How Much Righteousness Is Needed?
Text: Matthew 5:21-37
You have heard it said, that we are to read the Bible daily and to follow Jesus’ examples at all times. You have heard it said that we are to choose to think positive thoughts and to be patient with people in our lives. You have heard it said that we are to hold the door open for our elders and to give up parking spaces close to buildings for those who struggle with physical ailments. You have heard it said that random acts of kindness will be paid forward and a smile goes along way. However, I tell you today that unless these deeds are conducted with the purest of motives and unless your deeds exceed the deeds of Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther… you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.
You have heard it said, that we are to read the Bible daily and to follow Jesus’ examples at all times. You have heard it said that we are to choose to think positive thoughts and to be patient with people in our lives. You have heard it said that we are to hold the door open for our elders and to give up parking spaces close to buildings for those who struggle with physical ailments. You have heard it said that random acts of kindness will be paid forward and a smile goes along way. However, I tell you today that unless these deeds are conducted with the purest of motives and unless your deeds exceed the deeds of Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther… you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
If
this is true that a righteousness greater than Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, and
Martin Luther is needed, (and it is true), one might ask, “Just how much righteousness above and beyond
is needed to enter the kingdom of heaven?”
That is indeed a profound and worthy question. Just how much righteousness is necessary for
the kingdom of heaven?
In
our day and age I do not believe that anyone has specified the exact amount of
righteousness (i.e., good works or the absence of evil works) that is required
for life after death, but I think that we all can admit that as Americans we
are surely eager to accumulate righteousness.
We are certainly morally minded individuals and there is this ingrained
tendency for all of us to mark down our deeds on our spiritual resumes. In fact, a recent poll conducted by George
Barna states that among ‘born again Christians in America’ that some 50% of
them inadvertently believe that they can earn salvation based upon good works.[1] Our natural tendency is to say, “Surely these
good deeds must count for something!”
So,
back to our question, how much righteousness is then needed? The verse right before our Gospel reading
from today, verse 20 of Matthew 5, says, “…unless your righteousness exceeds
that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven.” Thus, Jesus shows us that a
great deal of righteousness is required for the kingdom, for the Scribes and
Pharisees were the most morally upright and spiritually polished people of the
first-century. Otherwise stated, they
had righteousness down. They were fulfilling
the Law to the naked eye. Make a
checklist of virtues and they were satisfying these virtues. They crossed their ‘T-s’ and dotted their
‘I-s’. Simply looking at the life of
these religious leaders, one would notice that they were indeed blameless.
Several
hundred years later, Martin Luther found himself in the same category as the
ancient Scribes and Pharisees. He was a
part of a monastery where he was considered among the godliest and most religious
people of the day. He once said of himself
and his fellow monks, “ “We fought
against evil thoughts by doing such things as fasting, staying awake, praying,
saying Mass, wearing coarse garments and sleeping on hard beds. According to our teaching, some monks were
regarded as holy, without sin, and full of good works. Also, since we had more good works than we
needed to get to heaven, we could communicate and sell our good works to
others.”[2]
So,
is this the amount of righteousness that is needed for the kingdom of heaven,
the same righteousness as the Scribes, Pharisees, and Monks? Actually, the answer is no. Jesus says that the bar for righteousness is
higher; it is higher and needs to ‘exceed’ the works of these religious
superheroes.
You
see, the problem that Jesus surfaces in our Gospel reading today is that people
tend to judge righteousness on the basis of external actions, what is
seen. Thus, Christ is saying that
righteousness for the kingdom of heaven is to be a righteousness that is not
only ‘external’ but righteousness of thoughts and words also. Yes, the righteousness that is demanded for
the kingdom of heaven is a righteousness of deeds and thoughts and words; both
good external actions and a good inner condition.
To
drive this point home further, Jesus takes 3 teachings from the Old Testament
10 Commandments and expounds on them to His hearers. He takes the fifth, sixth, and second Commandment and reveals what true and perfect righteousness
is; the righteousness that is needed for the kingdom; the righteousness that
exceeds the Scribes and Pharisees.
Let
me take this opportunity to share with you these 3 commandments, not from a
merely external perspective but from the perspective of righteousness in
thought, word, and deed.
The
fifth commandment states, “You shall not kill. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not
hurt nor harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every
bodily need.”[3] In other words, “Have I treated my neighbor’s
body and life as gifts of God to him? Have
I injured my neighbor with violent actions, hitting and beating on my neighbor,
spoken debasing and insulting words, using foul or dirty words to describe my
neighbor, or murdered him with thoughts of anger, contempt, and hatred? Have I injured my neighbor by ridicule, by
neglecting to feed or clothe him, withholding compassion and comfort from him? Have I avoided giving help to my neighbor,
avoiding involvement with him in his difficulty? Do I abuse my own body with neglect
of health, care, excess use of food, drink, tobacco, or drugs?”[4]
How
about the 6th Commandment? It
states, “You shall not commit adultery. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may lead
a chaste and decent life in words and deeds, and each love and honor his
spouse.”[5] In
other words, “Have I used for my own pleasure my ears to hear stories or my
eyes to incite cravings for the body of one who is not my spouse, or my mouth
to speak such words and stories? Have I indulged my eyes with longing for my
sexual satisfaction from a man or woman who is not my spouse? Have I dishonored
marriage by ridicule, divorce, or neglecting to encourage others to be faithful
to their spouses in the fear of God? Have I had intercourse with a man or woman
who is not my spouse? Have I dishonored my spouse by neglecting to care for the
body, mind, feeling, needs of the other, withdrawing faithfulness from the
spouse? Have I failed to trust God to bless us in our marriage, even in times
of trouble? Have I neglected to pray for my spouse, to worship together, and to
live in the fear and love of God in times of sexual temptations? Have I
practiced thoughts, words, or deeds, or given support of homosexual activity?”[6]
Finally,
how about the 2nd Commandment? It states, “You shall not take the
name of the Lord, your God, in vain. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not
curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in
every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.”[7] In other words, do I use God’s name cheaply
for oaths that are frivolous or false? Do I stand up and swear by God’s Name
when it is for the truth of the Gospel or for the benefit of my neighbor in
need? Am I mouthing things while my heart is far away? Is my life, marked with
the Name of God in Baptism, characterized by thanksgiving and praise?”[8]
My
friends, this is the righteousness that is demanded for us to be able to enter
the kingdom of heaven. My friends, this
is what righteousness looks like that exceeds the righteousness of the
Pharisees, the Scribes, the Monks, and so forth. Thus,
as your pastor I need to ask you this sobering question, “Have you acquired
enough righteousness or do you possess enough righteousness to enter the
kingdom of heaven?” . . . The answer to this may surprise you. Yes, you have acquired enough righteousness;
yes, you do possess perfect righteousness that grants you an entrance into the
kingdom of heaven! “But wait!” you may say, “I have not done this perfectly!” Ah, yes, you have not and I have not
either. However, you do possess
righteousness. You possess righteousness
that is not yours. You possess righteousness
that you have not produced. You possess
a righteousness that is not based on your own worthiness and work. Rather it is the righteousness of Christ,
given and credited to you!
My
dear friends, when you measure yourself with the demands of the Law, you will
see nothing except your own sin and your past and present failures. Looking to the Law you will rightly groan and
anguish, realizing that you have not surpassed the righteousness of the Scribes
and Pharisees; that your righteousness fails to meet the standard of perfection
externally and internally; and that you do not have admittance into the kingdom
of heaven. Looking away from the Law,
you may be tempted to look to yourself and believe the lie that you can amend
your life if you could only live longer, try harder, and be more positive. However, the blunt reality is that it is impossible
for you to acquire enough righteousness and sufficient righteousness that will grant
you access to the kingdom of heaven.
Rather, look away from yourself to the author and perfector of your
salvation, Christ crucified. Behold, in
the rubble of your sin, Christ descends.
In Christ you take hold of perfect righteousness that is given to you as
a gift. It is for you! In Christ, you
are given righteousness to receive, not perform. It is righteousness that you wear as a
robe. And yes, this righteousness is enough
for the kingdom of heaven, for Christ did not abolish the Law, but fulfilled
it; He fulfilled it for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
___________________________
[1]
Barna Group, “Americans Describe Their Views About Life After Death” (Accessed, February 15, 2014)
[2] Martin Luther, The Smalcald Articles: Concordia, The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing, 2006), 275.
[2] Martin Luther, The Smalcald Articles: Concordia, The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing, 2006), 275.
[3]
Luther’s Small Catechism: With Explanation (St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia
Publishing, 1986), 2.
[4] Kenneth Korby, Zion Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minnesota, based
on the Ten Commandments and Small Catechism.
[5]
Luther’s Small Catechism, 2.
[6]
Kenneth Korby.
[7]
Luther’s Small Catechism, 2.
[8]
Kenneth Korby.
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Comments
Piper says, “If we do not have a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus says, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:20). Everything we have seen in this chapter shows that Jesus is not thinking here mainly of his own righteousness that is imputed to us. He is thinking of the kind of internal transformation and external application revealed in the following six antitheses of Matthew 5:21-48. How then do we enjoy security in Jesus when what he requires is real change of heart and real righteous behavior? I tried to answer this question especially in Demand #24. Indeed I am trying to give an answer to it throughout the book. So I close this chapter with another summary statement. Think of our sense of security—our assurance that we are going to enter the final manifestation of the kingdom of God at the end of the age—resting most decisively on our location in God’s invincible favor, but also on our behavioral demonstration that we are truly in that location.” (pg 208)