<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 12;31-34<div><br></div><div>(Jesus adds to the answer, concerning, ‘Which commandment is first of all?’)</div><div><b>31. &nbsp;The second is this, ‘You shall&nbsp;love your neighbor as yourself.’ &nbsp;There is no other commandment greater than these.</b></div><div><b>32. &nbsp;And the scribe said to him,&nbsp;“You are right, teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other, but he;</b></div><div><b>33. &nbsp;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.”</b></div><div><b>34. &nbsp;And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him,&nbsp;“You are not far from the kingdom of God.” &nbsp;And after that, no one dared to ask him any question.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>If this scribe <i>“answered wisely”</i>&nbsp;what was still&nbsp;lacking? &nbsp;What was still wrong or missing from his reply to Jesus? &nbsp;Why did Jesus say to him, <i>“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”?</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>Answer:</div><div>Because, neither&nbsp;correct&nbsp;<span>doctrine and with it&nbsp;sacrificial&nbsp;good works (for&nbsp;our neighbor), will&nbsp;ever&nbsp;give to us the kingdom of God</span><span>. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The kingdom of God is adorned</span><span>&nbsp;with pure doctrine, (perfect truth) and overflows with sacrificial love for our neighbor. &nbsp;But, the kingdom of God, first, above all else,&nbsp;is in essence the divine&nbsp;Person, the man&nbsp;Jesus Christ. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>When Jesus says, <i>“You are ‘not far’ from the kingdom of God.” &nbsp;Jesus</i>&nbsp;says it while He stands right in front of the scribe,&nbsp;directly before him. &nbsp;The scribe could have reached out and touched the hem of Jesus’ robe. &nbsp;He could have fallen on his knees and wrapped his arms around Jesus feet, kissing them. &nbsp;He could have followed Jesus and sat at table with him, leaning upon his breast, getting just as close to Jesus as he possibly could in an effort to become one flesh with Jesus. He could have ‘Left everything, and followed Jesus’ allowing his entire life to be redirected. &nbsp;He could have become a new and changed man, joined forever to Jesus as his own&nbsp;greatest good and truest love. &nbsp;He could have allowed Jesus to give him a new heart, a heart of flesh, and a new mind which no longer was self-reliant or independent. &nbsp;He could have remained with Jesus, continuing to question Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what do&nbsp;you&nbsp;mean,&nbsp;<i>‘Not far from the kingdom of God.”? &nbsp;</i></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>But</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>You see the scribe came looking for ‘informational truth’ which he thought he&nbsp;could then make use of himself&nbsp;in his own behavior and life. &nbsp;In short, the scribe was thinking, ‘<i>What do I need to <u>know</u>&nbsp;and <u>do</u>&nbsp;in order to fulfill the Law of God and gain eternal life?’ &nbsp;</i>In short, he came to Jesus, but he was still trusting in himself.<u></u></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The kingdom of God is You and me being joined as One&nbsp;into Christ. &nbsp;Just as a bridegroom joins himself to his bride, God in the flesh comes to us in the&nbsp;person of Jesus, bringing all his righteousness and love, the sum total of all the&nbsp;riches of heaven. &nbsp;All these He endows us with by our baptism into Him. &nbsp;Our baptism into Christ is our personal betrothal to&nbsp;Jesus. &nbsp;The wedding feast awaits, but we are now in baptism made One with Jesus.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God, which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him with all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ; who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.”&nbsp;</i></span></div><div><span>(1 Corinthians 1;4–9)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The kingdom of God is being&nbsp;a <i>“partaker&nbsp;of the divine nature.” &nbsp;</i>(2 Peter 1;4). It is to share in the very Mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2;16). It is to have the very Spirit of God&nbsp;indwelling and&nbsp;inspiring you.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies, also through his Spirit who dwells in you. &nbsp;So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flash—for if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. &nbsp; For all who are led by the Spirit of God, are&nbsp;sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of sonship. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ &nbsp; It is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs&nbsp;of God and fellow heirs&nbsp;with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;11-17)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The kingdom of God is the new life created in Christ Jesus, freely&nbsp;given to&nbsp;us in our&nbsp;holy Baptism <u>into Christ</u>.</span></div><div><span>It is a death to self and to sin, and a sharing now in Christ sufferings, (not the sufferings of punishment for sin), but the sufferings we joyfully do,&nbsp;the ‘self-denying’ we do, because of the love of God at work in us.</span></div><div><span>This Spirit of God, the Spirit of sonship,&nbsp;loves the Father and His will totally, and loves our neighbor as ourselves. &nbsp;God’s gift of faith to us&nbsp;embraces this truth.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;O Most Merciful Heavenly Father, grant us to truly, by faith to&nbsp;be ‘partakers of Your divine nature’. &nbsp;We pray in Jesus, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,&nbsp;</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 12;31-34
(Jesus adds to the answer, concerning, ‘Which commandment is first of all?’)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, but he;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 question.
If this scribe “answered wisely” what was still lacking?  What was still wrong or missing from his reply to Jesus?  Why did Jesus say to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”?
Answer:Because, neither correct doctrine and with it sacrificial good works (for our neighbor), will ever give to us the kingdom of God.  
The kingdom of God is adorned with pure doctrine, (perfect truth) and overflows with sacrificial love for our neighbor.  But, the kingdom of God, first, above all else, is in essence the divine Person, the man Jesus Christ.   
When Jesus says, “You are ‘not far’ from the kingdom of God.”  Jesus says it while He stands right in front of the scribe, directly before him.  The scribe could have reached out and touched the hem of Jesus’ robe.  He could have fallen on his knees and wrapped his arms around Jesus feet, kissing them.  He could have followed Jesus and sat at table with him, leaning upon his breast, getting just as close to Jesus as he possibly could in an effort to become one flesh with Jesus. He could have ‘Left everything, and followed Jesus’ allowing his entire life to be redirected.  He could have become a new and changed man, joined forever to Jesus as his own greatest good and truest love.  He could have allowed Jesus to give him a new heart, a heart of flesh, and a new mind which no longer was self-reliant or independent.  He could have remained with Jesus, continuing to question Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what do you mean, ‘Not far from the kingdom of God.”?  
But
You see the scribe came looking for ‘informational truth’ which he thought he could then make use of himself in his own behavior and life.  In short, the scribe was thinking, ‘What do I need to know and do in order to fulfill the Law of God and gain eternal life?’  In short, he came to Jesus, but he was still trusting in himself.
The kingdom of God is You and me being joined as One into Christ.  Just as a bridegroom joins himself to his bride, God in the flesh comes to us in the person of Jesus, bringing all his righteousness and love, the sum total of all the riches of heaven.  All these He endows us with by our baptism into Him.  Our baptism into Christ is our personal betrothal to Jesus.  The wedding feast awaits, but we are now in baptism made One with Jesus.
“I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God, which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him with all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ; who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1;4–9)
The kingdom of God is being a “partaker of the divine nature.”  (2 Peter 1;4). It is to share in the very Mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2;16). It is to have the very Spirit of God indwelling and inspiring you.
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies, also through his Spirit who dwells in you.  So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flash—for if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.   For all who are led by the Spirit of God, are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of sonship. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’   It is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”  (Romans 8;11-17)
The kingdom of God is the new life created in Christ Jesus, freely given to us in our holy Baptism into Christ.It is a death to self and to sin, and a sharing now in Christ sufferings, (not the sufferings of punishment for sin), but the sufferings we joyfully do, the ‘self-denying’ we do, because of the love of God at work in us.This Spirit of God, the Spirit of sonship, loves the Father and His will totally, and loves our neighbor as ourselves.  God’s gift of faith to us embraces this truth.
Prayer:  O Most Merciful Heavenly Father, grant us to truly, by faith to be ‘partakers of Your divine nature’.  We pray in Jesus, Amen.
Love, Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”





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