Today’s Reading: Matthew 5:20 (HCSB)
For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Today’s Question: How does a “good” person get to Heaven?
Today’s Commentary:
How good does someone need to be to go to Heaven? Only someone out of their mind would think that the “worst” criminals and reprobates would be in Heaven. Right? So the question is, “How good is good enough?”
Jesus answered this question in a most shocking way. The Jewish audience on the side of a mountain who had gathered to hear Him speak must have had that question in mind, because Jesus knew their hearts and proactively answered their deepest concerns.
The religious rulers had taught for many centuries a self-righteous, counterfeit faith. Dwight Pentecost explains, “Pharisaism was a clever system devised to circumvent the requirements of the holiness of God and the demands of the Law. The Pharisees had the Law in their hand. They knew the revelation of the holiness of God revealed there. They knew the requirements of God as to the conduct of righteous men, but they realized they could not attain that standard. Therefore, they devised a system which essentially circumvented the requirements of the Law to make it possible for men to attain a substitute set of standards.”
When Jesus stated to those listening that their righteousness must be greater than that of the Pharisees, every jaw must have dropped. From birth, they had been taught that the religious leaders were the closest to God. They had embraced the theology that the wealthy, powerful “teachers of the Law” were blessed by God. Just moments before, Jesus had said that the humble, meek, and broken were the ones blessed by God. Now He says that the Pharisees are the least righteous. It is amazing that Jesus was not crucified on this hill the first time He preached this message! It is no wonder that, three years later, the religious rulers were so adamant in their desire to kill Him.
Jesus’ statement that their righteousness would have to surpass that of the Pharisees caused two immediate mental problems.
1. The Pharisees were esteemed. It is possible that the people did not like the extreme pridefulness, the mistreatment, the oppression, or the judgmentalism of their leaders. Nonetheless, they accepted the notion that these men were agents of God and the “common” people followed their teaching. Jesus comes along, performs miracles that capture their attention, and then He makes the most preposterous statement, making the assertion that their leaders were frauds, “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” doers of evil instead of good. Who do they trust? The men who have led them, performed special ceremonies for their families, and been the center of attention in their towns and villages? Or this homeless man who appears to have some power and some shocking words to say about God and religion?
2. If they believed Jesus was speaking the truth, then what He said must have sent their minds into theological confusion. He left them wanting more information. “Who can be saved? Jesus, tell us who can go to Heaven? And how can I get there? If we have to be better than the Pharisees, then how can we do that? Wouldn’t we have to be perfect?”
No doubt, at this moment, Jesus has the attention of everyone in the crowd. Surely, you could hear a pin drop onto the dusty, sandy ground. But Jesus does not go immediately into an “invitation” with fifteen verses of “Just as I Am.” He continues to teach them, and they are listening intently.
“Follow One, Lead Others” Principle #15: Followers of Christ lead people away from the deception of self-righteousness to an understanding of complete surrender and faith in the finished work of Christ.
Today’s Prayer Point: Pray that the Holy Spirit would rid us of any thought that we deserve God’s gifts and grace.
Shepherding Well 