unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
We are not called to a righteousness that is merely external and ostentatious, or even fastidious, exactly. The Pharisees kept the law with an extreme level of detail and wanted everyone to know about it. Yet it was not actually transformative for them. Even with their practices their was no corresponding healing effect on their relationships. They managed to use the law as a shield to defend their selfishness and a weapon to pursue the interests of their egos. They neglected, as Jesus said, the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness (see Matthew 23:23). This meant that even those relationships that should have been the most important to them, those to their parents, and to their spouses, were often transactional and even mercenary, motivated only by what would be for their own individual benefit.
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.
Jesus takes away from us the internal hiding places where unrighteousness can be concealed and fester. He is not content to let our interactions be guided by a superficial adherence to nonviolence while implicitly cultivating violence in our thoughts and intentions. He insists that we not only wear a mask of peace with our brother, but actually try to establish genuine peace with him insofar as we are able.
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.
Our tendency is often to avoid those things which are undeniably sinful actions while still cherishing the idea of sin in our hearts. But this is to build on a house of cards, ready to collapse if someone breathes on it, let alone if the wind blows. When we hear that we must even put to death this internal attachment to sin we may be tempted to despair at what seems to be out of our control. And indeed it is humbling to realize how little is actually in our control, and how perfection seems utterly beyond our grasp. But it is when we are in this posture of humility that Jesus himself is most able to help renew us from within.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind (see Romans 12:2).
It's true that on our own we may avoid external sin, because we care too much about what others would think. But on our own we have no such impetus to avoid the internal affection for sin and seek the transformation Jesus desires for us. That is why it is Jesus himself who desires to give us new hearts (see Ezekiel 36:26) filled with the fruits of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23), to himself work within us to bring about this transformation, "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (see Philippians 2:13).
We have no grounds to say, "The LORD's way is not fair!" when he himself has done what is necessary for us and stands ready to do what is necessary within us. Our part is now to stick with him, to not turn from the virtue he is creating within us even as our own weaknesses are exposed and become more apparent to us. But even trying to do this. we will not avoid entirely at least some partial turning away, some collapse under the weight of our weakness. But even this need not be the end of our story as long as we return again and again to him, to the fountain of mercy.
But if the wicked, turning from the wickedness he has committed,
does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
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