(Part 2)
In Matthew 5:20, Jesus makes a profound and telling statement:
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”-Matthew 5:20
Even though, the Pharisees and teachers of the law were supposedly responsible for living and teaching others to live out the “letter of the law”; they were falling short of living the righteous life God intended. The standard of righteousness they were struggling to maintain was not enough to qualify them for heaven. They were living a relaxed righteousness. Jesus goes on in Chapter 5 to give them six examples of what He means.
Each of these examples begins with the phrase “You have heard it said.” Basically, what Jesus is saying is that for generations you have been told that “this” is the standard of righteousness, but I am here to tell you that the bar is set higher than what you’ve been trying to reach:
1. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.-Matthew 5:21-23
2. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.-Matthew 5:27-28
3. “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”-Matthew 5:31-32
4. “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.-Matthew 5:33-35
5. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,[h] let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”-Matthew 5:38-42
6. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’-Matthew 5:43-44
Are you guilty of relaxing righteousness for your own benefit? Are you living below God’s righteous standards? Have you lowered the bar? Truth is within ourselves, we cannot live up to the righteous standards God has set for us:
“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”-Isaiah 64:6
However, In Christ, we are without excuse:
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”-2 Corinthians 5:21
We need to stop looking for ways to lower the goal and start living out the righteous lives God intended for us.
Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church
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