Not Far From the Kingdom

Most of the questions Jesus faces in the temple during his final week are traps. This one is different. A teacher of the law has been listening to the debates and noticed that Jesus answered well, and he asks a real question. Of all the commandments, which is the most important?

Jesus answers with the Shema, the confession from Deuteronomy 6 that Israel recited daily: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Then he adds a second, from Leviticus 19, to love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

The scribe agrees, and he says something remarkable. To love God this way and to love one's neighbor is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. He is standing in the temple, where the sacrifices are made, and he says it. Jesus, seeing that he answered wisely, tells him he is not far from the kingdom of God.

The one idea is in that phrase. Not far. It is both praise and invitation. The man has understood the heart of the law. He has seen that love outranks ritual. And Jesus says he is close, which means there is still a step. The step, in Mark's Gospel, is always the same: to recognize who is standing in front of you and follow him.

Many thoughtful people are where this scribe is. They know that love matters more than religion. They admire the ethic of Jesus. They would say, if asked, that the two great commandments sum up what a good life looks like. And they are not far. But near is not in. The kingdom is not entered by agreeing with its principles. It is entered by coming to its king.

The turn toward life, for those already inside, is to remember that the scribe's insight is still true. Love of God and neighbor outranks every religious activity we could perform. And for those who read this and find themselves not far, the invitation stands. You have seen the heart of the law. Now look at the one who is explaining it to you, and take the step.