NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM
32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus 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. Mark 12:32-34
It’s a pity we meet characters in the Bible who appear for a moment and then disappear forever and no-one knows what happened to them. This man would be worth following up if we could. His response to Jesus’ answer to his question suggests that he was either being terribly sarcastic or that he was beginning to understand what Jesus represented.
Was he a secret supporter who was trying to show up the Pharisee’ and religion scholars’ hypocrisy? Perhaps he knew what Jesus’ answer would be but he wanted Him to verbalise it for His opponents to hear. Was this concept dawning on him through following, watching and listening to Jesus?
What did Jesus recognise in this man’s reply? Was his question a cover-up for a hunger in his heart which he would not admit but was nevertheless real to him? I wonder how he perceived “loving God”. Perhaps Samuel’s words to Saul were in his mind when he responded to Jesus: “To obey is better than sacrifice.”
Jesus connected with this man. He assured him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” What would the final step be that he had to take in order to experience kingdom life? To acknowledge Jesus to be the Son of God and to commit to following Him as his only Master would have put him on the right way to the Father.
Jesus made no attempt to pursue him, to sit down and explain stuff to him or to try to convince him to follow Him. The evidence was unfolding before his eyes and it was up to him to weigh it up and make a judgement for himself. Once he had been brought into contact with Jesus, he could not remain neutral. Being in the very presence of the Master would have affected him forever. It was up to him to open his heart and receive the revelation of truth that surrounded him, and move into a new realm of living, or to do nothing and waste his potential to become a mature son of God.