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‘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.’
Mat_5:20
There seem to have been two points in which even the best of them were wanting.
I. They trusted in themselves.—They fulfilled the righteousness of the law, and with that they were quite satisfied. They fancied that if they obeyed the law as set forth in the books of Moses, as perfectly as possible, it was all God could require of them, and that heaven was their due reward. And is not this error, whether we consider it one of doctrine or of practice, one but too common amongst Christians also? Many a one, if he is asked about his hope of future salvation, will tell you that he is thankful to say that he has always lived honestly and dealt fairly.
II. They misunderstood the law they professed to obey so perfectly; they fancied it only referred to what they did, and not to what they thought or intended. It was against this error that our Lord especially directed the words of our text, as appears from all the rest of this fifth chapter of Matthew. Such is the law of righteousness which Christ has given us, in place of that of the scribes and Pharisees. Its great principle is this: that not only our actions, but all our most secret thoughts must be brought into subjection to the will of God. There are now many who think no more is necessary than to obey the letter of the law, and the letter only. These Jews were, many of them, as touching the righteousness which is of the law, blameless; all of them professed to obey the whole law of God. You must not think less will be required of you because you are Christians, and know more. On the contrary, your righteousness must exceed theirs. To whom much is given, of them shall much be required.
Rt. Rev. Lord Alwyne Compton.
THE PHARISEES’ RIGHTEOUSNESS
I. It lacked inwardness.—Their righteousness was conformity to an external law, a hard rule which had to be obeyed, which made indeed an imperious demand on the conscience, but which did not touch the heart, or infuse into it any principle of goodness. The Pharisees simply sought to obey a rule as a rule, to do something that was commanded just because it was commanded. But when they had thus fulfilled the letter of the law, their heart still remained unpurified.
II. It was self-centred.—It made the scribes and Pharisees the proverbial examples of self-righteousness. Many of them led very good lives according to their lights. But having done this, they were perfectly satisfied with themselves. They did not recognise—or at least, they were not troubled by—their want of inward purity; they had no sense of sin. They did not acknowledge any shortcoming in the sight of God. There was no humility or self-distrust in their religion. They—poor, weak, frail, sinful men, as they were—stood up before their Creator and practically demanded that He should be satisfied with them.
III. It was stationary.—This self-righteousness was closely connected with another grave defect in the scribes and Pharisees. Theirs was a stationary righteousness. They conformed to their rules of conduct; and then that was all they wanted. They had no desire for any advance in holiness. But a stationary righteousness is spiritual death. There is really no such thing as standing still in spiritual matters. If we are not advancing, not growing in grace, we are almost certainly falling back.
IV. What is true righteousness?—There are two things which we must have for our soul’s health; on the one hand, a deep sense of sin, such as will never allow us to be satisfied with ourselves, and will constantly drive us forward in the pursuit of holiness; and on the other hand, a realisation of justification, of our being right with God, accepted with God, through a hopeful and joyous trust in Christ. If we have both these, we have, in as great a measure as God expects it of us, the righteousness which exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.
The Rev. N. E. Egerton Swann.