Good Success and No Regrets
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:19-20
Jesus had just been discussing with the religious leaders the fact that He didn’t come to destroy the law or the prophets, but actually to fulfill them. To love God is not only to keep His commandments, but to teach them to others. Jesus calls this person “great” in the kingdom of heaven which is the rule of God on the earth. How humbling it would be for Jesus to call you “great”. But how disappointing and shameful it would be to be called “least” in the kingdom of heaven, which are those who do not live by the commandments of God and thus are not influential in showing others the right way to live. These folks will still go to heaven if they are truly saved, but they will not be rewarded, and neither will they enjoy their journey on the way to heaven.
To disobey God when He gives us clear instructions as to how to proceed in a matter would be considered breaking His commandments. James 2:10 tells us the “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all”. To break God’s law implies to God that one knows better than He does; that the lawbreaker’s way is better than God’s way. It is nothing more than man’s pride assuming preeminence over Almighty God. That’s why sin is such a serious matter. Probably one of the most flagrant examples of this is the idea that a man can be a woman and vice versa or some other fictitious gender. Man is always trying to change the rules to satisfy his own selfish pride, and, of course, pride is at the root of all sin.
It is also a very serious matter for a professing believer to “talk the talk” but not “walk the walk”. Matthew Henry wrote that “…those who do not as they teach, pull down with one hand what they build up with the other, and give themselves the lie, and tempt men to think that all religion is a delusion…” We can deceive ourselves by thinking our “minor” transgressions are not a big deal, but by our flippant attitude toward sin, we deceive others and influence them, particularly new believers, to follow us down the path of disobedience. Jesus urges all believers to follow in His footsteps. If we do, then we will have good success and no regrets.
What did Jesus mean when He said that one’s righteousness must exceed that of the religious leaders? What was He requiring of men and women to give them the right to enter heaven? What was this standard that was over and above the religious leaders by which folks would be measured? The scribes and Pharisees had their own standard by which they lived. It consisted of being “experts” in the law as they sat in Moses’ seat (Matthew 23:2). The common folks saw them as more religious and holy than the general population. They were meticulous in fasting, giving, and prayer time. As they were observed by the regular folks, no one could match them in righteousness. But Jesus said to the people that their righteousness had to exceed that of the religious leaders. When someone refers to another as being “very religious”, the one who makes such a comment is usually one who doesn’t know the difference between being “religious” and having a right relationship with God though His Son, Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus was getting at when He told the people that their righteousness must be greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees.
These leaders studied and knew the letter of the law better than anyone, yet they failed to grasp the spirit of the law. They knew the Messiah would come, but then they refused to believe that He was standing before them. They were trusting their “religiosity” as a substitute for a relationship with Christ. I read recently in a commentary that indicated the religious leaders actually knew that Jesus was the Messiah but refused to accept Him. In all my study, I have never thought about that. I have always had the idea that they didn’t believe Him to be the Messiah. It seems like if they did believe Jesus to be the Son of God, they would have been too fearful to crucify Him. Commentaries are good, but they are not scripture. The best commentary on scripture is the Bible.
In Luke 13:9-14 Jesus told a parable about a Pharisee and a publican, a tax collector, who was despised by the Jews. They both went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee bragged about how good and righteous he was while the publican beat upon his chest and said, “God be merciful to me a sinner”. This publican knew what “exceeding the righteousness of the Pharisee and scribes” meant. They were both sinners, but the Pharisee didn’t see himself as a sinner. The publican recognized his own unworthiness and relied on God’s mercy to forgive him. Jesus said that the publican was the one who was justified, not the Pharisee. “Good works righteousness” will never allow anyone into heaven.