Matthew 5:20 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.
Have you ever met someone who purposely stirs up controversy. Maybe they do it just to see what will happen. Maybe they do it for the thrill of getting people to think. These kinds of people push others out of their comfort zones. And this can be a good thing. Growth takes place at the edges, not in the middle.
In our recent history in the United States, people have been pushing people to grow. There have been many that have resisted, being so sensitive that just about everything offends them. They gave up the opportunity to grow and instead became even more entrenched in their ‘middle.’
Jesus certainly is someone who pushes for change. He isn’t afraid to poke and prod us to move and change. Most of us need need to be pushed out of our comfortable ‘middle.’
Jesus was speaking to a large crowd on a mountainside. Matthew recounts not just the content of His speech, but even records the outcome. Even at this point in Jesus ministry, He is being misquoted and misrepresented. He wants to set the record straight.
But He wants to do more than set the record straight. He could have called people to the comfortable ‘middle,’ but He didn’t. He could have told them what they wanted to hear, but He said anything but that. He purposely pushes them to the edges.
Jesus isn’t afraid to push people’s buttons. He doesn’t shy away from speaking the truth to power. And that is just what He does when He speaks to the religious leaders of His day. These leaders served both religious and political positions of power in Jerusalem. Jesus goes after them.
But why does He do that? Wouldn’t it be easier if He just kept His mouth shut?
The problem with silence is that it isn’t loving. The religious leaders need to be pushed to the edge. They are living a lie. They think they can be good enough to get God’s approval. Jesus loves them too much to let them be comfortable. If they don’t get out of the middle, they will perish in their sins.
So Jesus tells them that their righteousness isn’t enough. He tells the crowds that they must be more righteous than these religious leaders. The standard bearers don’t meet the standard God requires.
I can imagine the indignation of the religious leaders when they heard this. Who is this unknown man poking us in the eye? What gives Him the right to judge us? We are the cream of the crop. If we don’t make the grade, then who can make the grade?
Jesus makes them uncomfortable, and the crowd uncomfortable by pushing a standard that is above human effort. If human effort were enough, the religious leaders would be OK. But Jesus pushes again and again in multiple areas to get everyone to realize that this is an impossible task in the human realm. Only with God’s intervention is it possible.
Murder, adultery, divorce, making promises, seeking justice, extending love, giving to charities, prayer, forgiveness, values, worry, judging others, obedience. No area seems to be off limits to Jesus.
Contrast this with our current culture where only certain subjects are allowed to be discussed, certain opinions are ‘canceled’ and certain words are ‘offensive.’ Jesus would have pushed back against all of this.
He would have done this because all of these are attempts to establish a righteousness apart from the only true righteousness which is found only in Him.
The Arnold Journey 