Are you in or just close?

28 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?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 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.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 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. 33 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.” 34 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.

Is Jesus' statement good, bad, or somewhere between? In the game of hot/cold, the object is to find something hidden. The player moves in one direction while the judge calls out whether they are getting hotter or colder. From day one, Jesus has said the kingdom of God is “at hand” (Mark 1:15). In Mark 12:18-27, Jesus tells the Sadducees they were ice cold, saying, “You are quite wrong.” Here he tells the scribe he is getting warmer, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

The scribe affirmed everything Jesus said about the greatest of God’s commandments. Mark even shares that Jesus viewed the scribe’s affirmation as wise. He wasn’t far, but he hadn’t arrived either. Notice that after Jesus’ declaration that the scribe was “not far,” no one dared to ask any more questions.

I suspect Jesus would declare to many today, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Close, but not there yet. Are you close, or have you arrived? Move from agreeing with everything Jesus said to following him as your Lord.