Mark 12:32
And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
The words belong to an honest and well-read scribe who was astonished at the depth and thoroughness of Christ's knowledge of Scripture. In listening to Him he gained a deeper and broader view of the principles underlying the sacred precepts. He affirmed that Jesus had spoken the truth, that there is one God and there is none other but He. He agreed that Christ's summary of the first and second commandments was the truth, and that Christ had correctly explained and rightly interpreted the law.
He added that to love God with all the heart and understanding and soul and strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. His confession means that true religion is not outward ceremonies and vain display but humble obedience and love to God with unselfish regard for others. Love and true goodness of heart are of more value in God's sight than all rites. It exposes a religion of mere outward acts and of continual blood offered in expiation of sin while the object of the offering is foreign to the mind, a Jewish religion of outward acts more than inward piety.
His plain confession, made publicly before priests and rulers, took moral courage in the face of the Pharisees' disapproval. It contradicted the traditions and conduct of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus saw the answer as discreet and said the scribe was not far from the kingdom of God. That meant he was near but not yet in it.
He still needed the touch of divine enlightenment to feel his need of repentance for sin and of faith in Jesus as the Son of God and Advocate with the Father. Only so could he receive pardon and power to live righteously, for recognition of truth still needs faith in Christ to receive pardon and power to live righteously. No one is saved through the law but through repentance and faith toward Christ, all religious service is of no value unless connected with living faith in Him who is its substance, and the moral law contains the gospel in principle.