Listening To The Word - 1 YearSampel

Not Far From the Kingdom

Mark 12:34
“When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’”

Jesus commends a teacher of the law for his answer to his own question and then replies that he is “not far from the kingdom of God.” For this religious leader, this might have come as a surprise. He probably assumed that as an observant Jew, he was already in the kingdom of God. Jesus however, says, “you are not far”. If this man is not far, perhaps others are. This comment of Jesus is a reminder that people are at different stages of openness, knowledge of salvation and entrance into the kingdom of God. While we might not be able to lead everyone by the hand to the gates of the kingdom of God, we can help people move closer to those gates with greater understanding and awareness of the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, you are the gate to the kingdom. No one comes to the Father except through you. I pray that I could be used today to point people to you.