The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most spiritually transformative texts in the Bible. When a believer stops and reflects on exactly what Jesus is saying, their heart is shaken, but in a good way. A few verses after Jesus finished telling his disciples He had come to fulfill the Law, He spoke these words: "For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). A believer has to look within himself and also understand a little bit about the scribes and Pharisees Jesus is referring to if they are going to understand what He means. The scribes and Pharisees were known to focus on external obedience, meaning they were very concerned about their outward appearance and image as religious leaders. In the verses following verse 20, Jesus explains the significance of the law and shows that the spirit of the law involves an internal conformity, rather than proving you can obey the letter or word of the law.
Please understand just how shocking this statement was to those listening in the first century. How dare Jesus show contempt for the teachers of the law. The Pharisees were the model of righteousness. With that in mind, picture Jesus standing before this crowd of Jews and telling them that "unless your righteousness surpasses the scribes and Pharisees" your not going to heaven. These men were SHOCKED and I am quite certain they were some bashing him under their breath and whispering to each other about his insulting comments and arrogance. This statement, along with the entire Sermon on the Mount was turning their world upside down.
But here is what Jesus wanted them to know:
To enter the kingdom of heaven their righteousness wasn't going to come by their own efforts, because the righteousness of the kingdom of God operates from the inside-out. It's not what you can do, but what Christ has already done. Or for those on the Mount of Beatitudes what Christ was going to do for them.
Only the righteousness of God that is imputed to each person (sinner) who comes to Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven.
Reflect on that today.
Please understand just how shocking this statement was to those listening in the first century. How dare Jesus show contempt for the teachers of the law. The Pharisees were the model of righteousness. With that in mind, picture Jesus standing before this crowd of Jews and telling them that "unless your righteousness surpasses the scribes and Pharisees" your not going to heaven. These men were SHOCKED and I am quite certain they were some bashing him under their breath and whispering to each other about his insulting comments and arrogance. This statement, along with the entire Sermon on the Mount was turning their world upside down.
But here is what Jesus wanted them to know:
To enter the kingdom of heaven their righteousness wasn't going to come by their own efforts, because the righteousness of the kingdom of God operates from the inside-out. It's not what you can do, but what Christ has already done. Or for those on the Mount of Beatitudes what Christ was going to do for them.
Only the righteousness of God that is imputed to each person (sinner) who comes to Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven.
Reflect on that today.
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