Meditating on Mark 12:28

Is it not true that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23?

While reflecting on a passage in Mark 12:28 about a Scribe asking Jesus what Is the First Commandment of above all?

The Scribe who seemed to answer wisely!

What startled me was that the scribe really understood and reflected back to Jesus with in depth understanding by adding to love God and neighbor “is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Very nice response back to Jesus and quite frankly I thought that was a good answer and he was a believer in God. How many of us could answer that way? He knew the scriptures! He used the expression “… to love God and Neighbor…!”

But notice how Jesus answers…  Again the scribe not only gave the true answer of the 1^st Commandment love God above all but added and provided the second Commandment and love your neighbor above all!

And so, Jesus said “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” 

Reflecting on the answer Jesus gave

As I was reflecting on the answer Jesus gave and thought to myself, oh this Scribe looked to me like he was saved but to Jesus he was not!

And then as I was meditating later in the evening just before going to bed, I said to Jesus, Oh Lord I wish I had an Ed Miller, a man of God I knew earlier in my Christian life to ask this question to!  When Jesus answers like that, a person starts to reflect on his own soul and wonder, am I really saved?  If Jesus probes into a heart and detects a man’s motive who spoke so good but was not saved than what is my chance of being saved? And what about all this appeal to accept a free gift or grace at the end of many sermons really doing to people?  Are they really getting saved?

Then out of the quietness of the questioning and really praying to Jesus, these verses came to mind!

I asked Jesus over and over again, what was this guy missing?

Then I remembered David saying this when He was caught in sin. 

Psalm 51

The scribe only quoted the first half of his understanding but did not submit to Jesus in repentance of sin of a broken spirit and heart.

Now I know that there are some out there that say that you need to only believe on Jesus and be saved! And they quote many scriptures in the book of John. And they say repenting is classified as works. And some have removed repentance from their Church credence of faith. But I say, if you are going to be saved, then what are you being saved for or from? Isn’t it sin? I don’t think anyone is going to be saved if they think they are self righteous do you?

Let that be a lesson for you and me!

Pray to be counted worthy to pass God’s Truth around even to your last dying breath of this life into the next!