Intro to Chapter 16: The Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees
The scribes and the Pharisees meditated on God’s law, debated God’s law, and worked to apply God’s law to every aspect of daily life. They were fastidious in their obedience to the law. Jesus did not seem to be. Lawbreaker, they called him.
He, for his part, claimed that he came “not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it…For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” His objection to the religious professionals of his day was that they used the law, not to serve God, but to keep God at a distance. In establishing our obligations to God and neighbor, the law also limited the extent of those obligations. A person who has obeyed the law’s every jot and tittle needs to do nothing else for anyone. In that sense, the law was like the tax. Pay them, and the rest of the money is yours absolutely to spend as you wish.
Not so said Jesus. To the young man who had observed all the commandments from his youth, Jesus said, “You lack one thing; go sell what you have and give to the poor.” He added an internal requirement to the law. Not only must we refrain from murder, we must not be angry. Not only must we refrain from adultery, we must not lust. Our possessions are not our own. We must give to anyone who asks, even to those who take us to court with frivolous claims.
The kingdom of heaven will not be populated by an obedient citizenry, but by those who have become — or have been made — morally perfect and perfectly selfless.