COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 132
“ Mark 12:32 And the scribe said unto Him, Well, Master, Thou hast said the trth: for there is one God; and there is none other but He: 33 And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask Him any question.” . . . . . . . . . . . . (Mark 12:32-34)
JESUS’ RESPONSE TO A GOOD ANSWER
INTRODUCTION
Jesus was a prodigious worker – going about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38). However, that is not all He was. He was also a profound Teacher, and much of the focus of the Gospel is put upon what He said. In fact, if Jesus had not said much, the memory of Him would have quickly faded. One of man’s chief weaknesses is that he cannot long retain what does not influence his mind and understanding. A religion that starves the mind is destined for obsolescence, for man is created in God’s image, and therefore has a propensity to thought, contemplation, and understanding. This is what makes a religion based upon tradition so dangerous. There is no understanding in it – only the embrace of something that has been thought out by someone else, and is embraced because of the ability of someone to convince people of its validity. While such a religion may have the appearance of being intellectual and disciplined, it is really for the spiritual sloth, for it does not engage the whole man. As confirmed in the Gospel, the teaching of Jesus was always fresh and vibrant, because He always spoke the truth, declaring it within the context of the will and purpose of God. His words challenged man’s capacity for thought, and gave the people something to discern. In so doing, those who embraced the words of Jesus were motivated from within, and did not follow like the blind who adhere to blind leaders. In this text we will observe the reaction of Jesus to a person with understanding. It will at once become apparent that such a person has certain advantages that are not vouchsafed to the blind and ignorant. An understanding of this circumstance will have a significant impact on how a person lives.
THOU HAST SAID THE TRUTH
“ Mark 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but He.”
WELL, MASTER. Other versions read, “Well said Teacher,” NKJV “Right Teacher.” NASB and “You are right, Teacher.” NRSV This man had first “perceived” that Jesus had answered the Sadducees “well” (12:28). Now, He discerns that Jesus has also responded expertly to the question he has posed. Whatever may be said of this man, it is refreshing to read of one who actually assesses what Jesus says, weighing it in view of the Scriptures.
Notice how he addresses the Lord: “Master.” This is not “Master,” as referring to on who is over a slave or servant. That comes from another word that means Lord, or supreme authority. That is a relationship that is compared with servants (Luke 16:13; Rom 14:4; Col 3:22; 4:1). Here, however, the term “Master” is associated with a disciple, or learner – a relationship of which Jesus often spoke (Matt 10:24,25; Mk 14:14; Lk 6:40). This scribe is evaluating Jesus as a teacher who has the ability to assess and express the truth, for that is what a teacher is supposed to do.
This view of Jesus – the Master Teacher – is one that is being lost in our generation. The people are not being brought to associate Jesus with truth, enlightenment, understanding, and direction. Those are matters that are imagined to belong to a different class of people – religious professionals. However, Jesus is clearly declared to have come to give us “an understanding” (1 John 5:20), to expound the Father (Matt 11:27-28), and to teach us (Eph 4:20-21). A religion that does not sharpen the minds of men and bring an understanding of God and the things of God to them, is not one in which Jesus can be found.
THOU HAST SAID THE TRUTH. The word “truth” means what is real, or factual. It is what is free from all pretense, falsehood, and deceit. Because of this, “the truth” is something that cannot be altered. It is not subject to change, and never becomes obsolete. It is the opposite of what is feigned, fictitious, and false. It is not theoretical or speculative, but is what is absolutely certain, and is therefore valid and relevant. Much of the instruction of professed Christian teachers does not fall into the category of “the truth.” Everything Jesus said, as well as all Scripture, is so classified.
Jesus affirmed that God sanctified, or set people apart, with the truth, adding that God’s Word “is truth” (John 17:17). The effective ministry of the Holy Spirit is traced back to the fact that He testifies to “truth.” This is what enables believers to “abide” in Christ (1 John 2:27). It ought to be noted that at the very point where religion centers in humanity and its self-perceived needs, “the truth” loses its appeal. “Truth” can only be perceived as essential when it is within the context of God Himself, not humanity. If it is placed within the context of man, his needs, and his desires, truth at once is not perceived as necessary.
Truth can be “said” – spoken, or articulated. That is because it deals with reality. It is also why parables are not the premier way of declaring truth, and rather tend to obscure it. For this reason, Jesus spoke of how the truth would be communicated following His departure from this world. “These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father” (John 16:25). Instead of “proverbs,” other versions read “figurative language,” NKJV “figuratively,” NIV “figures of speech,” NRSV “dark sayings,” ASV “with the help of illustrations,” CSB “allegories,” DARBY “parables,” GENEVA and “similitudes.” YLT In delivering a word concerning the primary commandment, Jesus has spoken plainly, and in the words of Scripture itself. The scribe recognized this and consented that this was an excellent answer.
THERE IS NONE BUT HE. Jesus quoted Moses who said, “The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut 6:4). The scribe now gives a discerning interpretation of that word: “There is none but He!” Actually, the scribe has correlated Deuteronomy 6:4 with other Scriptural affirmations: “there is none else” (Deut 4:39); “Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any” (Isa 44:8); “I am the Lord, and there is none else” (Isa 45:5); “I am the Lord; and there is none else” (Isa 45:18); “But the LORD is the true God” (Jer 10:10).
This is why God is to be loved with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is why serving other gods is sinful. It is why men are iniquitous when they serve personal interests, competing demands, and the gods originated by men. There really is no other God. That means anything and everything representing itself as worthy of men’s devotion will ultimately fall, and all who trusted in such will fall with them. Any service that is not ultimately directed to God will be found worthless, and will lead to condemnation. Any directing interest that does not find its fulfillment in God Himself is leading individuals to perdition. It may be a religious distortion, a career, a family, or some form of pleasure or entertainment. If there really is “none but” God, then the commitment of one’s life to such things is lethal in its implications. It is not vain to serve God. It is vain to serve anything or anyone else.
MORE THAN ALL WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS
“ 33 And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
TO LOVE HIM. The extent of what is involved in loving God is something that will prove challenging to our thinking throughout the entirety of our lives. It is one thing to know what the first commandment says: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God . . .” It is quite another to perceive the implications of that requirement – and it is a requirement. Our perception of this commandment grows as we grow. It enlarges as we become more mature. Solomon said, “the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light” (Prov 6:23). Experientially, we will find the light of this commandment penetrating into the crevasses of life, challenging our love to expand more and more, and passing far beyond mere verbal expression.
John defined the love of God in very precise language: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). This is not the statement of a goal, but is a standard of measurement by which we can assess our own love. If we come short in this regard, the secret is not to try harder to keep His commandments. We do not love God because we keep His commandments, but keep His commandments because we love Him. If His commandments are grievous, or burdensome, we are not to work harder at making them less burdensome. They are not grievous if we love God. It is the love itself that must be our focus, not the things produced by that love.
Loving God will proceed from seeing Him as He really is – particularly as His glory is seen “in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:6). It is our familiarity with God Himself that moves us to love Him – not our familiarity with His commandments. This is a critical distinction that must be seen. I find that modern preaching greatly obscures this fact.
When Moses asked God to show him His glory, God declared Himself to Moses. He did not shine a light on the commandments, opening them more fully to His servant. He rather illuminated the mind of Moses concerning His own person (Ex 34:6-8). It is the understanding of God Himself that sheds light on His Word – whether it is His commandments or His promises. It is also what moves honest and good hearts to love Him.
The Law declared the necessity of loving God, but did not provide the incentive to do so. It was “weak through the flesh,” which could not see enough in the Law to provoke the whole-hearted love of Him. Nor, indeed, is there such a thing as any other moral law that can move people to love God. They must be able to comprehend Him in order to love Him.
THE UNDERSTANDING. In declaring the “first commandment,” Jesus did not use the word “understanding,” nor did Moses. Jesus said “heart, soul, mind, and strength.” The scribe said “heart, understanding, soul, and strength.” Two different words were used (“mind” and “understanding”) – both in the Greek and in the English. Technically, the word “mind” means “a faculty of understanding,” or “a way of thinking or feeling.” THAYER The word “understanding” means “a running together, a flowing together,” or putting it all together. THAYER Jesus emphasized the capacity of the mind, while the scribe accented the accomplishments of the mind. Both were true. Jesus spoke in such a way as to promote an analysis or godly conclusion, and the scribe answered the challenge with a perceptive reply. Not only must man love God with his intellectual capacity, but must do so by arriving at proper conclusions about God. These conclusions will be accomplished by putting Divine statements together – seeing how they fit together, and thereby being led to a proper and profitable conclusion.
Because he is made in the image of God, mankind possess the capacity to think deeply, and to understand how things fit together. This can be seen in all persons. Some have the ability to understand mechanics, others music, others mathematics, others electronics, and still others various arts and sciences. Some can understand construction, others cooking, and others sewing, and still others the human anatomy. They can make sense out of things related to these areas of knowledge, and be productive, and even creative, in their use of that knowledge.
To love God with “all the understanding” involves not being expert in any other era, while remaining ignorant and impractical when it comes to God. No person can be pleasing to God that is acquainted with other bodies of knowledge, but is unacquainted with God – that is comfortable in other areas of knowledge, but is ill-at-ease in the presence of God.
IT IS MORE THAN ALL OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES. Loving God with all of our capacities outweighs anything else that is offered to God. That includes all kinds of sacrifices and practical inconveniences. This love does not exclude the necessity of sacrifices, but outweighs them. A person can wear themselves out in religious service – suffering the proverbial “burn-out.” But if they do not love God with all of their being, it was all for nothing. If “offerings and sacrifices” are not prompted by love, they are not acceptable. If they are not the result of perceiving, being attracted to, and profoundly loving God, they are nothing more than the works of men.
NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD
“ 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask Him any question.”
HE ANSWERED DISCREETLY. Jesus notes how people respond – what they say and how they say it. The daughter of aSyrophencian woman was healed because of what that women said – her “saying” (Mark 7:29). Another time, after hearing what a certain centurion said, Jesus responded, “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Matt 8:10). Another time, after hearing something Peter said, Jesus replied, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matt 16:23). It is no wonder that Jesus said, “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matt 12:37). We do well to be good stewards of our words. They can be a source of blessing or a reason for rebuke. Ultimately, they will contribute to either our justification or condemnation. You cannot get more weighty than that!
Jesus observed that the scribe had answered “discreetly.” Other versions read “wisely,” NKJV “intelligently,” NASB “sensibly,” CSB “with understanding,” NAB “thoughtfully,” NET and “realizing how much the man understood.” NLT The word “discreetly” means “wisely, prudently,” THAYER “sensibly, thoughtfully,” FRIBERG and “with understanding.” LOUA-NIDA In other words, this scribe did not belch out an answer that had been learned in a classroom. His was not the statement of the official scribal position on the text, or the authorized view of the elders. His reply reflected his reasoning on the matter – what he himself had concluded from the law of Moses.
Those who have spent time discussing the things of God with others know what it is like to hear foolish answers – responses that have not been thought out. They know the impact of hearing answers that are nothing more than statements of what a particular sect embraces, or what was learned in a schoolroom or read in some book. In the modern Christian arena, insightful responses are not at all common. Sometimes it is even difficult to get any kind of response at all, must less a discreet or intelligent one. This condition reveals a lot.
Everyone who wears the name of Jesus does well to heed the admonition of Scripture: “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col 4:6). It is not honoring to Jesus when those who are identified with Him speak without insight, or do nothing more than spout sectarian creeds and positions.
NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM. Here is an assessment of remarkable power and encouragement. Being spoken by Jesus Himself, this was a precise statement of case. With a single exception, every version in my possession reads precisely the same: “not far from the kingdom of God.” Young’s Literal Translation reads, “not far from the reign of God.”
This is a remarkable statement, for people do not ordinarily think of the Kingdom of God in relation to their proximity to it. It is true that there is a sense in which this Kingdom is in our midst, or within the circumference in which we find ourselves (Lk 17:21). However, that does not have to do with our participation or involvement. It rather means that God is working to fulfill His purpose whether we are aware of it or not. Here, however, Jesus speaks of the participative aspect of God’s Kingdom. Jesus elsewhere spoke of entering the Kingdom (Matt 5:20; 7:21;Mark 10:15,23,24,25; John 3:5).
Among other things, this confirms that, while all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, those who have not yet entered the Kingdom are not equidistant from it. There are some, of whom this scribe is an example, who are “not far from the Kingdom of God.” Their entry is more likely than others who are lacking in certain areas. Note, this scribe’s close proximity to the Kingdom was not owing to any outward achievement. It was not because he had always offered the appointed sacrifices, kept all of the feast days, and devoutly honored the Law’s distinction between the clean and the unclean. None of these things were of themselves wrong, but they could not move the individual closer to the Kingdom – closer to actually becoming profitably involved in the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Their was a single trait that Jesus observed in this man – a trait that revealed he was closer to the Kingdom than many of his peers. It was his understanding – his discernment or comprehension. His thoughts were more in keeping with the Kingdom. He was able to detect the fundamental thing, and to put it into words that precisely stated the case. He could see more than the average person, and the commandments of the Lord made more sense to him than was common. In Christ Jesus, this becomes the norm, not the exception. The fact that it is unusual within the professing church confirms that it is at a great distance from God.
NO MORE QUESTIONS. The answer of Jesus to the Sadducees, His reply to this scribe, and His observation concerning him, dried up the minds of carnal inquirers. If they had any questions, they would ask someone else. There was something about Jesus that made it embarrassing to ask foolish questions, put words to unbelief, or attempt to justify contradicting positions. Wherever the presence of the Lord Jesus is discerned, it is still that way.