The Christian Journey

from Changing Times Fall 2022

Guiding Light

Not Far From The Kingdom Of God

By Pastor Doug Gilford

Imagine for a moment you get to talk to Jesus about the Scripture. One day, you see the scribes and Pharisees challenging Jesus on an open street. Crowds of people surround him, pulling at him, and you decide to draw near to this scene to see what is going on. The sheer number of people clamoring to interreact with this Messiah figure type shocks you. Their words test Jesus, challenging his knowledge of the Holy Law. The crowd aims to trip him up and impeach him with his words. Yet, his responses illuminate the Scriptures. You conclude that the man before you is the genuine article.

You have been studying the Holy verses since childhood. Your knowledge is excellent, and your understanding is superior. You rose to the top of your class. You decided to live a life of reading, writing, and copying the remarkable manuscripts of Scripture.

As you and Jesus begin conversing, he says something about you that speaks to your inner spirit. He indicates by your interpretation of the Holy Scriptures that your understanding is deep and says: "You are not far from the kingdom of God."

Everyone gets quiet and draws away from you and Jesus. His words must have scared them off while at the very same time drawing you near… "not far from the kingdom?" What could this mean?

This is a scene that takes place in (Mark 12:28-34). What stands out in this story is the statement from Christ, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." What did Christ see in this scribe that caused him to shout out this eternal compliment?

According to historians: A scribe was especially important to the Jewish faith. In biblical times, scribes were needed to prepare copies of Israel's sacred literature on parchment scrolls. Many scribes devoted their whole lives to preserving and copying the scriptures. They would work diligently not only to detect scribal errors but also to understand the scriptures' meaning.

By Jesus' time, scribes were known as experts in the sacred Mosaic Law. In theory, this law was the sole legislation that governed the Jewish people in civic and religious matters. For all intents and purposes, scribes were lawyers.

Now consider the statement of Jesus to this scribe, "You are not far from the kingdom." In (Mark 12), the scribe and Jesus discuss the greatest of all commandments. Jesus said the greatest commandment is, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."

The scribe's reply is what arrested Jesus' attention, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." The latter part of the scribe's words here is essential. "Is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" is the statement of significance. Over decades of studying, reading, copying, and checking for errors in the manuscripts, this scribe got a glimpse of faith in God. He saw the goodness of a loving God. The scribe figured that religion in the heart is more important than religion with the hands. He took a chance on Christ and shared his thoughts with Jesus. Jesus would confirm his suspicions. Religion to a Holy God must be more than cold and heartless works of sacrifice. Meaningful religion must take place in the heart of men and women.

When Jesus said to him, "you are not far from the kingdom." Jesus knew his heart…saw his motivation, and accurately described his spiritual state. The ironic thing is Jesus was accurate ironic thing is Jesus was accurate in two accounts. The scribe was not far from getting into the kingdom of God because of his noteworthy faith. Likewise, the scribe was standing near the kingdom by standing near to Christ. He was close by proximity as well as in principle!

Jesus said the kingdom of God is within us. (Luke 17:21) Like this scribe, many of us are not far from the kingdom of God. All we need to do is decide to step over the line and start a life walking with Jesus as our Lord. Remember, Christianity is a religion of the heart, not of hands.

Doug Gilford, Senior Pastor, Cornerstone Church -23051 Hwy 1088, Mandeville, La 70448. 985-624-8652, www.cornerstonemandeville.com >