Not Far from the Kingdom

Near, but Not Yet In

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Jesus told a scribe who had answered wisely, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34). Those were kind words. They were also an invitation to take one more step.

Near or in? Think of standing at the front door of a warm house on a cold night. You can see the light and smell the dinner. You are very near. But you are still outside until you go through the door.

Believing that God is one. The scribe told Jesus, “there is one God.” That is true. But James wrote that even demons believe there is one God, and they tremble (James 2:19). Believing that God is one is not the same as trusting Him.

More than the scribes. Jesus once said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Righteousness means being right with God.

Who can do that? The scribes worked hard to keep God's law. If we need more righteousness than theirs, no one can get in by trying harder. We need a righteousness that God gives as a gift.

The narrow gate. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (Matthew 7:13). The wide gate is the easy way of living for ourselves. It leads away from God.

The way to life. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14). Jesus Himself is the way in. He said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9).

Go in. Someone once asked Jesus whether only a few people would be saved. Jesus told the people to strive, to make every effort, to enter through the narrow gate (Luke 13:23-24). He did not want anyone to wait outside. That effort does not earn a way in. It means not putting off coming to Jesus.

The One who opens the door. Jesus kept God's law perfectly. Then He died on the cross for our sins and rose again. Because of Him, the door is open to anyone who trusts Him.

What to do. Ask yourself, Have I trusted Jesus myself, or am I only near? If you have not, you can talk to Him today. If you have, thank Him that you are in, and pray for one friend who is still near.

Jesus' words to the scribe were praise and invitation together: “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34).

Makran. The Greek word for far is makran (say: mah-KRAHN), a long way off. Jesus said the scribe was not makran. He had come a long way in understanding: one God, love above sacrifices, and a respectful “Well said, Teacher.”

Belief that stops short. James 2:19 says it is good to believe there is one God, yet even the demons believe that, and they tremble. Saving faith is more than agreeing that something is true. It is trusting the person of Christ.

A higher righteousness (Matthew 5:20). “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus was not telling people to try harder than the scribes. No one could. He was showing that the righteousness we need must come from God.

Given, not earned. The righteousness that opens the kingdom is Christ's own, given to everyone who trusts Him.

Two gates (Matthew 7:13-14). “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” The wide gate needs no decision; you only have to keep going the way the crowd goes. The narrow gate is entered on purpose.

Strive to enter. When someone asked if only a few would be saved, Jesus turned the question back on the people listening: strive to enter through the narrow gate (Luke 13:23-24). To strive is to put your whole self into something, like a runner in a race. This is not earning salvation. It is refusing to delay, to hang back at the door or to settle for being near.

A Person, not a method. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9). The narrow gate is not a list of religious tasks. It is Jesus.

For you. Jesus' words to the scribe are His words to anyone who is near: do not stop at the door. If you have never trusted Him, come in today. If you have, thank Him that He brought you in, and pray for a friend who is still near.

Coming All the Way In

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Being near the kingdom is a good place to start, but it is not a good place to stay. God calls people to come all the way in, and He makes the way.

While He is near. The prophet Isaiah told people to seek the Lord while He may be found and to call on Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).

He will pardon. Then Isaiah said, “Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). To pardon means to forgive.

A leader who waited. Joseph of Arimathea was “a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God” (Mark 15:43). Like the scribe, he was a respected leader among God's people.

A good man. Luke says Joseph was “a good and just man” who “had not consented to their decision and deed” (Luke 23:50-51). When the council decided to have Jesus put to death, Joseph did not agree.

A secret follower. John tells us that Joseph was “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38). Here “the Jews” means the leaders who were against Jesus; Joseph was Jewish himself. He believed in Jesus, but he was afraid to let others know.

Taking courage. After Jesus died on the cross, Joseph went to Pilate, the Roman governor. Mark says he came “taking courage” and asked for the body of Jesus (Mark 15:43). He wrapped Jesus' body in linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock (Mark 15:46).

Out in the open. Nicodemus, “who at first came to Jesus by night,” came too and brought spices (John 19:39). Two leaders who had been quiet about Jesus were not hiding anymore.

Three days later. The tomb Joseph gave did not keep Jesus. On the third day Jesus rose from the dead!

The way in. Paul wrote, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). Jesus' death opened the way, and His resurrection proves it.

Brought into the kingdom. God “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13). God moved us out of one kingdom and into another.

What to do. If you believe in Jesus but have kept it quiet, ask Him for courage like Joseph's, and tell one person this week that you love Jesus. If you have never trusted Him, call on Him today. He is near.

The scribe was near the kingdom. God calls people to come the rest of the way.

Seek Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6-7). Isaiah called people to seek the Lord while He may be found and to call on Him while He is near. Then: “Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” Coming in means turning: from our way to His way, and from our thoughts to His.

Joseph of Arimathea. Mark calls him “a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God” (Mark 15:43). Luke adds that he was “a good and just man” who “had not consented to their decision and deed” (Luke 23:50-51). He was a respected leader who was looking for God's kingdom.

Secretly. John adds that he was a disciple who kept it quiet: “being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38). Here “the Jews” means the leaders who were against Jesus; Joseph was Jewish himself. Joseph believed, but he kept his faith hidden.

Taking courage (Mark 15:43). Then, with Jesus dead on a Roman cross, Joseph came “taking courage” and asked Pilate for the body. Matthew says he laid it “in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock” (Matthew 27:60). Matthew also says Joseph “himself had also become a disciple of Jesus” (Matthew 27:57).

Nicodemus. Joseph was not alone. Nicodemus, “who at first came to Jesus by night,” brought spices for the burial (John 19:39). Both men had followed quietly. Now they stood with Jesus in the open, at the moment when it cost the most.

Engys (Ephesians 2:13). “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Far off is makran; near is engys (say: eng-GOOS). The distance is closed not by our climbing up to God but by Christ's blood.

Conveyed (Colossians 1:13). God “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” God moved us out of one kingdom and into another. Entering the kingdom is God's work, received by faith.

The empty tomb. The tomb Joseph gave held Jesus only until the third day. The King who spoke with the scribe, the King whom Joseph buried, is risen and reigns.

For you. Two kinds of people stand near the kingdom: those who have never trusted Jesus, and believers who keep their faith hidden. To the first, Jesus says, Come in. To the second, Joseph's story says, Take courage. Ask God to help you take your next step this week.

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