“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)
After speaking of Salt and Light, Jesus presented the second main point in the Sermon on the Mount. He stated, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” This is the key verse of the sermon. Here He presented the standard for citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. What is the standard? It is a level of righteousness unattainable through human effort.
This point becomes clear when we understand the religious culture of the day. The Pharisees were a Jewish sect that believed strict observance to the Law would justify them before God. To ensure a person would not violate the law they developed a set of traditions that codified the Law into 248 commandments and 365 prohibitions. Jewish people of the day would have considered the Pharisees to be the epitome and living example of righteousness. Paul wrote of his time as a Pharisee, stating that under the Law he was blameless (Philippians 3:6).
To the Jewish people with such a high view of the pharisaic righteousness, Jesus stated that unless their righteousness exceeded that perceived high standard, they could not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. You can imagine the shock when people heard this. Not even the Pharisees would qualify as citizens of the Kingdom. Imagine what the people thought. They would have questions, “If this is the case, how would anyone qualify for Heavenly citizenship?” If they fully understood what Jesus said, there would have been a plethora of emotional responses. Anxiety. Hopelessness. Bewilderment.
Jesus provided a hint that would give true hope in the previous verses when He stated, “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.” (Matthew 5:17, ESV) No person could ever meet the divine standard of righteousness except one. Jesus proclaims that He would fulfill the Law and the Prophets, perfectly and completely.
Jesus’ statement went far beyond living an impeccable life in perfect obedience to the Law as He did (Hebrews 4:15). It reached further to His voluntary sacrifice on the cross, the atonement, which completely fulfilled the just requirement of the Law. Christ died as the spotless Lamb of God to pay the penalty of sin, once for all.
Jesus’ second point was that no man could qualify as a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven based upon good works. He indicated that only He would fulfill this requirement. Thus, only through Him could one meet the requirements of citizenship in the Kingdom. This truly is great news for everyone. Citizenship does not depend on our good works but the perfect fulfillment of the Law in Christ. We can only meet the righteous requirements of the Law by faith in Christ and His perfect completed fulfillment of the Law alone.
Renewing the Heart 