Nov. 1, 2015
Readings: Ruth 1: 1-18 Psalm 146, Heb 9: 11-14, Mark
12: 28-34
The line in the reading from this morning that kept coming back to me was what Jesus said to the scribe, “You
are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Not far must mean close, but we know that “close only counts in horse
shoes” not far meant he had not yet fully arrived in the kingdom. Jesus gives the man credit for what he
understands but the question lingers doesn’t it. What was it that he needed to do or to
recognize in order to fully enter into the Kingdom of God Jesus was talking
about? Interesting words for Jesus to
say to a scribe, remembering that a scribe would have been considered to be a member of the religious elite and they we often portrayed negatively in the gospel accounts. “You
are not far from the kingdom of God yet, as with the scribe, many of us
have been pre- conditioned, programmed if you will, to be more concerned about following the rituals and
rules of the church than following the lead of
God’s spirit, more concerned with observance than with the motivation
behind the observance. Jesus credits
this man who understands the intent of the Old Testament Law, the essence of
that being, loving your neighbor as you love yourself. But Jesus indicates that just following and
observing this knowledge in itself isn’t enough, saying “You are not far from the kingdom of God”. So then what is missing! What step or steps does
the scribe need to consider now, could it be, accepting Jesus as the foundation of the Kingdom? That Jesus is
God’s love incarnate, in human form, he is the Messiah they have been waiting
for, the Prince of Peace, God’s only begotten Son, the light of the world, the
way, the truth and the life. Here I
would like to suggest that many in the past and yes still many today, make the
mistake of thinking as the scribe, that you can find the way to the Kingdom through obeying a religious law or ritual. One particular religion comes to mind.
Many feel that you must be a committed saved Christian to know and follow
the way of Jesus. Yet the disciples, and later
the apostles, were a combination of Romans, Jews and Gentiles not Christians. What then, do the biblical scriptures tell us,
we who claim Jesus as Lord? May I suggest to you that Jesus and Jesus alone is the way, not the religion we follow. Many have and will continue to meet Christ outside a religious community. Just
because you or I claim Christianity as our religion doesn’t guarantee that our
religion will show us the way, the truth and the life. Could
this be the stumbling block for the scribe? The inability to personally know and accept
Jesus as Lord of “ALL”. Could it be that this is also a stumbling
block for many in the Christian church today?
Many are cough up in the emotionalism found in spiritualism with a praise
band pumping out the choruses with their repetitive chorus line. Other are cough up in religious ritual such
as liturgy, communion, baptism, the speaking in tongues and yet have not felt
or encountered the spirit of Jesus, the risen Christ in their only personal
lives. Let me tell you a modern day
parable.
A thoughtful, curious young man went to the desert to visit an elderly
monk, who had lived in the desert for many years. Arriving at the holy man's cave, the young
man encountered the monk, who was sitting out enjoying the sun, his dog lying
lazily at his side. This spiritual seeker asked, "Why is it, teacher, that
some who seek God come to the desert and are zealous in prayer, and meditation
but leave after a year or so, while others, like you, remain faithful to the
quest for a lifetime?" The old man
smiled and replied, "I have a story to tell you” . One day I was sitting
here quietly in the sun with my dog.
Suddenly a large white rabbit ran across in front of us. Well, my dog
seeing the rabbit, jumped up, began barking loudly, then ran off after that big
white rabbit. He chased the rabbit over
the hills with a passion. Soon, other
dogs hearing the commotion, began to bark and joined the chase, across the
creeks, up stony embankments, and through thickets and thorns! Gradually,
however, one by one, the other dogs dropped out, discouraged by the course and
frustrated by the chase. Only my dog
continued in hot pursue of the prize.
In that story, young man, is the answer to your question. The young man sat in confused silence. Finally, he said, "Teacher, I don't
understand. Have you forgotten your
question ask the Monk, ask me, “why
didn't the others stay the course and continue the chase”? The other dogs did not see
the prize, they just became caught up in the chase, induced only by the
excitement and the emotional barking of my dog . “Young man” said the Monk, “Once
you see the prize, you will never give up the chase and that sir, is what keeps me faithful here in the
desert."
You see it is easy to become caught up in the emotionalism of religion
seeking peace, harmony, healing, wisdom, prosperity, and the good life only to become
discouraged and drop out because we have not had that personal encounter with
the prize in our own lives.
Jesus is the prize and tells the scribe, and he echoes these words for many of us in the
church today, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God
Jesus is the prize that we all need, and once we have seen the prize
for ourselves we too will never grow weary or fall away ever again. For Jesus said that the kingdom of God
How many folk have you known who have put off following their dream or filling a need in their lives only to die prematurely?
If you have not yet experienced a personal encounter with Christ in your
own life, fear not, be persistent for you too are not far from the Kingdom, remain faithful, never
ceasing to ask for that transformation through pray and thanksgivings, and one
day Jesus will come into your life too.
“Seek and Ye Shall find”
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