Home > Jesus is God in Mark's Gospel
This event is also mentioned in Matthew 22:34–40 and Luke 10:25–28.
Mark 12:28–34:
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 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.” 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 more questions.
James later refers to this as the "Royal Law".
James 2:8:
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
When asked for the greatest commandment, Jesus’ response reveals His divine prerogative. Jesus summarizes the entire Law and Prophets into two commands. In doing so, He is not just reciting a creed; He is acting as the Supreme Interpreter of God's will.The "Kingdom". Jesus does not merely interpret the Law; He re-authors it by synthesizing the Shema (Deut 6) with Leviticus 19. Furthermore, He issues a judicial verdict on the scribe’s soul: "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Only the King of that Kingdom has the authority to measure a man's distance from it.
Jesus speaks as the One who holds the keys to the Kingdom. He doesn't say "God thinks you are close"; He personally issues the evaluation of the man's spiritual standing before God.
H.B. Charles Jr. notes that by perfectly synthesizing the Shema (Deut 6) with Leviticus 19, Jesus demonstrates an "insider's" knowledge of the Law's intent—the knowledge of the Author Himself.