And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to
him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to
ask him any more questions. Mark 12:34
Finally, we have the witness of one of the religious leaders, a
scribe, who got it right. The passage above is the conclusion of
the interaction with this scribe who asks Jesus which of all the
commandments is the first and greatest. Jesus gives the twofold
answer that we are to love God above all, with all your heart,
mind, soul and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. The scribe
then responds to Jesus’ answer by saying, “Well said, teacher. You
are right…” And then Jesus compliments this scribe with the quoted
passage above.
Recall that almost all of the Pharisees were continually rebuked by
Jesus because of their self-righteous arrogance. The Sadducees were
also chastised but often to a lesser degree. And now we have a
scribe who outshines them all. The scribes were primarily
functionaries who copied or created various liturgical and legal
documents. Some of the Pharisees were also scribes. And most of the
time, when Jeus condemned the Pharisees, He also condemned the
scribes. But this scribe is different. This scribe appears to not
only be interested in Jesus’ answer but also manifests
“understanding” of what Jesus said to him. Don’t underestimate the
importance of this gift of understanding.
In order to truly understand that which our Lord speaks to us, we
must be open. And openness requires humility. Humility is a virtue
that is contrary to a “know-it-all” attitude. It’s a disposition of
mind and heart that listens to God speak, hears what He says,
comprehends all truth by the gift of grace, and prayerfully submits
to that truth. Humility enables us to look beyond ourselves for the
answers to the most difficult questions in life. It enables us to
turn to the one and only source of truth, Jesus Christ Himself. And
the fruit of this humble openness is the gift of understanding.
It’s an understanding of the mysteries of life which is beyond our
natural intellectual capacity. The grace of God is able to teach
and form the humble soul and fill it with clarity of vision and an
acceptance of the deepest truths.
Reflect, today, upon Jesus’ words to this scribe. “You are not far
from the Kingdom of God.” Does Jesus also speak these words to you?
Have you humbly sought out the answers to the many questions of
life by turning to our Lord? More specifically, are you able to
look at your life and rejoice in the fact that God has also given
you His gift of understanding? If not, then look within and
consider which questions you most need to bring to Jesus. Place
them before Him and then listen, be open and be ready to respond
when He speaks. Hearing and responding to our Lord will result in
our Lord saying these same words to you.
My Lord of all Truth, You look upon the humble souls with
graciousness and mercy, and You reveal to them the mysteries of the
Kingdom of Heaven. Please give me the gift of humility, dear Lord,
so that I may always turn to You with every question in life. Fill
me with the gift of understanding so that I may know how to love
and serve You more faithfully each and every day. Jesus, I trust in
You.
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Featured image above: The Scribe Stood to Tempt Jesus By James
Tissot, via Wikimedia Commons
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