“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20 NASB
I am going through the Gospels right now as I reflect on the life and teachings of Jesus during the season of Lent. I am taking my time through the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus gave us so much great spiritual food to munch on!
This particular verse stands out to me because at a time that Christ came to fulfill the law, He establishes a deeper meaning to the law.
The Pharisees were all about what looked good on the outside. They obeyed the letter of the law flawlessly, and they were quite proud of themselves for that! However, their hearts were far from honoring God. They were full of pride. Later, Jesus would say about them, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.” Matthew 15:8-9 NLT
Jesus wanted to make it clear at the onset of his sermon that doing all the right things, or conversely, not doing all the wrong things, is not enough to make us right before God. Obedience and holy living are more than mere acts. It is a condition of the heart.
In verses 12-16, Jesus quotes the commandment prohibiting murder, but He takes it a step further and forbids hatred, out of control anger, and name calling. Any kind of malice at all has its roots in the same place as murder. Instead, Jesus instructs us to resolve our differences and be reconciled to those with whom we have conflict. He even commands us to make things right with others before we bring our gift to the altar. That is how important this is to God!
Jesus goes even further in verses 17-20 to get to the root of adultery. While the 7th command is quite clear of the serious nature of committing adultery, Jesus explains that to look at someone lustfully is to commit adultery in our hearts. This is not something to play around with! Pornography is a dangerous practice that has torn many families apart and has destroyed numerous marriages, even Christian marriages. Habitually engaging one’s heart in sexual fantasy is being unfaithful to one’s marriage, yet some justify it by saying that they are not committing the physical act of adultery. Jesus made it clear that the root of adultery is in the heart, not in the act.
So, what was Jesus saying in verse 20 when he said that our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees? He is saying that righteousness is a condition of the heart, not a bunch of rules. We need to be genuine. Don’t give a false outward impression of being righteous and yet hold on to the bitter roots of sin deep within our hearts. We must be holy from the inside out. That begins with accepting the price Jesus paid for us on the cross and then submitting our hearts to him entirely. We are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength. Then, our inner purity will show on the outside.
