Matthew 5:20-26

Matthew 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples: 

“I tell you, 

unless your righteousness surpasses that

of the scribes and Pharisees,

you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,

You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.

But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother

will be liable to judgment,

and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, 

will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,

and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,

and there recall that your brother

has anything against you,

leave your gift there at the altar,

go first and be reconciled with your brother,

and then come and offer your gift.

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.

Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,

and the judge will hand you over to the guard,

and you will be thrown into prison.

Amen, I say to you,

you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, grant me your grace today so that I can share in your righteousness. Do not let me break communion with you. I want to live in your love and be your faithful child.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Interior Righteousness: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his disciples that they need to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees to be able to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. How is it that our righteousness can surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees? First, the righteousness of the Pharisees was very external, while ours needs to be both external and internal. The righteousness of the Pharisees was based on external obedience and conformity to the law’s regulations. But this led the Pharisees to fall into hypocrisy. They put on a good show for others, but their hearts were far from God. Jesus gave us several examples of how to internalize our living of God’s Law. The Law of Moses prohibited the external act of murder; Jesus’ New Law prohibits the internal act of anger and calling our brother, “imbecile,” “idiot,” or “fool.” There is also a positive side to Jesus’ New Law: we need to actively seek reconciliation with others.

2. Righteousness towards Our Opponents: A second way our righteousness can surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees is by “settling with our opponents.” The one who is truly righteous reconciles not just with their brothers and sisters, but also with their “opponents.” The Pharisees thought that they needed to reinforce the separation between them and their enemies, the Gentiles. There was no question of dealing with, interacting with, or settling with them. But Jesus wants us to overcome the separation and division caused by sin.

3. Grace Empowered Righteous Works: The third way our righteousness needs to and can surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees is through the grace of Christ. The righteousness that the Pharisees sought was based largely on their own efforts to fulfill the Law of Moses. This was a point brought out especially in Paul’s Letter to the Romans and in his Letter to the Galatians (3:11). The Old Covenant, the Law of Moses, did not give people the power to do what was right. The big difference between the Old Covenant and the New is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus pours out the Spirit, who gives us the power to keep God’s law. Paul calls the Torah of Moses “the letter” and associates the New Covenant with the Spirit: “The letter stands for the Torah, an external law given through Moses that condemns disobedience but offers no inward assistance toward obedience. The gospel has made this an obsolete or antiquated way of serving God. Now, with the advent of messianic grace, believers are released from its condemnation (Romans 8:1). Christians possess a new law: ‘the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:2). The Spirit dwells within and empowers from within, supplying the love (Romans 5:5) we need to fulfill the law (13:8-10). It is not a matter, then, of discarding the Torah in messianic times, but of fulfilling it with a new ability that comes from God (Romans 8:4)” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 114).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to live righteously. This is only possible because you have merited divine grace for us. Your grace is powerful and brings me to share in your divine life. Grant me your grace today!

Living the Word of God: Do I have contrition for my past sins? Am I thankful for God’s mercy? How have I interiorized the Law of God? Am I holding on to something against one of my brothers?