Surpassing Righteousness

Surpassing Righteousness

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5:17-20

            “What did you just say, Jesus? My righteousness has to surpass that of the Pharisees?”

            That must have been the reaction of some of his followers when they heard this for the first time. I know that it was my reaction when I first read it and began to think about the Pharisees, who were a very strict sect of Jews who built layer upon layer of rules regarding times of prayer, rules for the Sabbath, hand washing, fasting, tithing on the smallest amounts, and many other religious rules. When it came to outward appearance, the Pharisees’ righteousness was second to none.

            But Jesus knew that, he knew that it was only an outward appearance of righteousness. At other times he called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers, sons of hell, and white-washed tombs.” He obviously wasn’t telling his disciples to be like the Pharisees. Instead, he was making a deeper point, making an extreme statement to get his disciples thinking about what he is saying and perhaps ask him questions about it or make their own conclusion as to the deeper point that Jesus was making.

            I wish that I was there, with his followers on the hilltop listening to him teach the Sermon on the Mount. If I was, I am sure that Jesus would have explained that true righteousness is in the heart and comes through faith in Him. Since I wasn’t there, I have to rely on the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:21-24:

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

            Did you catch that? We who have put our faith in Jesus Christ have a righteousness from God that surpasses that of the Pharisees! It comes by faith alone, not from keeping the law, for Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly and when we are identified with Him, His righteousness becomes ours.

            Feeling a little down, like you can never measure up, never live the righteous life that you would like to? Feeling like your salt that has lost its’ saltiness? Feeling like your light isn’t shining as brightly as it should? Relax. You’re in the same boat as the rest of us Christ-followers who rely on Jesus to be our righteousness. We don’t stop trying – we love God and our neighbor and we want to be good salt, a bright light, a force for God in the world – but we know that our salvation is not dependant upon it.

            Instead, we know that our eternal destiny and our relationship with God is dependant upon Him – upon the crucifixion of Jesus and His resurrection power over death and sin. He died on the cross so that we can be forgiven and he rose from the dead to show that sin and death had no hold on Him. We don’t have to rely on our own futile attempts at outward righteousness; we have an inward righteousness – a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees – that comes from God to those who have faith in Christ.

            Thank you Jesus!

Pray with me:

            Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. Thank you that you rose from the dead and I have victory over sin and death through faith in you. Thank you that my righteousness surpasses that of the Phairsees; help me to live up to what you have already given me. Help me to be the salt, the light, the righteous person you have created me to be. I love you and want to live for you alone…continue praying as the Spirit leads…

For Further Reflection:

            Read the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22:1-12. Pay close attention to whom Jesus is telling the parable. Reflect upon the wedding clothes; what do they represent?

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