November 5, 2006 At Saint Mark Norman, OK
Deuteronomy 6:2-6 + Hebrews 7:23-28 + Mark 12:28-34
Behind these verses, a very fundamental issue is raised by the dialogue between Jesus and this sincere scribe. “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” says Jesus to the man. Why didn’t he say: “You’ve got it right. That is a perfect answer. You’re in.”? Instead, the man is simply declared “close” to the Kingdom of God. There is something missing. There is something more needed than the ability to quote chapter and verse. So often these days people take pride in what they know or don’t know; what others know or don’t know. As a result, religion sometimes begins to sound like trivial pursuit, We too easily place a premium on knowledge, doctrine, and correct citations of theological works or chapter and verses of the Bible as though they were a barometer of faith and understanding rather than pay attention to the more serious and meaningful matters of life.
Whether he is not far, very close, or not even close to the Kingdom of God, that man who quotes and knows the scriptures so well has no faith! That is the issue here. It is not doctrinal, theological, or biblical precision that gets us and others into the kingdom of heaven. If it were, we’d all be in trouble! The scribe had it right. He knew what to do, but his pursuit stopped there. Knowing about love is not the same thing as loving. Knowing about faith is not the same as being faithful. Reciting or knowing the ten commandments will only get your close. While living in an exclusive faithful relationship with God and a respectful loving relationship with everyone else will do more than you get you close.
We have to decide whether or not being “close” is good enough, and once we decide that it is not good enough, things change. It is about faith first and then about love. There is something we must come to believe – not hope for or wish for but firmly believe. The root of Christian love is not the will to love, but the faith that one is loved by God whether or not we are worthy. We know what happens to people who are not loved, who do not experience love, or who never know love. Their lives are violent, empty, and tragic. Their relationships are all fractured and sick. The homes in which they live are filled with distrust, deceit, and hopelessness. The cure for this is the experience of being loved, accepted, treasured, and desired.
All our attempts to love God will be frustrated until we experience the simple fact that we are already loved by God. What begins to bring us to life, to joy, to trust is believing that we are loved by God. This is what is missing in the scribe’s experience and in his thinking. The will to love is not the root of holiness or goodness or salvation. It is having faith that even though unworthy, God loves us.
From that basic truth, goodness, morality, holiness, and salvation come forth.
When we finally surrender to and acknowledge this love that embraces us, then we shall no longer be “close”, but we shall truly be in the Kingdom of God.