“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 ESV
Today, we’re focusing on the righteousness that Jesus calls us to in Matthew 5:20. He just told the disciples that He has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets and that those who keep and teach then Law will be great is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:17-19). Then He gives us this admonition.
So, what was the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees?
The gospels have a lot to tell us about their practices (see Matthew 23 and Luke 11 for examples), but their righteousness can be summed up by this:
They do all their deeds to be seen by others. - Matthew 23:5a ESV
They weren’t following the Law because they loved God; they wanted to impress people with how righteous they seemed. It was all for show; their hearts were corrupt.
To exceed their righteousness, my heart must be truly committed to serving God alone. My love for Him should lead me to live my life to please Him above all others. Some days, that can be hard. There are a lot of voices in the world that try to get us to compromise. That’s why I need to start my day with Him and His word, to be prepared to choose God throughout the day. I need that regular heart check-up to keep any of the world’s corruption from creeping in.
Think About: How’s your heart today?
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