How Far is "Not Far"?

Our lesson for this morning comes from Mark 12:28-34. The text tells us that a scribe came to Jesus and asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" (v.28). Jesus responded with not only the first commandment - to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength - but He also added the second, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (v. 29-31; Matt. 22:37-40). The scribe understood that Jesus had spoken the truth (v.32). He agreed that these things meant more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices (v.33). Then Jesus seeing that the scribe had answered wisely said, "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (v.34).

How far is "not far"? What a thought-provoking statement by our Lord! Obviously the scribe understood the priority of putting God first and then others before self. It seems that he even knew the difference between ceremonial or ritualistic worship and worship from the heart (Matt. 9:13), which was a serious problem for many who claimed to be religious in his generation. But what else did he lack concerning a habitation in the kingdom of God? What was still keeping him "not far"?

There is another question that comes up with all of this: What would make any person far from the kingdom of God in the first place? Paul told the Athenians that God "…made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth…so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:26,27). In other words, it has been God's intention from the beginning that all people would be close to Him. Our God is a God who "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4).

The answer to this second question is very simple. Our sin is what has put us far from God. We live in a society that, by way of sin, continues to get further and further away from Him. As the prophet Isaiah said, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that he will not hear" (Is. 59:1,2). Therefore it is not God who is far from us - we are far from Him!

But good news answers our first question, namely, what was keeping this scribe "not far" instead of in the kingdom of God? This good news is the one true message of the gospel, the very Bible that you and I can read today - "But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been made near by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13). You see, Christ came to the earth to give all people (including this scribe) the opportunity to be near to God again, "that is, that God in Christ was reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them" (2 Cor. 5:19). The only thing keeping this man from the kingdom of God was a relationship with the saving blood of Jesus. We must further note that Jesus had not yet died. But He was getting ready to die, and He did die, shedding His blood for the sins of the entire world.

I wonder if this scribe ever obeyed the gospel after Jesus died, was resurrected, and ascended into heaven? The very kingdom that Jesus discussed with him was established at Pentecost and was preached by the Apostles (Matt. 16:19; Acts 2ff.). If not, I guess the closest he ever came to the kingdom was "not far." Unfortunately, to be almost in the kingdom is to be not in the kingdom at all (Acts 26:28,29).

How far are you and I from the kingdom of God? Certainly "not far" will never be close enough. How near are you to the blood of Christ?

"Know that the kingdom of God is near" - Luke 21:31