Mark 12:34 – “Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ But after that no one dared question Him.”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem in Mark chapter 11 he received a warm welcome from the people. The next day He enters the temple and wreaks havoc. He overturns the tables of the money-changers, forbids marketing through the temple area and teaches about the temple being a house of prayer. This entire scene makes the chief priests and scribes so furious that verse 18 of chapter 11 tells us they are trying to figure out how they can destroy Him. Another day passes and when Jesus returns to the temple, the chief priests, scribes and elders approach Him and challenge His authority. They question Him about where His authority comes from to do the things that He does.
Chapter 12 opens with a parable that Jesus teaches and His target are the religious leaders who reject Him. Verse 12 tells us that now their scheming turns to how to arrest Jesus. The Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees try to trap Him with difficult questions regarding taxes and the resurrection. Finally, one scribe comes to Him asking, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus responds by quoting the Shema, Judaism’s central declaration of faith, found in Deuteronomy chapter 6. The scribe commends Jesus for His answer and Jesus responds with our text from today’s New Testament One Year Bible reading. This one sentence is very haunting to me: “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” You’re close, but not quite there. You’re one step away. Press in a little further. Almost…it bothers me. It bothers me because many people are on the edge. They think they’re in. Did you ever compete in sports where there was a cut? After tryouts are over the dreaded list is posted of who made the team. There were some pretty good players that never made it. They almost made it. When I stand before the Lord after I’ve lived my life here on earth, I want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” I don’t want to hear Him say, “Almost…”