Commentaries:
People's Commentary (NT)
Mark 12:34
Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. This commendation, not
given by Matthew, is given because the scribe had declared that outward
obedience amounted to nothing unless the heart was right. Pharisaism
consisted of forms and paid little attention to love, mercy, and purity
of heart. Alford says:
``This man had hold of that principle in which law and gospel
are one. He stood, as it were, at the door of the kingdom of
God. He only wanted (but the want was indeed a serious one)
repentance and faith to be "within" it. The Lord shows us
here, that even outside his flock, those who can answer
discreetly, who have knowledge of the "spirit" of the great
command of law and gospel, are nearer to being of his flock
than the formalists; but then, as Bengel adds, "If thou art
not far off, enter; otherwise it were better than thou wert
far off".'
Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came. See notes on Matthew 22:34-40. Matthew adds
that the scribe asked his question, "tempting him" (Matthew 22:35); that
is, "testing him".
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Matthew 22:34
Mark 12:28-34
Mark 12:34
DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.
E-mail this page
