And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Comment: This man may well have been one of the scribes who listened to the several questions being asked as Jesus was questioned by the various subsections of Jewish thought. The question and particularly Jesus’ answer at the end makes me think that, whereas the last few days we have spent with people trying to trip Jesus up, this man was deep thinking and serious. Obviously people have different capacities to think and different backgrounds to support them or hinder them, but faith isn’t a blind leap into the unknown. Some people are unable to both read and understand what I am writing here. In simple faith the man crucified with Jesus was able to turn and be accepted by by Jesus! But faith isn’t against facts! The crucified criminal didn’t need to know more. This man did. He was a ‘scholar’ and not an ignorant man. His question was to the point and very reasonable! Jesus answered his question and even went the next stage to fill out the man’s understanding more. God doesn’t object to an enquiring mind. He doesn’t like hypocrisy and other things in that category. The scribe answered wisely but why then did Jesus add “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”? I believe that it is because not by intellectual understanding but by belief – which is not only in the head but life changing – by which we are accepted by God. I hope that this scribe wasn’t one, who amidst the crowd, later cried out ‘Crucify, Crucify Him’.
1 Corinthians 1: 21 – For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
Prayer: Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth thou hast for me; place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free.
As I read it! 