Examine Your Righteousness!

ick and Joe had been good Jewish boys. Or, at least we can assume they had been. In their youth, they probably longed to be accepted by God and to be like their religious leaders. These “men of God” were the spiritual leaders of the community. The people regarded them as godly men - men to be respected and honored. In order for Nick and Joe to become spiritual leaders, they had to prove they could follow the ritual laws. They were required to apply for admission, and if accepted they had to agree to follow the laws of purity and tithes. But along came Jesus and Nick, that is, Nicodemus and Joe, that is, Joseph of Arimathea, began to wonder about what they had been taught. They may have been present when Jesus said,

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. (NASB) Matthew 5:20

Surpass Who? How would you have felt if you were present and you were a Pharisee or a scribe. The Pharisees were regarded by the people as the experts in how to apply the Bible to everyday life. The Pharisees had developed the oral law (Halakah) from the scriptures using allegory in order to apply scripture to everyday life. They accepted the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings as the Word of God. They believed scripture was authoritative or binding on men and women. They agreed God was one God and there was life after death (resurrection). They believed in angels, demons and in future punishment. They were the experts in scriptural truth and were the progressives of their day.

Initially, both the Pharisees and the priests wanted the people to be “as righteous as the priests.” So they gave the people religious rules to follow. The Pharisees withdrew from “sinners” in an attempt to be accepted by God. They knew evil was bad. So they withdrew from the diseased, the physically disadvantaged, widows, the gluttonous, drunkards, tax-collectors, and adulterers. What a shock Jesus’ words must have been for any Pharisee who was listening.

Jesus also included the scribes. Both the Pharisees and Sadducees had scribes as part of their sect. It is not clear to whom Jesus is referring. But the scribes were the highly educated religious leaders. They had to complete a course of study for several years - starting in their youth. Ordination occurred at the age of 40 years at which time they could make their own religious decisions and serve as judge at criminal and civil cases. They were the final authority.

If Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were present, they must been shocked when Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses . . . I wonder if they slept that evening.

Our English word “surpass” misses the real meaning of this word. The Greek word is PERISSEUO. It means “to have abundance,” “to lavish,” or “to make over-rich.” Maybe the best five word meaning is “more, more, more, more, and more.” Jesus was saying that unless “your righteousness is more, more, more and more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you are not going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

What was the response of the crowd? Some may have been discouraged, because there was a Jewish saying, “If only two people go to heaven, one will be a scribe and the other a Pharisee.”

Bad Righteousness? The righteousness or holiness Jesus was rejecting was the righteousness taught by these highly respected leaders. Jesus corrected their false teaching. He came to fulfill the Law - not destroy it (Matthew 5:17-19). These leaders were destroying scripture by adding and taking away from it. Now the people probably thought Jesus did destroy it because Mark tells us the people said,