocking the mystery and bringing out the meaning
of the written word. Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in
the law of Moses. All know how much the restoredexiles were indebted to
him, how loyal he was to God, and how faithfully he servedhis generation.
The office of scribe was alike useful and honourable, and they who filled it
worthily deservedwell of their contemporaries. Our Saviour has taught us the
value of the labours of a goodscribe: “Everyscribe who hath been made a
disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a house-holder,
who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”

But there was a tendency in the professionto narrowness, to exclusiveness, to
the traditionary, to the official. They sank into copyists, into mere echoes of
human voices, insteadof “making the people understand the law of God.”
They paid more attention to glosses thanto the original text, to commentaries
than to the Scriptures themselves, to tradition than to the revelation which
God had made of His mind and will. These scribes, in course of time, thought
more of the lanterns of human authorities than of the light of heaven;
“making void the word of God by their tradition.” Forthe most part, in the
days of our Saviour, the scribes were “blind leaders of the blind.” They no
longerhelped men into the Kingdom, but hindered those who would enter. It
seems that there was even more of moral than of intellectual degeneracy
among them. They had not only lost touch of eternal and Divine verities, but
they had also substituted men’s devices for God’s commandments; their study
of the letter had ceasedto profit, while their refinements and rules had killed
the spiritual and put into its place the ceremonial. The outcome of all this, its
effectupon the scribes themselves, is seenin the statementby our Lord:
“Bewareofthe scribes which desire to walk in long robes, and to have
salutations in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues,and chief
places at feasts:they which devour widows’houses, and for a pretence make
long prayers: these shall receive greatercondemnation.”
2. This Scribe.—The praise whichJesus bestowedupon this lawyer is best
understood when we take into accountthe circumstances, the pressure of
assailants withensnaring questions, the sullen disappointment or palpable
exasperationof the party to which the scribe belonged. He had probably
sympathised in their hostility; and had come expecting and desiring the
discomfiture of Jesus. Butif so, he was a candid enemy; and as eachnew
attempt revealedmore clearly the spiritual insight, the self-possessionand
balancedwisdom, of Him who had been representedas a dangerous fanatic,
his unfriendly opinion began to waver. For he too was at issue with popular
views:he had learnedin the Scriptures that God desireth not sacrifice, that
incense might be an abomination to Him, and new moons and sabbaths things
to do awaywith. And so, perceiving that He had answeredthem well, the
scribe asked, on his own account, a very different question, not rarely debated

in their schools, andoften answeredwith grotesque frivolity, but which he felt
to go down to the very rootof things. Instead of challenging Christ’s
authority, he tried His wisdom. Insteadof striving to entangle Him in
dangerous politics, or to assailwith shallow ridicule the problems of the life to
come, he asked, Whatcommandment is the first of all? And if we may accept
as complete this abrupt statementof his interrogation, it would seemto have
been drawn from him by a sudden impulse, or wrenchedby an overmastering
desire, despite of reluctance and false shame. The Lord answeredhim with
greatsolemnity and emphasis. He might have quoted the commandment only.
But He at once supported the preceptitself and also His own view of its
importance by including the majestic prologue, “Hear, O Israel;The Lord our
God, the Lord is one: 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.” The
questioner saw all the nobility of this reply; and the disdain, the anger, and
perhaps the persecutionof his associates couldnot prevent him from an
admiring and reverent repetition of the Saviour’s words, and an avowalthat
all the ceremonialobservancesofJudaism were as nothing compared with
this.
III
1. “Jesus sawthat he answereddiscreetly.” While the scribe was judging, he
was being judged. As he knew that Jesus had answeredwell, so Jesus saw that
he answereddiscreetly;and in view of his unprejudiced judgment, his
spiritual insight, and his frank approval of One who was then despised and
rejected, He said to him, “Thouart not far from the kingdom of God.”

Under the old Theocracy“the far” are either exiled Jews (Isaiah57:19) or the
Gentiles (Ephesians 2:13); distance from the new Kingdom is measured
neither by miles nor by ceremonialstandards, but by spiritual conditions. The
man was to some extent intellectually qualified for the Kingdom; certainly he
had graspedone of its fundamental principles. It would be interesting to work
out a comparisonbetweenthis scribe and the ruler of Mark 10:17. In both
casessomething was wanting to convert admiration into discipleship. If wealth
was the bar in one case, pride of intellect may have been fatal in the other.
The mental acumen which detects and approves spiritual truth may, in the
tragedy of human life, keepits possessorfrom entering the Kingdom of God.1
[Note:H. B. Swete.]
Thou strong and loving Son of Man,
Redeemerfrom the bonds of sin,
’Tis Thou the living spark dost fan
That sets my heart on fire within.
Thou openestheaven once more to men,
The soul’s true home, Thy Kingdom, Lord,
And I can trust and hope again,

And feel myself akin to God.2 [Note: Novalis.]
2. This is one of the many instances in which Jesus took a very kind view; and
saw—andwas not afraid to saythat He saw—the goodthat was in every one.
Many, perhaps, see it, who do not think it well to say that they see it. You need
not be afraid. True praise never does any harm. On the contrary, it softens
and humbles. This man belonged to a class whichhad no right to expectany
indulgence at Christ’s hand; and there was a gooddeal of the feeling of
superiority or patronage in what he had said. And after all, it was very partial
truth, and did not even touch the greattruth of all, which Christ came to
teachand to be. Nevertheless,Christ sees the goodpoints. If the scribe had not
spokenvery humbly, he had been intelligent and discriminating,—he had
spokendiscreetly. And if he did not see the whole truth, or the chief truth, his
thoughts were leading on in that direction. And Christ, who likes to see
nearness rather than farness,—andwho discovers the kindling of the flax even
by its smoking,—said, “Thouart not far from the kingdom of God.”
It would be very well if we copied Christ in our familiar intercourse;and
always soughtout, not the points of disagreement, but of agreement, on which
to dwell in all our conversation;and especiallyin our conversationupon
religious subjects.
But there is a much higher lessonthan this containedin the kindliness of our
Saviour’s conduct. If any of us are ever inclined to think of God as a fault-
finder,—as One who is quick to see whatis wrong, and who does not see and
appreciate what is goodin us,—let us read the accounts of Christ’s
intercourse with those among whom He was thrown; and we will unlearn our
false estimate of that kind, loving, hopeful heart. Notour own mother likes
more to magnify our best traits.1 [Note: J. Vaughan.]

3. What was there in this man, what is there in any man, that makes it
possible for Christ to say to him, “Thouart not far from the kingdom of
God”?
(1) There is a nearness that is brought about by intellectual sincerity. We may
believe that this was true of the lawyerin the narrative. He appears to have
been an anxious inquirer, from the intellectual standpoint. “And when Jesus
saw that he answereddiscreetly,” that is, wisely, thoughtfully, intelligently,
“He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” Sincere,
honest thought brings the thinker close to those higher truths which are not
contrary to reason, but which unassistedreasondoes not apprehend.
Dr. Johnsonwas accustomedto say, “If a man thinks deeply he thinks
religiously”;and deeply pondering the problems of nature, life, and duty, men
have often found themselves brought to His feet who spake as never man
spake. No merely intellectual endeavour canbring us into the enjoyment of
saving truth and spiritual satisfaction;it may easilyprepare us, however, for
the word of Christ, and to receive in Him the fulness of the blessing of
reconciliationand peace. In reading the writings of authors known as
agnostics,utilitarians, and sceptics, we must often feel that while verbally they
seema long way from the Christian creed, yet actually they come very near it
in the doctrines they accreditand the spirit they reveal. They use other
language than theologians use, they contend againstthis or the other position
of conventional religion, they suffer from many misconceptions and
prejudices, yet are they in factnot unlike this lawyer in the greattruths they
admit and in the fine spirit they display; and we believe that our Lord says of
these, as of the intellectual seekerin the text, “Thou art not far from the
kingdom of God.” They are not in the Kingdom, but they are enamoured of its
walls of jasper and gates ofgold.

John Bright said of a certainfreethinker that he was “a Christian without
knowing it”; and although we cannot allow that a man can be a Christian
without being aware of it, it yet remains possible that sincere reflectionmay
bring a doubting thinker much nearerto the evangelicaltruth than he
apprehends. Let us never discourage reading, reflection, research, as if these
necessarilyput the thinker farther from Christ. By intellectual processes
many are brought to the threshold of the spiritual Kingdom: just as the star
guided the wise men of old into His presence who came to guide our feetinto
the wayof peace.1[Note:W. L. Watkinson.]
(2) There is a nearness to personal godliness that is brought about by moral
integrity. As some are brought near to the kingdom by intellectual influences,
others approach it from the standpoint of conscience.We cannotfail to detect
the genuine ethical ring in this interlocutor: “Which is the first commandment
of all?” And when Jesus had indicated the twofold supreme commandment,
the scribe said unto Him, “Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is
one God; and there is none other but he: 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.”This is not the expressionof a merely curious or polemical
temper, there is nothing here captious or controversial, but at once we feel
that we are dealing with one who is deeply sincere, and is anxious to
understand and possessthe very essenceofrighteousness. And our Lord, who
knew what was in man, instantly recognisedthe scribe’s moral sincerity and
enthusiasm. “And when Jesus saw that he answereddiscreetly, he said unto
him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.”
The biographer of Horace Bushnell tells us that the young student for seven
years failed to find the power of Christ. There was nothing positively or
distinctively Christian about him, and there was in him a growing spirit of
doubt and difficulty as to religious doctrine; yet during all this time of grave
perplexity and distress he was markedby scrupulous conscientiousness,stern

integrity, purity, and honour, and in the end he became the confessorof
Christ with the powerof Christ.2 [Note: Ibid.]
We need it every hour—
A conscienceclear,
That shall be as a tower
Of strength and cheer.
We need it every hour—
A true pure life,
Which failure cannot sour
Or turn to strife.1 [Note:Sara A. Underwood.]
(3) There is a nearness to personal godliness that is brought about by
ceremonialfaithfulness. A true inclination and susceptibility of soul are
developed by a right use of the Divinely appointed means and channels of
grace. It seems that the faithfulness of this scribe to the study of the law and
the ordinances of worship had brought him hard by the blessing.

“Oh, there are worse things in the world than going to church,” answeredDr.
Elliot. “Farquhar preaches a fine discourse, and, joking apart, you’ll getinto
the wayof the thing. I really enjoy it. I remember once when I was a student
going home for my Spring holidays and walking through the fields to church
with my mother on a fine morning. I’ve never forgotten the look on her face
when she turned to me and said—
I joy’d when to the house of God,
Go up, they saidto me.
In these days, I thought it was a way mothers had. But now, there’s no saying,
I may getto have that inward look on my face too.”
“You’re a goodfellow, Elliot! I don’t count this a visit, mind! Come often and
see us,” ColonelMorton said; for the doctorhad turned to go as he finished
the sentence.2[Note:J. F. Hogg, The Angel Opportunity, 101.]
IV
Not in the Kingdom
1. “Notfar from the kingdom of God.” Was that a satisfactoryposition, or
was it not? There is a conventional wayof looking at it which is occupied
mainly with the unsatisfactorinessofit. “Notfar from it: not in it. The man
might just as well be miles away.” A very common way that of looking at the

position. It is not Christ’s way. He says this of a certain young man with a
feeling of genuine respectand admiration for him. For the moment, at any
rate, under the quickening influence of the magnetic inwardness of Christ’s
teaching, so true, so thorough, so real, the scribe—forhe was a scribe—with
all his traditions, had been lost in the man, and he had felt a thrill of
responsivenessto Christ which he could not suppress. Against all his
prejudices he acknowledgedthe rare spirit of Christ’s reply to the question he
addressedto Him, and the feeling was mutual. Christ and this man drew to
one another. There was not much difference betweenthem on the matter of
the supreme demand of God. And Christ says so. “You are not far from the
truth; you are pretty near the mark; there is not very much wrong with your
views.” Thatis what Christ means. Certainly not that he is as hopeless as if he
were utterly astray. Christ meant to commend and encourage the man.
2. “Thouart not far from the kingdom of God,” said Christ, and we may be
sure as He said the words He accompaniedthem with a loving smile. And yet
if there is tenderness in this word of Christ there is severity too. Not far—no,
but not in. And though not far, a man may yet be never in. Justas a ship that
has buffeted the oceans ofhalf the globe may be wreckedonthe last night,
when the passengers are making up their baggage, andperish almost in sight
of home, so there are men who come very near Christ, and then drift away,
and never have the same holy contiguity again. It is a solemn thing to be not
far from the Kingdom. It is a great responsibility. May it be ours to make it
also a greatreward.
Dante, in speaking of those who lived in dead indifference, without either
“infamy or praise,” says that he saw in the other world the shade of him who
“with ignoble spirit refused the greatoffer.” It has been a disputed question
who was in the poet’s eye, enduring the eternal shame of declining to take one
noble step. Those surely are in the right who find him in that young man who
turned awaysorrowfulwhen the Lord said, “Come, follow me”; for, as has
been observed, nothing that ever happened in the world could be so justly

called, as Dante calls it, “the greatrefusal.” If anything can fill the future
world of sin and loss with tormenting regret, it must be that the Kingdom of
God was so near, the call to it so free, and that the opportunity was fatally and
totally lost. How sadly does the wise man say, “for man knowethnot his time,”
and what a sorrow was in the heart of Christ when He said, “If thou hadst
known, even thou, at leastin this thy day, the things which belong unto thy
peace.” Notfarfrom the Kingdom of God, and yet this not far may lose it all!1
[Note:John Ker.]
The saying is true as applied to many things, and it is equally true with regard
to the soul. The penitence that is not carried through is nothing. You
remember Browning’s lines—
Oh the little more, and how much it is!
And the little less and what worlds away!
That is just the picture of the characterwe have before us. You may, if you
like, see him in a thousand walks of life. I once heard a criticism of a
preacher—“He has just missed being a great preacher.” I felt it to be true.
What was lacking one could not say, for everything seemedso excellent;but
the combined result was just as my friend had said. He had just “come short
of being a great preacher.”2 [Note:W. MackintoshMackay.]
Golfers have a well-understoodphrase, “never up, never in.” The aim of the
game is to getthe little ball into the little hole. And the meaning of the phrase
is, if you do not play hard enoughto getthe length of the hole, you will not get
into it. It may be a beautiful putt, “lie on the lip of the hole,” “a picture.” But

“it is short”;“never up, never in.” The same is true here.3 [Note: R. J.
Drummond.]
3. What is needed to make a man decidedly belong to the Kingdom of God?
Christ’s words have shown that with all that is favourable in this man, there is
still something wanting. Christ had that Divine insight which let Him see into
the hearts of men, as well as into the heart of things, and which enabled Him
to range them in their true place. We have neither the powernor the right
thus to judge the inward nature of men. It is always right for us, however, to
look as far as we can into the heart of things, and to use the principles we
learn there for ascertaining our own true position.
(1) He appears to have had no sense of the need of pardon.
In what he says there is no apparent perceptionof the evil of sin, and no
application for pardon and help. He perceives the claim of God’s law, and
admits it to be spiritual; but, so far as we can see, there is no conviction of that
hopeless violationof it which can be met only by a Divine deliverer like Christ.
“The greatmystery of religion,” says Bishop Westcott, “is not the punishment
but the forgiveness ofsin.” Forgivenessinvolves repentance;Christ came
preaching the Gospeland saying, “The kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye
and believe in the gospel.” Repentance, therefore, is an essentialconditionof
entering the “kingdom.” When a man experiences this sense of forgiven sin he
becomes eagerfor something better, desirous of a higher, and, shall we add, a
saferlife. A change has come over that man, a change both of motive and of
power. He longs for and attempts what he never caredabout before;he is a
new being. But he cannotremain content with merely understanding the
Kingdom. It is a necessarysequence that he should enter it, that he should
claim its gifts and privileges, that he should enrol himself as one of its citizens;

and so the change which takes place in him must be correspondinglymarked,
and it becomes clearwhatare the essentials, orin another sense, the
conditions of this entrance.1 [Note:J. H. Rogers.]
How they rise before us!—the sweetreproachful faces ofthose whom we could
have loved devotedly if they had been willing to be straightforwardwith us;
whom we have lost, not by our own will, but by that paralysis of feeling which
gradually invades the heart at the discoveryof small insincerities. Sincerity
seems our only security againstlosing those who love us, the only cup in which
those who are worth keeping will pledge us when youth is past.2 [Note: Mary
Cholmondeley, RedPottage.]
(2) He did not recognise in Christ the Divine Teacher.—While he admires
Christ’s teaching, he speaks as one might to another on his own level: “Well,
Master, thou hast said the truth”; but there is no appearance ofhis soul
bowing before Him as a teachersent from God, still less of his being ready to
follow Him as a spiritual leader, and to castin his lot with Him, to walk in His
steps and to do His will. What was wantedwas just the recognitionof the
King. Christ did not tell him that. He left him to discover it. And it is just the
discoverythat many a man has to make in order to enter the kingdom. It is
the oath of allegiance to Christ, which we commonly call “faith,” that is still
wanting. There are many men of fine character, ofgenerous thoughts and
noble lives, whom we naturally and properly admire. And yet there is a defect
in them of which even they themselves are conscious, althoughwhat it is they
do not know. It is the want of the deep recognitionof the things that are
unseen, the solemn sense ofthe supremacyof the spiritual. Could that arise in
them, they would be in the kingdom and recognise that it is the Kingdom of
God.
His case reminds us of the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17). The Saviouris just
“going forth” when one rushes to overtake Him, and kneels down to Him, full

of hope of a greatdiscovery. He is so frank, so innocent and earnest, as to win
the love of Jesus. And yet he presently goes away, notas he came, but with a
gloomy foreheadand a heavy heart, and doubtless with slow reluctance. There
is indeed a charming frankness in his bearing, so that we admire even his
childlike assertionof his own virtues, while the heights of a nobility yet
unattained are clearly possible for one so dissatisfied, so anxious for a higher
life, so urgent in his questioning, What shall I do? What lack I yet? This
inquirer honestly thinks himself not far from the greatattainment; he expects
to reachit by some transcendentact, some greatdeed done, and for this he
has no doubt of his own prowess, if only he were well directed. What shall I do
that I may have eternallife, not of grace, but as a debt—that I may inherit it?
His question supplies the clue to that answerof Christ which has perplexed so
many. The youth is seeking for himself a purely human merit, indigenous and
underived. And the same, too, is what he ascribes to Jesus, to Him who is so
far from claiming independent human attainment, or professing to be what
this youth would fain become, that He said, “The Son cando nothing of
himself.… I can of mine own self do nothing.” The secretofHis human
perfection is the absolute dependence of His humanity upon God, with whom
He is one. No wonder, then, that He repudiates any such goodness as the ruler
had in view.1 [Note:G. A. Chadwick.]
There is a legendof St. Peter, that he had always by him a cloth wherewith he
wiped his eyes, which were at last red with weeping. And I can wellbelieve it.
When he was askedwhy he wept, he said that “whenhe recalledthat most
sweetgentlenessofChrist with His apostles,”he could not restrain his tears.
Christ must, indeed, have been perfectin kindness and tenderness. And even
so, and even such, is He now daily with us; but we perceive it not.2 [Note:
Watchwords from Luther.]
Dearsad J. is full of fears, but the vision will presently come, and he will know
the Lord as “all things and in all,” and he will be a blessedlight. I feel I know
his standing well; his utterances want simplicity and spirituality. He knows

Jesus as “the Christ,” but not yet as “the Lord,” so it seems to me. Hence he
lingers in the letter of the Gospelhistory; he does not mount up into the
heavens with St. Paul, and commune with the Lord of Glory, in communion
with whom the earthly history is known in its boundless and blessed
significance.1[Note:R. W. Corbett, Letters from a Mystic of the PresentDay,
40.]
(3) It may be that our scribe belongedto that class whichit has been
customary for some time to speak of as honest doubters. That such exist
within the Church in hundreds to-day we all know. Spurgeonhas some rather
contemptuous words about “honestdoubt.” What has “honestdoubt” done
for the world? What churches has it built? What nations has it founded?
What hospitals has it built? What battles has it won? No; “honestdoubt” has
done none of these things, and perhaps there was needof the bold preacher’s
utterance at a time when “honestdoubt” was being coddled almost to death.
But we should ever remember that if “honestdoubt” has done none of these
things, it has done one thing, and that the grandestof all. It has made men.
The greatmen of faith were all at one time “honestdoubters.” Christ
therefore loves the “honestdoubter.” He says to him, “You are not far from
the kingdom of God”; only, remember you are not in. Your honestdoubt
won’t save you. Men have asked, “Is doubt a sin?” No;doubt is not a sin, but
doubt is a disease.And no man was ever savedby a disease. Thatgreat
doubters have been saved I doubt not, but it was not their doubts that saved
them. They were savedby the faith that “lived” in their “honestdoubts.”
A newspaperwriter recently described a strange habit that seamenhave of
visiting a famous city without landing. He said: I spoke with the mate of a ship
one day at Venice, and askedhim how he liked the city. Well, he had not been
ashore yet. He was told that he had better go ashore;that the Piazza San
Marco was worth seeing. Well, he knew it, he had seenpictures of it; but he
thought that he wouldn’t go ashore. Why not, now he was here? Well, he laid
out to go ashore the next time he came to Venice. So he lay three weekswith

his ship, after a voyage of two months, and sailedawaywithout even setting
his footon that enchantedground. How many, after crossing troubled seas of
doubt and conflict, and finding themselves in the very haven of rest, yet
hesitate to take the laststep and possessthe land. “Glorious things are spoken
of thee, thou city of God.” Leave behind you the salt, estranging sea;be no
more tossedto and fro; plant your feeton the smiling shore, walk its streets of
gold, wearits white raiment, share its beauty and joy.1 [Note: W. L.
Watkinson.]
(4) Perhaps he was not willing to profess himself openly a disciple of Christ
and acceptall that this would involve. He may have lackedthe persistence of
Nicodemus, who, though afraid of the Jews, yetcame “by night” to be
instructed in the way of the Kingdom. “Excepta man be born of waterand
the spirit, he cannotenter into the kingdom of God.” This was at first a hard
saying to Nicodemus, but there is every reasonto believe that he did commit
himself more and more to Christ in newness oflife; but, in so far as we have
traces or glimpses of his history in the Gospels up to the time of the
resurrectionof Christ, he shows the same timid shrinking temper which
brought him to Jesus under coverof darkness. The resurrection, being the
sealand crownof all our Lord’s earthly work, and the signalfor the coming
of the illuminating and strengthening Spirit, had a wonderful effecton the
disciples generally, and it may have been the occasionofthe complete
confirmation of Nicodemus in the faith of Christ.
Shall I, for fear of feeble man,
Thy Spirit’s course in me restrain?
Or undismay’d in deed and word,

Be a true witness to my Lord?
Awed by a mortal’s frown, shall I
Concealthe Word of God most high?
How then before Thee shall I dare
To stand, or how Thy anger bear?
No; let man rage!since Thou wilt spread
Thy shadowing wings around my head:
Since in all pain Thy tender love
Will still my sweetrefreshment prove.2 [Note:George Whitefield.]
There is a picture in stone which is enshrined in one of our cathedrals. It is the
monument of one of England’s noblestbishops, the great and self-sacrificing
Selwyn. Above the sarcophagus, whichis of white marble, there is a
recumbent figure of the greatmissionary, with a beautiful, placid countenance
and the hands folded crosswiseupon his breast. But the most beautiful thing
of all is a window—a cross-shapedwindow—whichis filled with crimson
glass. It is so placed that when the noontide sun falls upon it, it throws the

shadow of a blood-stained cross onthe breastand face of the noble bishop
beneath. It is, one feels, the truest epitaph that could be written of him. His life
was made beautiful by the Cross. And so, if we are able to take that farther
step which leads us into the Gethsemane of sacrifice, we shallnot regret it. We
shall come to feel with growing assurance andjoy that our lives never truly
touch completeness till they touch the Cross.1 [Note:W. MackintoshMackay.]
Why wilt thou thus engage thy mind,
My Mastersaid, and fall behind?
What matters it to thee,
Whate’ertheir whispering be?
Come on and leave their talk alone:
Stand like a towerfirm, whose crown
Its summit never vails
For all the whistling gales.2[Note:Dante, Purg. v. 10–15 (tr. by Paget
Toynbee).]

BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
"not Far From The Kingdom Of God."
Mark 12:34
A.F. Muir
I. THE HIGHEST INTERPRETATION OF HUMAN DUTY APPROACHES
THE GOSPEL, BUT FALLS SHORT OF IT.
II. THE CONDITIONSOF ENTRANCEINTO CHRIST'S KINGDOM ARE
MORAL, AND NOT MERELY INTELLECTUAL. Faith; obedience;love.
The heart, or central being.
III. NO MAN OUGHT TO BE SATISFIED WITHMERELY BEING "NOT
FAR" FROM THE KINGDOM.
1. To stop there is to stultify our highest spiritual instincts and tendencies.
2. To stop there is to fail of salvation.
3. To stop there is to aggravateour misery and sin. - M.
Biblical Illustrator
Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.
Mark 12:34

Needof self-examination
G. Petter.
There is greatcause forevery one of us diligently to try and examine our
knowledge and faith in Christ, whether it be true, sound, and sincere;or
whether it be an hypocritical and counterfeit faith, seeing one may be "not far
from the kingdom," and yet not in it. The rather, because so many deceive
themselves with a vain persuasionand opinion of faith, thinking they have
true faith in Christ, when it is not so. We are to try our faith by those marks
of it, which are taught in the Word of God.
1. By the objectof it. True faith believes and applies not only the promises of
the gospeltouching forgiveness ofsins and salvationin Christ, but also all
other parts of God's Word, as the precepts and commandments of it
forbidding sin and commanding holy duties, also the reproofs and
threatenings denounced againstsin and sinners.
2. By the means by which we attained to it, and by which it is daily nourished
in us.
3. By the contrary sin of unbelief. Look whether thou feel and complain of thy
unbelief, and doubtings of God's mercy and forgiveness ofthy sins in Christ,
and whether thou daily pray and strive againstsuch doubtings.
4. By the fruits and effects ofit, especiallyby our hatred of sin, and care to
avoid it, and to live holily.
(G. Petter.)
Dangerof this state
C. H. Spurgeon.
Among those who have turned out to be the most determined enemies of the
gospelare many who once were so nearconversionthat it was a wonder they
avoided it. Such persons seemever after to take vengeance upon the holy
influence which had almost proved too much for them. Hence our fear for

persons under gracious impressions;for, if they do not now decide for God,
they will become the more desperate in sin. That which is setin the sun, if it be
not softened, will be hardened. I remember well a man who, under the
influence of an earnestrevivalist, was brought to his knees, to cry for mercy,
in the presence ofhis wife and others; but never afterwards would he enter a
place of worship, or pay attention to religious conversation. He declaredthat
his escapewas so narrow, that he would never run the risk again. Alas, that
one should graze the gate of heaven, and yet drive on to hell!
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Nearly a Christian
T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.
After being twelve days on shipboard, I awakenedin the morning and saw the
American coast. The headlands seemedbeautiful; even Sandy Hook seemed
attractive. I was impatient to get on shore. It seemedas if we never would get
free from quarantine, or getup the Narrows, orcome to our friends who
stoodon the wharf waiting for us. I think that the most tedious part of a
voyage is the last two or three hours. Well, there are many before me who are
in the position I have describedmyself as once having been in. You have been
voyaging on towards Christian life; you have found it a rough passage;a
hurricane from Mount Sinai has smitten you, but now you see lighthouses,
and you see buoys, and the great headlands of God's mercy stretching out into
the oceanofyour transgression. Youare almost ashore. I have come here
tonight to see you land. You are very near being a Christian — "Thou art not
far from the kingdom of God." O that this might be the hour for your
emancipation.
(T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.)
Lost within sight of home

A Christian minister says:"When after safelycircumnavigating the globe, the
RoyalCharter went to pieces in Moelfra Bay, on the coastofWales, it was my
melancholy duty to visit and seek to comfort the wife of the first officer, made
by that calamity a widow. The ship had been telegraphedfrom Queenstown,
and the lady was sitting in the parlour expecting her husband, with the table
spread for his evening meal, when the messengercame to tell her he was
drowned. Nevercan I forgetthe grief, so strickenand tearless,with which she
wrung my hand, as she said, 'So near home, and yet lost!' That seemedto me
the most terrible of sorrow. But, ah! that is nothing to the anguish which must
wring the soul which is compelled to say at last, 'Once I was at the very gate of
heaven, and had almost enteredin, but now I am in hell!'"
Not quite savedis lost
T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.
Suppose you stop where you are, and go no further? Suppose you perish at the
gate? Suppose I tell you that multitudes have come just where you are, and
got no further? Do you know that to be almost savedis not to be savedat all?
Suppose a man is going up a ladder and he slip, from what round had he
better slip? If he slip from the bottom rung it is not half so perilous as if from
the top. Suppose you are making an effort for eternal life, and you have come
almost to the kingdom of heaven, and you fall — not quite saved, almost
saved, very near the kingdom of God, not quite — but lost! A vesselcame near
the Long Island coast, and was split amid the breakers in a violent storm.
They were within a stone's throw of being saved, when a violent wave took the
boat and capsizedit, and they perished — almostashore, but not quite. And
there are men who are pulling awaytowards the shore of safety. Nearerand
nearer they are coming. I can say to them tonight: Thou art not far from the
kingdom of God. But you have not quite reachedit. Alas! if you stop where
you are, or if a wave of worldliness capsizes your soul, and you perish almost
within arm's reachof the kingdom! O do not stopwhere you are. Having
come so near the kingdom of God, push on! push up! Will you tantalize your
soul by stopping so near the kingdom of God? Will you come to look over the

fence into the heavenly orchard, when you might go in and pluck the fruit?
Will you sit down in front of the well curb, when a few more turns of the
windlass might bring up the brimming buckets of everlasting life?
(T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.)
Not far off
Seeds and Saplings.
The man to whom these words were addressedwas a candid inquirer.
I. THE CHARACTERISTICSOF THOSE WHO ARE NOT FAR FROM
THE KINGDOM.
1. They may possessconsiderable knowledgeofScripture.
2. They may make a candid confessionoftheir belief.
3. They may have strong convictions of sin.
4. They may have a desire to amend their lives.
5. They may have partially reformed. They only need repentance and faith.
II. THE REASONS WHY THEY DO NOT ENTER THE KINGDOM.
1. Difficulties in the way.
2. Advantages in a middle course.
3. Beliefthat they are Christians already.
4. Reluctance to observe the needful conditions.
III. THE INDUCEMENTSTO ENTER.
1. The blessedness ofthose who do.
2. The misery of those who do not.
(Seeds and Saplings.)

"So near:"
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. WHAT ARE ITS MARKS?
1. Truthfulness of spirit.
2. Spiritual perception.
3. Acquaintance with the law.
4. Teachableness.
5. A sense ofneed of Christ.
6. A horror of wrongdoing.
7. A high regardfor holy things.
8. Diligent attention to the means of grace.
II. WHAT ARE ITS DANGERS?There is danger —
1. Lest you slip back from this hopefulness.
2. Lest you rest content to stop where you are.
3. Lest you grow proud and self-righteous.
4. Lest insteadof candid you become indifferent.
5. Lest you die ere the decisive step is taken.
III. WHAT ARE ITS DUTIES?
1. Thank God for dealing so mercifully with you.
2. Admit with deep sincerity that you need supernatural help for entrance into
the kingdom.
3. Tremble lestthe decisive step be never taken.

4. Decide at once, through Divine grace.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
For the candid and thoughtful
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. THE COMMENDATION WHICHIS HERE EXPRESSED.
1. He possessedcandour.
2. He possessedspiritual knowledge.
3. He knew the superiority of an inward religion over that which is external.
4. He saw the supremacy of Godover the whole of our manhood.
5. Yet he did not despise outward religion so far as it was commanded of God.
II. THE QUESTION WHICH IS HERE SUGGESTED. This man came so
near to the kingdom; did he ever enter it?
1. There is no reasonwhy he should not have done so.
(1)His knowledge ofthe law might have taught him his inability to obey it.
(2)The presence ofChrist might have drawn forth his love.
(3)His knowledge ofsacrifices might have taught him their spiritual import.
(4)The Holy Spirit may have changedhis heart.
2. But perhaps he never did enter the kingdom. If he did not enter, one of the
reasons, no doubt, would be — that he was afraid of his fellow men.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Not far from God's kingdom

J. N. Norton, D. D.
I. We find many excellent people whose GOODNESSIS OF A NEGATIVE
KIND. By judicious managementand advice of parents and teachers, they
have grown up free from the grossestsins.
II. Another class ofpersons are fitted by the characteroftheir minds, and the
nature of their studies, TO TAKE AN INTEREST IN CHRISTIANITYAND
THE CHURCH FROM AN INTELLECTUAL POINT OF VIEW. But let
such remember that religion is something more than correctnessofintellect; it
is a life-giving principle, regulating the will, as well as directing the creed.
III. A third class who, in disposition and habits are not far from the kingdom
of God, may be described as THE AMIABLE.
IV. One other class which I shall speak of, as embracing many "not far from
the kingdom of God," is that of THE GENEROUS AND LIBERAL
SPIRITED.
(J. N. Norton, D. D.)
Not quite in time
J. N. Norton, D. D.
To see a friend riding briskly away, by the time we have reachedthe door to
deliver a parting message;to have the boatpushed off from the dock, while we
are hurrying down to get on board. These small disappointments will serve as
illustrations in greaterthings.
(J. N. Norton, D. D.)
Indecision dangerous
J. Thornton.

I. Are there not many bearing the Christian name who, though not far from
the kingdom of God, HAVE NEVER YET PASSED THE BOUNDARY
WHICH SEPARATES THEM FROM THE WORLD
1. In this state there are those who have correctviews of doctrinal truth
without a spirit of devotion.
2. They are not far from the kingdom, but do not belong to that kingdom, who
are the subjects of frequent and powerful convictions, yet have never been
convertedto God.
3. They are not far from the kingdom, but do not belong to it, who cultivate
amiable tempers and agreeablemanners, and yet are strangers to the
influence and grace of the Divine Spirit.
II. ARE THERE NOT SOME REASONS TO BE ASSIGNED AS CAUSES
WHY MAY OF YOU CONTINUE SO LONG GO HOVER ROUND THE
BORDERSOF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, YET NEVER ENTER IT? Your
conduct carries in it a multitude of strange inconsistencies.
1. Your hovering still round the outer borders of the kingdom of God must be
ascribedto a want of firm decisionof mind.
2. It must be ascribedto a want of warm and loyal attachment to the blessed
Immanuel, the Prince of life.
3. It must be ascribedto a want of true faith and humility.
III. While you continue without the boundary of the kingdom of God, at
whateverpoint of nearness, is not your state A STATE OF AWFUL
DANCER? You are more liable to self-deceptionthan vile profligates;you are
commanded; you are in danger of attaching too much consequence to the
soundness of your creedand strictness ofyour morals. Do not expectto glide
into the kingdom without effort or hindrance.
1. You must press into the kingdom by casting off every incumbrance, and by
forsaking every prejudice and passionwhich has a tendency to entangle and
obstruct your progress.

2. You must press into the kingdom through all possible resistance.
(J. Thornton.)
"Notfar from the kingdom"
J. Vaughan, M. A.
True praise never does harm; it softens and humbles. Yet this man belonged
to a class which had no right to expect any indulgence at Christ's hand. Christ
sees the goodpoints of the scribe. There is a "kingdom of God" in this world,
and it has distinct boundary lines. What was there in the man which made
Christ speak ofhim as "nearto the kingdom"?
I. That the scribe spoke practicallyand sensibly, and without prejudice — as
Christ expressesit, "discreetly." Sucha mind will always be approximating to
the kingdom of truth.
II. There were further indications, in the particular thoughts which were in
the scribe's mind, that he was nearing the shores oftruth. It is plain that he
saw before his eyes the true, relative value of the types and ceremonies of the
Jewishchurch. He recognizedthem as inferior to the greatprinciples of truth
and love. His mind had travelled so far as to see that the sum of all true
religion is love to God and man. How is that love of God implanted in a man's
breast? Will the beauties of nature do it? Will the kindnesses ofProvidence do
it? Will the natural instincts of gratitude do it? I think not. There must be the
sense offorgiveness. Within this he distinguished and magnified the unity of
God. "Forthere is one God," etc. The unity of God the argument for a unity
of service.
III. And perhaps, still more than all, that enlightened Jew had been drawn
near to the Personof Christ. Consequentlyhe consultedHim as a Teacher. Do
we not know that Christ is the kingdom of God, and that we are all in or out
of that kingdom just according to what Christ is to us? To be indifferent to
Him is to be very "faroff;" to feelthe need of Him is to be "near."

IV. The most affecting of all possible conditions is a nearness which never
enters. If I had to selectthe most awful passage inhistory, I should selectthe
Israelites on the Canaanitishboundary — they saw, they heard, they tasted,
they were on the eve to pass; — they disbelieved, they did not go in, they were
sent back, and they never came near again;but their carcassesfell in the
wilderness. It will be an unutterably solemn thing if Christ shall, at the last,
say to any of us, "Thouwastnot far from the kingdom of God."
(J. Vaughan, M. A.)
Critical hours
H. W. Beecher.
The kingdom of heaven is a certain condition of the human soul. Christ stands
contrastedwith the condition of selfishness, vulgarity, animalism. See how it
comes directly out of the controversyhere: "Thoushalt love the Lord thy
God." The superior love of God is what we mean by spirituality — the fulness
of thought, imagination, and feeling in the direction of the Infinite. We know
how men divide themselves up, and live under the dominant influence of
certain parts or faculties of their nature. One man lives under the dominion of
his passions;another class ofmen build themselves into a powerin which
property and collateralinfluences shall be central. These dominant states in
which men dwell will give us an idea of what it is to be in that condition in
which Christ says men are not far from the kingdom of heaven. When a man
has attained the higher spiritual state, then he is in the kingdom of God. Then
his mind becomes luminous. The man comes into union with God, and
discerns truths which in his lowerstate he never could discern. When,
therefore, a man is said to be not far from the kingdom of God, he is where he
can easilyenter into these higher perceptions and conditions. There are a
greatmany persons who are bordering on the kingdom of heaveneven in this
life. There are luminous hours given to most men, and especiallyto men of
large brain and intelligence. Persons in vulgar conditions of life have certain
hours given to them which they do not understand, but which render them
susceptible of being drawn into the kingdom of heaven.

1. There are hours of vision in which men are under the direct stimulus of the
preachedtruth.
2. Sometimes the same result is produced because they have seenthe truth
embodied somewhere. A man goes to a funeral, and comes home and says,
"Thatwas a greatman; I wish I were like him. I wish I were living on a higher
plane."
3. There are times of awakening that are the result of great sorrows and
affliction in some natures. When men see how uncertain is everything that
pertains to life, they say, "I ought to have an anchor within the veil."
4. When men are in greatdistress in their socialrelations there is oftentimes a
luminous hour. I do not say that if men neglectthe first impulse to change
their course they will never have another; the mercy of God calls a great
many times; but very likely they will not have another that is so influential. If,
however, in such hours of disclosure, hours of influence, hours in which
everything urges him towarda nobler and a better life, a man would ratify his
impulse to go forward, even though at first he staggeronthe journey, he
would not be far from the kingdom of God; but if he waits, you may be sure
that these hours will pass awayand be submerged. That is where the real
force comes in. All the civilized world sent out men to take an observationof
the transit of Venus; and when the conjunction came it was indispensably
necessaryto the successofthe undertaking that the very first contactshould
be observed. An astronomerwho had devoted six months to preparation, and
has gone out to take this observation, eats a heavy dinner and takes copious
draughts of liquid to washit down, and lies down, saying, "Callme at the
proper time," and goes to sleep;and by and by he is wakedup and is told,
"The planet approaches,"and, half conscious,he turns overand says, "Yes,
yes, yes, I will attend to it; but I must finish my nap first;" and before he is
aware of it the thing is all over, and he has thrown awaythe pains he has
takento prepare himself. It was important that he should be on hand to take
the observationon the second;and the whole failed, so far as he was
concerned, for want of precise accuracy. A little girl sickenedand died. She
might have recovered;for the nature of the disease wassuch that if it had
been watched, and if stimulants had been applied at the criticalmoment, they

would have been like oil in a half or wholly exhaustedlamp. But this was not
known, and the child slept, and the caretakerthought the sleepwas all right,
and it slept itself out of life. The child might have been alive, walking and
talking with us today, if it had not been for that. There are such critical
moments as those, and they are occurring in human experience everywhere —
in health, in sickness, in business, in pleasure, in love, in political affairs, in all
the congeriesofcircumstances in which men live and move.
(H. W. Beecher.)
Pharisaicalrighteousnessto be exceeded
T. Horton, D. D.
I. WHAT IS HERE MEANT BY THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
II. WHAT IS MEANT BY BEING FAR FROM THIS KINGDOM?
1. In regard of the means(1) absolute:Such as are wholly and universally
deprived of all the ordinances of religion, as are the heathen (Ephesians
2:13).(2) Comparative remoteness, whichwe may notice of such as live within
the bounds of the church and compass ofthe Christian commonwealth, and
yet have little of the gospelsounding in their ears;they live in some dark
corner of the land.(3) Besides allthis there is a remoteness voluntary and
contractedin those which are, near the means, and yet never the nearer, who
put the Word of God from them.
2. In regard of the terms: Namely, the state in which they are at present,
compared with the state which they stand in opposition unto. They are far
from the kingdom of God as being destitute of those personalqualifications in
order to it. Their principles and life are remote. The notoriously wicked
(Ephesians 5:5; Romans 21:8; Revelation22:15). Hypocrites or secret
enemies. All such as are formal but not pious.
3. In regard of the event. In regardof God's purpose and degree concerning
them. This was the case ofPaul. He was far from God's kingdom in regardof
the terms and his personalqualification; yet, in regard of the event, was very

near. Sometimes the most notorious offenders are nearer conversionthan civil
persons. Let us look more minutely at the text.
III. IT IS A WORD OF COMMENDATION:an acknowledgmentofthat
reality of goodnesswhichwas in the Scribe, and so encouraging him in it. If
we see beginnings of goodin any, to cherish them. We should not break the
bruised reed, etc., nor nip the sproutings of grace.
1. This does honour God Himself in the bestowing of His graces. He that takes
notice of the streams acknowledgesthe fountain whence they proceed.
2. We draw men on further and make them more willing to improve; it is the
whetstone of virtue.
3. By this course we occasionallywork upon others who are much moved by
such examples.
IV. IT IS ALSO A WORD OF DIMINUTION. Thou art not quite at home;
you must go further; an excitement. We must not flatter so as to make
beginners satisfied with less grace, but urge them forward. The speechof our
Lord was effectualto him hereunto in sundry respects.
1. It showedhim his defects and imperfections, for which he had need to go
further. There is no greaterhindrance to improvement than a conceitof
perfection: when men think they are at their journey's end, they will not step
any further; but when they are persuaded that they are not at home, they will
setthem upon going (Philippians 3:12, 13).
2. It showedhim also his hopes and possibilities:that is another excitement to
endeavour. There is hope of coming hither, for you are almostthere.
3. It showedhim also his engagements, from what he had done already, to
proceed. You have alreadymade some endeavour, do not decline and grow
worse. We should imitate Christ in helping others forward in religion, as
Aquila and Priscilla did Apollos. Considerthese words as reflectively, as
coming from Christ the speakerofthem. We should discern and distinguish
persons. He discernedthe teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees in the
foregoing part of the chapter; now He discerns the sincerity of the Scribe.

V. THE OCCASION WHEREUPON HIS CENSURE WAS PASSED. "When
Jesus saw that he answereddiscreetly." This includes those things.
1. Distinctly as to the matter of his answer. He was right in the notion and in
the thing itself. He who knows anything of religion knows that it does not lie in
outside duties, but in a gracious soul;yet he does not take awaythe forms.
Those which are above ordinances are below heaven;and they which hate
instruction shall never partake of salvation.
2. He answeredintelligently as to the principle from whence he answered. He
did not speak by rote, but he was able to give a rational accountof his
religion. We must believe more than we canunderstand, and yet we must also
understand why we believe.
3. He was hearty and serious in it. He spoke as a man that had some savourof
that which he spoke. A man may be an orthodox divine, and yet but a sorry
Christian.
4. He answereddiscreetly;that is prudently, as to the manner of it. It was with
humility, teachableness,and submission to Christ.
(T. Horton, D. D.)
Nearbut not secure
T. Horton, D. D.
He perishes for want of that remedy which otherwise might be supplied
withal. As it is sometimes in the body; those which have greatsicknesses, they
many times get up and recover, whilst those which have some smaller
distemper, do perhaps die under it. What's the reasonofit, and how comes it
about? Why, the one, thinking himself to be in danger, goes to the physician;
the other, being more secure, neglectshim, and looks not after him. Thus it is
with men also in religion; civility trusted in is further off from conversion
than profaneness in the effects and consequents of it. This was the case ofthe
Jews in comparisonof the Gentiles.

(T. Horton, D. D.)
Mere morality alone is remote from the kingdom of God
T. Horton, D. D.
Civility left alone to itself would never be grace, norattain to the consequents
of it. These two are at a very wide distance one from the other, and left alone,
would never meet together. Thoughmere civility be not so far from the
kingdom of God as absolute profaneness, yetit will never come thither, no
more than profaneness itself. A mere civil man is as truly excluded from
heaven as a profane man. I say as truly, though not in so greata degree. To
explain it to you by an easyand familiar resemblance:Dover(for example) is
not so far from Calais as London, yet he that goes no further than Dovershall
never come to Calais, no more than be that stays at London. So here, a mere
moral or civil personis not so remote from salvationas a debauched; but yet
if he goes no further than morality, he will come short of it as well as the
other.
(T. Horton, D. D.)
Nearness notpossession
J. S. Swan.
A man may be almost in possessionofa fortune; but that adds not to his
credit at the bank. A man may be almost honest, or almost sober;but that will
be no recommendationto a position of trust and responsibility. And as with
these, so with the kingdoms of mental force, health, and socialinfluence;
nearness is not sufficient. How near it is possible to be to the kingdom of God
without being in, we know not. Nor do we know how it is possible to remain
near without entering; unless it be that those who are near mistake nearness
for, possession. Notice:(1)A man is not necessarilyin the kingdom of God
because anintelligent inquirer. Distinguish betweenquestioning with a view to
information, and questioning with a view to disputation.(2) A man is not

necessarilyin the kingdom of God because he knows truth when he hears it.
We may assentto all Christ's utterances, and yet have no affectionfor Him as
Saviour. It is possible to make a false god of orthodoxy. A man may be a
capital judge of the soundness of a sermon, an adept as regards scripture
knowledge, andyet only "not far from the kingdom."(3)A man is not
necessarilyin the kingdom because he can answerquestions on Christianity.
You may know the creedwithout knowing the Christ. Mere knowledge is not
enough. You must repent, confess,believe, serve.
(J. S. Swan.)
Not far from the kingdom of God
John Ker, D. D.
There are, then, different degrees ofapproximation to the light. Let us
consider—
I. SOME OF THOSE THINGS WHICH BRING A MAN NEAR THE
KINGDOM OF GOD.(1)A life associatedwith some of its members and
privileges. We have all known many whose lives proved that they were true
disciples of Christ; we have observedthe deepening earnestnessoftheir
character, and seenit growing up into a purpose and consistencyunknown
before. How have we been affectedby this connection?(2)A spirit of reverence
and candour towards Christ. Few things short of positive immorality so
deaden the spiritual perception as does habitual flippancy. It is, therefore, a
hopeful sign in a man, if he is not ashamedto own that he considers some
things too sacredto be sported with.(3) Kindliness and amiability of nature.
Christ never casta chilling look on anything that is beautiful in human
nature. He acknowledgedit to be goodas far as it went, and soughtto gain it
for the Divine and eternal. All kindly and generous impulses are wild flowers
of nature, which, with the enclosure of Christ's gardenand the hand of Divine
culture, would put on a rare beauty.(4) A desire to conform to God's law as
far as he knows it. If conscience be at work in any man, if it is keeping him
from doing what he believes to be sin, and leading him to aim at the true and

right, he is to be commended. And if there be any measure of humility and
charity with it, that man is certainly nearerthe kingdom than he who is going
on in knownsin, searing his conscience,hardening his heart, and building up
obstacles againsthis return to God.(5) An interest in the spiritual side of
things. We meet with so much indifference and materialism among the
unconverted, that it is refreshing to light upon one who rises above such a
chilling element, and who gives evidence that he believes there is a God, and a
soul, and a spiritual law laid down for man's guidance — to see him not only
listening, but putting intelligent questions, and avowing, with honest
conviction, how far he goes, thoughit may not be so far as we desire. If we
meet such a man in a kindly, candid spirit, we may win him to the kingdom of
Him whose heart yearns over the most distant wanderers, but who cherishes a
peculiar interest in those whose souls are feeling their way, howeverfaintly, to
the eternally true and good.
II. WHAT IS NEEDED TO MAKE A MAN DECIDEDLYBELONG TO
THE KINGDOM OF GOD? Our Lord's words imply that, with all that is
favourable in this man, there is still something wanting. He perceived the
claim of God's law, and admitted it to be spiritual; but, so far as we can see,
he had no convictionof that hopeless violationof it which only a Divine
deliverer like Christ could meet. Then, too, while admiring Christ's teaching,
he gave no sign of his soul bowing before Him as a teachersentfrom God, still
less of his being ready to follow Him as his spiritual leader, to castin his lot
with Him, to walk in His steps and do His will. He lacked
(1)the new birth.
(2)The new life.
(John Ker, D. D.)
On the verge of the kingdom
D. Moore, M. A.

I. THE QUALITIES WHICH CONSIST WITH THE STATE HERE
DESCRIBED.
1. Religious knowledge. Youmay have an accurate creed, anextensive
acquaintance with the Bible, a powerto discuss with clearness andprecision
controvertedpoints, without the will being influenced, the affections purified,
the life and conversationregulated.
2. A life of blameless uprightness and integrity. Many things may tend to
preserve you from the commission of greatsins, besides real love for God, e.g.,
a prudent regard to your own well-being and well-doing in the world.
3. Strong convictions of sin, and even consequentamendment. You may, like
Herod, do "many things," and yet neglect"the one thing needful." Outward
reformation is not necessarily the result of an inward moral change.
4. Carefully maintained habits of public and private devotion. The form may
be kept up long after the spirit has vanished.
II. THE REASONS PEOPLE REMAIN IN THIS DANGEROUS STATE.
1. A want of real and heartfelt love to God. We must give God and the things
of God not only a place, but the first place in our heart. The service He
requires is that which springs from a real preference of Himself.
2. If God is not loved, something else must be receiving an undue share of the
affections;for man must bestow them somewhere, whetherin the attractions
of his calling and profession, or in the cultivation of refined and intellectual
tastes, orin an idolatrous fondness for the comforts of socialand domestic life.
The more naturally amiable a man is, the more beloved, the more honoured,
the more respectedfor his socialand moral worth, for the largenessofhis
charities, for the constancyof his friendships, for the kindness of his heart,
and for the blameless purity of his life, the greaterdanger there is lest that
man should be ensnaredby mere human approbation, and close his eyes to
the dangerhe is in of falling short of the kingdom of God.
III. NOW, WHAT IS THE MORAL VALUE OF THE STATE HERE
DESCRIBED?If a long journey were setbefore me, it would be some comfort

to have one to say, "Thou art not far from thy journey's end." If all through
life I had been proposing to myself the accomplishment of some greatobject,
it would be some comfort to know I was not far from attaining the object of
my ambition. This is on the supposition of continual progress, constant
advancementtowards that object. But the spiritual condition we have been
considering is that of a person who is standing still — continuing year after
year in the same state of dead, motionless, unadvancing formalism, ever
seeking, but never striving to enter in at the strait gate, everlearning but
never coming to the knowledge ofthe truth. What, then, is the moral value of
being, and continuing, not far from the kingdom? There is a door. We must be
on one side of it, or the ether. There is no paradise of mediocrity. How sad to
be overtakenby the avenger, when close by the city of refuge — to have made
shipwreck of our souls, when just within sight of the harbour!
(D. Moore, M. A.)
Reasonswhy a man who is near the kingdom should strive to enter it
John Ker, D. D.
If there are some so far awaythat they at times fall into a despairof ever
reaching it, there are a greaternumber so near that they sink into an
apathetic contentment with being almostChristians. Those who are far off
may come to be nigh, when the children of the kingdom are castout.
1. Though the distance may not seemgreat, there is momentous importance in
it. A greatdeal depends on being a Christian, and to be a Christian needs
something more than a decentarrangement of the natural life. The end of
man's soul can only be found in looking to God, and learning to stand right
with Him. Otherwise, it is to let a plant cling to the earth that was made to
climb, and that canbring forth its best flowers and fruits only when it
ascends;as if a palace were tenanted in its dungeons and lowerrooms, while
the higher apartments, commanding infinitely the best view, were left
desolate;or as if a city had its streets crowdedwith traffic, and filled with the
labour and din of busy life, while the temples, which tell of man's dignity by

pointing him to God, remained in untrodden silence, and became the homes
only of the dead. Can a man, who has a soul, feel that it is well with him in
such a state? And yet thus he stands while he refuses to admit God to His
rightful place.
2. The harmful effectof this position upon others. When there is a nature
which has so much of the beautiful and attractive outside the proper Christian
sphere, it is apt to give shallow-minded persons the idea that the gospelis not
so necessaryas the Bible declares.
3. The only security for permanence in what is naturally attractive in man,
consists in connecting it with God. The brightest and most beautiful things of
the heart lie all unshielded if God's shadow be not over them. The conflicts of
life, the assaults ofpassion, the irritations of care and ill-success, andthe
resentments againstman's injustice, will corrode and cankerthe finest heart if
it be not constantly drawing the corrective from a Divine source. Even without
these trials, whateverhas not Godin it is smitten with the inevitable law of
decay.
(John Ker, D. D.)
Crossing the line
John Ker, D. D.
It is as if a man were standing on the snore, close to where a ship is moored.
There is but a line between, and a step may cross it. But the one is fixed, the
other moves, and all the future of existence depends upon that step, — new
lands, a new life, and God's greatwide world. In the spiritual sphere to stand
still is to fall away, to be left on that shore, doomed to decayand death. To
pass into God's kingdom is to move with it, not only up to the grandeur of His
universe, but into the heritage of Himself.
(John Ker, D. D.)

COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(34) Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.—The words are significant as
showing the unity of our Lord’s teaching. Now, as when He spoke the Sermon
on the Mount, the righteousness whichfulfils the law is the condition of the
entrance into the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:19-20). Even the recognitionof
that righteousness as consisting in the fulfilment of the two commandments
that were exceeding broad, brought a man as to the very threshold of the
Kingdom. It is instructive to compare our Lord’s different method of dealing,
in Luke 10:25-37, with one who had the same theoreticalknowledge, but who
obviously, consciouslyorunconsciously, minimised the force of the
commandments by his narrowing definitions.
And no man after that durst ask him.—St. Mark states the factbefore, St.
Matthew after, the narrative that now follows.
MacLaren's Expositions
Mark
NOT FAR AND NOT IN
Mark 12:34.
‘A bruised reed He will not break, and the smoking flax He will not quench.’
Here is Christ’s recognitionof the low beginnings of goodnessand faith.

This is a specialcase ofa man who appears to have fully discernedthe
spirituality and inwardness of law, and to have felt that the one bond between
God and man was love. He needed only to have followedout the former
thought to have been smitten by the conviction of his own sinfulness, and to
have reflectedon the latter to have discoveredthat he needed some one who
could certify and commend God’s love to him, and thereby to kindle his to
God. Christ recognisessuchbeginnings and encourages him to persevere:but
warns him againstthe dangerof supposing himself in the kingdom, and
againstthe prolongation of what is only goodas a transition state.
This Scribe is an interesting study as being one who recognisedthe Law in its
spiritual meaning, in opposition to forms and ceremonies. His intellectual
convictions needed to be led on from recognitionof the spirituality of the Law
to recognitionof his own failures. ‘By law is the knowledge ofsin.’ His
intellectual convictions neededto pass over into and influence his heart and
life. He recognisedtrue piety, and was earnestlystriving after it, but entrance
into the kingdom is by faith in the Saviour, who is ‘the Way.’ So Jesus’praise
of him is but measured. For in him there was separationbetweenknowing
and doing.
I. Who are near?
Christ’s kingdom is near us all, whether we are heathen, infidel, profligate or
not.
Here is a distinct recognitionof two things-{a} Degreesofapproximation; {b}
decisive separationbetweenthose who are, and those who are not, within the
kingdom.

This Scribe was near, and yet not in, the kingdom, because, like so many in all
ages, he had an intellectual hold of principles which he had never followed out
to their intellectual issues, nor ever enthroned as, in their practicalissues, the
guides of his life. How constantlywe find characters ofsimilar incompleteness
among ourselves!How many of us have true thoughts concerning God’s law
and what it requires, which ought, in all reason, to have brought us to the
consciousnessofour ownsin, and are yet untouched by one pang of penitence!
How many of us have lying in our heads, like disusedfurniture in a lumber-
room, what we suppose to be beliefs of ours, which only need to be followed
out to their necessaryresults to refurnish with a new equipment the whole of
our religious thinking! How few of us do really take pains to bring our beliefs
into clearsunlight, and to follow them whereverthey lead us! There is no
commoner fault, and no greaterfoe, than the hazy, lazy half-belief, of which
its owner neither knows the grounds nor perceives the intellectual or the
practicalissues.
There are multitudes who have, or have had, convictions of which the only
rational outcome is practicalsurrender to Jesus Christ by faith and love. Such
persons abound in Christian congregationsand in Christian homes. They are
on the verge of ‘the greatsurrender,’ but they do not go beyond the verge, and
so they perpetrate ‘the greatrefusal.’And to all such the word of our text
should sound as a warning note, which has also hope in its bone. ‘Not far
from’ is still ‘outside.’
II. Why they are only near.
The reasonis not because ofanything apart from themselves. The Christian
gospeloffers immediate entrance into the Kingdom, and all the gifts which its
King can bestow, to all and every one who will. So that the sole cause of any
man’s non-entrance lies with himself.

We have spokenof failure to follow out truths partially grasped, and that
constitutes a reasonwhich affects the intellect mainly, and plays its part in
keeping men out of the Kingdom.
But there are other, perhaps more common, reasons, whichintervene to
prevent convictions being followedout into their properly consequentacts.
The two most familiar and fatal of these are:-
{a} Procrastination.
{b} Lingering love of the world.
III. Such men cannot continue near.
The state is necessarilytransitional. It must pass over into-{a} Either going on
and into the Kingdom, or {b} going further awayfrom it.
Christ warns here, and would stimulate to action, for-{a} Convictions not
actedon die; {b} truths not followedout fade; {c} impressions resistedare
harder to be made again; {d} obstaclesincreasewith time; {e} the habit of
lingering becomes strengthened.
IV. Unless you are in, you are finally shut out.

‘City of refuge.’ It was of no avail to have been near. ‘Strive to enter in.’
Appeal to all such as are in this transition stage.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
12:28-34 Those who sincerelydesire to be taught their duty, Christ will guide
in judgment, and teachhis way. He tells the scribe that the great
commandment, which indeed includes all, is, that of loving God with all our
hearts. Wherever this is the ruling principle in the soul, there is a disposition
to every other duty. Loving God with all our heart, will engage us to every
thing by which he will be pleased. The sacrificesonly representedthe
atonements for men's transgressions ofthe moral law; they were of no power
exceptas they expressedrepentance and faith in the promised Saviour, and as
they led to moral obedience. And because we have not thus loved God and
man, but the very reverse, therefore we are condemned sinners; we need
repentance, and we need mercy. Christ approved what the scribe said, and
encouragedhim. He stoodfair for further advance;for this knowledge ofthe
law leads to conviction of sin, to repentance, to discoveryof our need of
mercy, and understanding the way of justification by Christ.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
This answerof the scribe is not found in Matthew.
Is more than all - Is of more importance and value.
Discreetly- Wisely, according to truth.
Not far from the kingdom of God - Thou who dost prefer the "internal" to the
"external" worship of God - who hast so just a view of the requirements of the
law - cansteasilybecome a followerof me, and art almostfit to be numbered
among my disciples. This shows that a proper understanding of the Old
Testament, of its laws and requirements, would prepare the mind for

Christianity, and suit a person at once to embrace it when presented. One
system is graftedon the other, agreeablyto Galatians 3:24.
And no man after that durst ask him any question - That is, no one of the
scribes, the Pharisees,orthe Sadducees durst ask him a question for the
purpose of "tempting" him or entangling him. He had completely silenced
them. It does not appear, however, but that his "disciples" daredto ask him
questions for the purpose of information.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
34. And when Jesus saw that he answereddiscreetly—rather, "intelligently,"
or "sensibly";not only in a goodspirit, but with a promising measure of
insight into spiritual things.
he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God—forhe had but
to follow out a little further what he seemedsincerelyto own, to find his way
into the kingdom. He neededonly the experience of another eminent scribe
who at a later period said, "We know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal,
sold under sin": who exclaimed, "O wretchedman that I am! Who shall
deliver me?" but who added, "I thank God through Jesus Christ!" (Ro 7:14,
24, 25). Perhaps among the "greatcompany of the priests" and other Jewish
ecclesiasticswho "were obedientto the faith," almost immediately after the
day of Pentecost(Ac 6:7), this upright lawyer was one. But for all his nearness
to the Kingdom of God, it may be he never entered it.
And no man after that durst ask any question—allfeeling that they were no
match for Him, and that it was vain to enter the lists with Him.
Christ Baffles the PhariseesRegarding David(Mr 12:35-37).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Mark 12:29"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And when Jesus saw that he answereddiscreetly,.... Wiselyand prudently, as
a man of sense and understanding; by taking in the severalparts of our

Lord's answervery distinctly, and reasoning upon them, and confirming
them:
he said unto him, thou art not far from the kingdom of God: not meaning
from heaven, and eternal happiness; for right and distinct notions of the
above commandments, and even the performance of the in by a sinful and
imperfect creature, can neither give a man a title to, or bring him near, or
introduce him into the heavenly glory, which is a pure gift of God's grace;but
our Lord's sense is, that he was not far off from the Gospeldispensation, and
was in a fair way of entering into it; his sentiments were very near to such,
who became followers ofChrist, and embraced the doctrines, and submitted
to the ordinances of the Gospelstate:since he preferred those things, which
related to the knowledge ofthe being and perfections of God, to the love and
worship of God, and to the goodof his neighbour; before the ceremonies of
the law;which were quickly to be abolished, and make way for the setting up
of the kingdom of God, or of the Messiah, in a more glorious and visible
manner. Indeed there are some persons, who seemnot far off from the
kingdom of God, in the other sense ofthe phrase, as it may respecteternal
glory and happiness, who will never enter into it: there are some that seem
very devout and religions; hear the word, attend on all ordinances, join
themselves with a church, submit to baptism, and sit down at the Lord's table,
and live a moral life and conversation, and yet are destitute of the grace of
God: yea, there are some who have clearnotions of the Gospel, and make a
bright professionof it, and yet have no experience of the power of it upon
their hearts, and have not the oil of grace there:and even hold this profession
to the end, and yet come short of the kingdom and glory of our Lord Jesus:
such are almostChristians, but not altogether;virgins, but foolishones;have
lamps, but no oil; come as far as the door, but that is shut upon them.
And no man after that durst ask him any question; in any captious matter in
order to ensnare him; finding they could get no advantage, or occasionagainst
him that way; he having silencedthe Herodians, Sadducees,Scribes, and
Pharisees.
Geneva Study Bible

And when Jesus saw that he answereddiscreetly, he said unto him, Thou art
not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any
question.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Mark 12:34. νουνεχῶς, intelligently, as one who had a mind (of his own), and
really thought what he said, a refreshing thing to meet with at any time, and
especiallythere and then. Here only in N.T. = νουνεχόντως in classics.—οὐ
μακρὰν, not far; near by insight into its nature (the ethical supreme), and in
spirit—a sincere thinker.—οὐδεὶς οὐκέτι, etc.:questioning given up because
seento be vain, always ending either in the confusion or in the acquiescence of
questioners (cf. Luke 20:40).
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
34. discreetly] “wysely,” Wyclif. The word only occurs here in the N.T., and
denotes “with knowledge and understanding.”
Thou art not far] The perception of Divine truth which his answerhad
shewed, revealedthat he wantedbut little to become a disciple of Christ. “Si
non procul es, intra; alias præstiterit, procul fuisse.”
no man … durst] No other attempt was henceforthmade to entangle the
Redeemerby replies to subtle questions; “allalike keptaloof from one, from
Whom chief priests and Rabbis equally went awayhumbled.” Some, however,
would refer to this occasionthe question respecting the woman takenin
adultery (John 8:1-11).
Bengel's Gnomen
Mark 12:34. Οὐ μακρὰν εἶ, thou art not far) They therefore axe far from the
kingdom who have not νοῦς, intelligent perception.[7][Such, for instance,
were they who were still clinging to sacrifices.—V. g.]Seeing that thou art not

far from it, enter into the kingdom: otherwise it would have been better for
thee to have been far off.
[7] Referring to νουνεκως, having intelligence, Th. νοῦν ἔκειν, to have
intelligence.—ED.and TRANSL.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 34. - And when Jesus saw that he answereddiscreetly(νουνεχῶς), he
said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. It would appear
from this answerthat our Lord regardedhim as one who approachedhim
with the sincere desire to know the truth, and so he encouragedhim. This
shows how powerful an influence our Lord's teaching had already exercised
amongstall classesofthe Jews. This scribe, notwithstanding the prejudices of
his class, hadreachedthe border-land of the kingdom. He had learnt that the
true way to the kingdom was by the love of God and of our neighbor. He was
not far from the kingdom - not far from "the Church militant here on earth,"
by which is the way to the Church triumphant in heaven. He was not far from
the kingdom, but still he wanted that which in the true pathway to the
kingdom - faith in Christ as the Saviorof the world. And no man after that
durst ask him any question. St. Matthew (Matthew 22:46)places these words
after the next occurrence. But there is no inconsistencyin the two narratives,
because in this next incident our Lord puts the question to them; and this
silencedboth their questioning and their answering. All felt that there was
such a vast reachof wisdom and knowledge in all that he said, that it was in
vain to contend with him.
Vincent's Word Studies
Discreetly(νουνεχῶς)
From νοῦς, mind, and ἔχω, to lave. Having his mind in possession:"having his
wits about him." The word occurs only here in the New Testament.

PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
DANIEL AKIN
Mark informs us that Jesus was pleasedwith the scribe’s answer(“Jesussaw
he
answeredwisely”).
Jesus then brought the conversationto a close by telling the man, “You are
not far
from the kingdom of God.” What did Jesus meanby this? I think the answer
is
clear. It is not you are close so try harder! It is not work harder and you will
make
it! Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, the man has come to see
that
ultimately eternallife, entering the Kingdom of God, is a matter of the heart
and
not ritual. It is a matter of heart devotion not hard duty. Obeying rules and
regulations will never getme into the kingdom because Ican never do enough
or
measure up to God’s perfect standard. No, I need a new me. I need a new
heart. I
need the grace and mercy of my God who canmake me a new creationin
Christ
(2 Cor 5:17). I need to draw near to the One who has brought the kingdom of

God near (Mark 1:15). I need to draw near to Jesus. One draws near and
enters
the kingdom not by religion. One draws near and enters this kingdom by a
relationship with Jesus, a relationship that results in loving God supremely
and
others genuinely.
BARCLAY
The new thing that Jesus did was to put these two commandments together.
No rabbi had everdone that before. There is only one suggestionof
connectionpreviously. Round about 100 B.C. there was composeda series of
tractates calledThe Testaments ofthe Twelve Patriarchs, in which an
unknown writer put into the mouths of the patriarchs some very fine teaching.
In The Testamentof Issachar(5:2) we read:
"Love the Lord and love your neighbour,
Have compassionon the poor and weak."
In the same testament(7:6) we read:
"I loved the Lord,
Likewise also everyman with my whole heart."
In The Testament of Dan (Daniel 5:3) we read:
"Love the Lord through all your life,
And one another with a true heart"

But no one until Jesus put the two commandments togetherand made them
one. Religionto him was loving God and loving men. He would have said that
the only way in which a man can prove that he loves God is by showing that
he loves men.
The scribe willingly acceptedthis, and went on to say that such a love was
better than all sacrifices. In that he was in line with the highest thought of his
people. Long, long ago Samuelhad said, "Has the Lord as greatdelight in
burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to
obey is better than sacrifice, andto hearkenthan the fat of rams." (1 Samuel
15:22.)Hosea had heard God say, "I desire steadfastlove and not sacrifice."
(Hosea 6:6.)
But it is always easyto let ritual take the place of love. It is always easyto let
worship become a matter of the Church building instead of a matter of the
whole life. The priest and the levite could pass by the wounded traveller
because they were eagerto get on with the ritual of the temple. This scribe
had risen beyond his contemporaries and that is why he found himself in
sympathy with Jesus.
There must have been a look of love in Jesus'eyes, anda look of appealas he
said to him, "You have gone so far. Will you not come further and acceptmy
way of things? Then you will be a true citizen of the Kingdom."
The GreatCommandment of Love Mark 12:28-34
Jesus was oftenquestioned and challengedconcerning His interpretation of
Scripture. Who better to know the word than the Word Himself? In this
chapter He was questioned of the Phariseesconcerning paying taxes, of the
Sadducees concerning the resurrectionand life in heaven, and now He is
questioned of a scribe about which of the commandments was greatest.

We need to understand, in the Pentateuch, the books of the Law (Gen.-Deut.)
there are 613 laws given to men. Those laws formed the basis for the Jew’s
beliefs and religious practices. There were so many laws that they found it
impossible to keepthem all in daily life. They often discussedwhich were the
most important, which must be absolutely obeyed, and which could be
toleratedundone.
It is impossible to live goodenough in ourselves. Jesus takes allthe law and
sums it up in these two greattruths. He taught that love was the greatest
commandment of all. It is The Great Commandment of Love that I would like
to considerthis evening.
I. The Requirements in the Commandments (29) – And Jesus answeredhim,
The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel;The Lord our God is one
Lord. If we are to possessthe ability to perform these commandments, we
must understand what is required to do so. Keep in mind, this passageis
referring to Agape love. For the most part our world knows very little about
God’s love. Love often revolves around circumstances andis subjectto
change. God’s love isn’t affectedby circumstances andnever changes. So,
what are the requirements relatedto God’s love?
A. A Proper Recognitionof the Lord – Hear, O Israel;The Lord our God is
one Lord. Jesus reveals that we must recognize the Lord for who He is. We
must hear what God has to say. He is one Lord; there is none other besides
Him. It is impossible to love as God would have us to without proper
recognitionof Him. He is our Sovereign. All that we are and ever hope to be is
a result of God’s goodness.He is worthy of our submission.

▪ We must learn to listen and obey the Lord. As a child I recognizedthe
authority of my dad. I expressedmy love to him by obeying his wishes. If we
are to love the Lord, we must recognize His authority in our lives. We don’t
have the right or the privilege to live as we please. If Jesus isn’t Lord of our
lives, we’ll never love Him as we should!
June 27, 2018
PastorChris Benfield – FellowshipMissionaryBaptist Church 2
B. A PersonalRelationshipwith the Lord – Notice the text says our God, v.29,
and thy God, v.30. We all know that God is love. One cannottruly know and
express love apart from God. In order to love as God commands, His love
must dwell in our hearts. His love is first given to us, until then we really can’t
love. 1 John 4:19 – We love him, because he first loved us. Realgodly love
isn’t possible without a personalrelationship with Christ.
▪ All men don’t express a proper love because allmen don’t know Christ.
When I think of the love Christ has for me, I am compelledto love Him. It
also compels me to love others. Jesus loved me when I had nothing to offer. I
was of no benefit to Him, yet He loved me. We must love others, without
condition, as Jesus loved us!

II. The Responsibilityto the Commandments (30-31)– Once we’ve met the
requirements, we must acceptthe responsibility. If you have experienceda
proper recognitionand a personal relationship with the Lord, you are
responsible for carrying out these commandments. They aren’t open for
debate; God expects us to love as He does. Let’s considerour responsibility.
A. The Supreme Commandment (30) – 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. First and foremostwe are to love the
Lord. Without a love for Him we will never love others. Our love for God
must be the ultimate priority.
▪ Here Jesus quotes what is knownas the “Shema” found in Deut.6:4-5. The
Jews quoted this passage everyday to remind them that JehovahGod alone is
the Lord. We too must make sure that God is given His place of preeminence
in our lives. Sadly, the Lord is often given a “back seat” inour day to day
lives. If we are to love Him above all else there are some areas we must
concentrate upon:
1. Love with All our Heart – The heart is the seatof man’s affectionand will.
Our affectionand devotion must be offered completely to the Lord. Our love
must be genuine and real, not just an outward show. It must be expressed
daily, not just at church services. We must love Him as if we believe He is real
and in control of our lives. (Many don’t live as if they believe that Christ is
coming again!)

2. Love with All our Soul – The soul is the seatof man’s breath, life, and
conscious.It is the very essenceofour being. We are to love God with all that
is in us, with all we possess. Loving God with all our soul requires a constant
awarenessof Him. Love Godwith all your life. Love Him
June 27, 2018
as if you know that He has given the life you enjoy. Offer Him your love with
every fiber of your being. Genuine love for God won’t be just superficial; it
will reachinto the very depths of our soul.
3. Love with All our Mind – The mind is the seatof reasoning and
understanding, the intellect. Reallove will bring about a focus of our minds
upon Jesus. He will be the center of our thoughts. We are to considerHim,
constantly dwell upon Him, and make a consciouseffortto love Him. We must
love Him for who He is and what He has done for us. I fear we all fail in this
area. How often do we really meditate on God’s goodness? How many times
throughout our busy day do we actually considerthe Lord? Let’s work on
loving Him with all our minds!
4. Love with All our Strength – This reveals that we are to maintain a loving
relationship with the Lord. This requires effort on our part. We can’t love
Him without all our strength. Any type of relationship requires work, but the
benefits of that relationship far outweighthe effort that’s required.

▪ We must determine to love Christ whateverthe cost. Reallove will endure
when it is given with all our strength. Basicallywe are to love God in every
area of life, inwardly, outwardly, and even physically working for Him.
B. The SecondCommandment (31a)– And the secondis like, namely this,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Jesus gives us the 2nd
commandment of love: loving our neighbor. This is in order since we must
love God before we canlove anyone else. Once we come to know God, we are
expectedto love Him as well as our neighbor. This isn’t a simple command.
We must not only love them, but love them as ourselves. Reallythese two go
hand in hand; we can’t do one without the other. I can’t love my neighbor
without loving God and I can’t genuinely love God without loving my
neighbor. 1 John 4:20 – If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is
a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love
God whom he hath not seen?
▪ Do we really love others as ourselves? Itis difficult to do, but it isn’t an
option. The lost around us need to be shown the love of God. We certainly
wouldn’t want to experience the torments of hell. I pray we will learn to love
others so we can reachthem for Christ!
III. The Relevance ofthe Commandments (31b-34)– We all understand the
need to love God and others, but do we really graspthe importance of that
love? Following these commandments is the very essence ofChristianity. 1
John 3:14 – We know that we have passedfrom death unto life, because we
love the brethren. Reallove is an indicator of one’s salvation. Notice:

June 27, 2018
A. Their Authority (31b) – There is none other commandment greaterthan
these. I want to emphasize againthis isn’t an option; we are commanded to
love. There is no greatercommandment. Mat.22:40 – On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets. The nature of the
Christian life is summed up in this. If we are to be what God expects, we are
to love!
B. Their Abundance (33) – 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.
The scribe realized that real love pleasedGodmore than sacrifices and
offerings. There is no better way to please God than to love Him and others.
Simply put, without love we do not please God! We can be faithful to the
church, give our tithes, and even support missions that share God’s love, but
if we don’t love ourselves, we’ve missedGod’s will for our lives. Don’t you
want to please the Lord because of what He’s done for you? He certainly
deserves our best. The very best that we can give is a heart of love!
C. Their Ability (34) – And when Jesus saw that he answereddiscreetly, he
said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after
that durst ask him any question. The scribe began to see that a life lived for
Jesus was more than just religious traditions and ceremonies. It was much

deeper than that. As he made this realization, he was very close to receiving
salvation. Love must be understood before one canbe saved. We must
recognize the great love of Christ, such love that led Him to the cross to die for
our sin.
▪ Mostof the world has never read these verses. Theyknow nothing of God’s
love. You and I may be the only avenue they have to be exposedto God’s love.
If we will let God’s love flow through us and extend to a lostand dying world,
we have a much better chance of reaching them for the Lord. We are never a
better witness or closerto the Lord than when we love as God does. How
many do we know that are not far awayfrom the kingdom of God? They may
not be far away, but they are still away! Let’s learn to love them to God!
Conclusion:How do our lives measure up? Do we love the Lord with all our
heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength? Do we love our neighbor as
ourselves? I firmly believe that much of the turmoil and difficulty in our
world today is a direct result of a lack of genuine love. Won’t you come and
seek the Lord to provide what you need to love as He does?
If you are yet unsaved, I must tell you that Christ loves you. He died in your
place so that you too might be saved. Come to Him in salvationif He is leading
you! CHRIS BENFIELD
BRIAN BILL
Mark 12:28-34

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