Not Far
Read Mark 12:28-44.
Last night was an adventure in and around downtown Indianapolis! I was trying to meet my wife and daughter who were visiting a friend at the hospital, and I was being dropped off by another friend. I was certain they had told me to meet them at IU Med Center, but since everything is affiliated with IU now here in Indy, the GPS first took us to IU Methodist Hospital. I said, "No, I need to go to the original IU Med Center." So we reprogrammed and followed the GPS and got...well, close. We could see where we should be. But the GPS kept taking us to parking lots. Empty parking lots.
About this time, Rachel texted me. "Are you about here?" I said, yes, but could she send me her location so I could find them. She did—and I discovered that they were actually at IU Methodist. Where I had been twenty minutes before. I wasn't far...but I still wasn't where I needed to be. So we headed back around the bend again...and eventually ended up finding my family. We weren't far. But I wasn't where I should have been, either.
I thought of that as I read the story in this passage of the curious law teacher. He hears Jesus debating on religious matters, and he is interested. More than that, he must have recognized some sort of authority to what Jesus was saying and he wants to make sure he's on the right path. So he asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is. Of all the commands in the Old Testament, which one is the best? Or, put another way, if we could only follow one commandment, which one should we follow?
Jesus actually gives him two, but they are two sides of the same coin. You can't really do one without the other. Love God. Love others. It's that simple, Jesus says—and that hard. And this law teacher finds himself nodding, agreeing. He tells Jesus that such a life is far better than all sacrifices and offerings. (Really, that sort of life is what the sacrifices and offerings were pointing toward.) And that's when Jesus becomes his spiritual GPS for a moment: "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (12:34).
Not far...but not there yet, either. He may know the right answer—but was he living the right answer? But since we can't do anything about him, let's ask that question of ourselves. A lot of us know the right answers. We may even have put it into slogan form and pasted it on our cars. Love God. Love others. We know the right answer. But are we living the right answer? Are we not far—but still not where we need to be? Let's resolve to get on the journey with Jesus and no longer be "not far from" but "in the midst of" the kingdom of God.
Recalculating...recalculating...
Last night was an adventure in and around downtown Indianapolis! I was trying to meet my wife and daughter who were visiting a friend at the hospital, and I was being dropped off by another friend. I was certain they had told me to meet them at IU Med Center, but since everything is affiliated with IU now here in Indy, the GPS first took us to IU Methodist Hospital. I said, "No, I need to go to the original IU Med Center." So we reprogrammed and followed the GPS and got...well, close. We could see where we should be. But the GPS kept taking us to parking lots. Empty parking lots.
About this time, Rachel texted me. "Are you about here?" I said, yes, but could she send me her location so I could find them. She did—and I discovered that they were actually at IU Methodist. Where I had been twenty minutes before. I wasn't far...but I still wasn't where I needed to be. So we headed back around the bend again...and eventually ended up finding my family. We weren't far. But I wasn't where I should have been, either.
I thought of that as I read the story in this passage of the curious law teacher. He hears Jesus debating on religious matters, and he is interested. More than that, he must have recognized some sort of authority to what Jesus was saying and he wants to make sure he's on the right path. So he asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is. Of all the commands in the Old Testament, which one is the best? Or, put another way, if we could only follow one commandment, which one should we follow?
Jesus actually gives him two, but they are two sides of the same coin. You can't really do one without the other. Love God. Love others. It's that simple, Jesus says—and that hard. And this law teacher finds himself nodding, agreeing. He tells Jesus that such a life is far better than all sacrifices and offerings. (Really, that sort of life is what the sacrifices and offerings were pointing toward.) And that's when Jesus becomes his spiritual GPS for a moment: "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (12:34).
Not far...but not there yet, either. He may know the right answer—but was he living the right answer? But since we can't do anything about him, let's ask that question of ourselves. A lot of us know the right answers. We may even have put it into slogan form and pasted it on our cars. Love God. Love others. We know the right answer. But are we living the right answer? Are we not far—but still not where we need to be? Let's resolve to get on the journey with Jesus and no longer be "not far from" but "in the midst of" the kingdom of God.
Recalculating...recalculating...
I remember that ride. The same thing happens with Lilly here, too, since there are at least three different Lilly locations here.
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