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19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ~ Matthew 5:19-20
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 5 where the Lord Jesus had just told His disciples that the righteous requirements of the law would be fulfilled by Him on their behalf. In fact, He told them that not one jot or tittle would go without being fulfilled. This meant their salvation would be procured by Him through His perfection before God. In the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7 the Lord Jesus taught about what it looks like to enter into the kingdom of God. His Kingdom abounds with His righteousness that is totally different than that of the kingdom of the religious leaders of Israel. His kingdom triumphs over the sin and the death that was ushered into this world through Adam in the Garden of Eden.
In v.19 of today's passage we read, "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
It was at this point that the Lord Jesus began to reinforce the fact that no fallen man can measure up to His righteous demands. To not live up to the least commandment and then to teach others accordingly would render that person the least in the kingdom of heaven. Most believe that if their good behavior outweighs their bad behavior then God will see fit to allow them into heaven. This is not the teaching of the Bible. A relevant example of this were the religious leaders of Israel who gave their entire lives to understanding what it meant to be good enough to get into heaven. Understanding it and doing it are two very different things. For those who think they might be "good enough," they must ask themselves "How good is good enough?" Clearly, the religious route wasn't enough. In fact, it is arrogant to think any fallen man could measure up to the truth. The idea that we can be good enough also reveals how low of a view we have of the righteousness of God.
You will remember the Lord Jesus began this chapter with the words, "Blessed are the poor in Spirit." Then He said, "Blessed are those who mourn." It is always the person who realizes he is spiritually bankrupt before God or that he is not good enough, who is postured to see that he cannot be good enough. Humility is a must for anyone to see this. When we recognize that before God we are poverty stricken and are broken which is what results in our mourning over our hopeless condition, it is then that we are positioned to see that we cannot be good enough. It is out of this posture that we are positioned to embrace the repentance of which John the Baptist preached.
With reference to being in the kingdom of God, it is clear throughout the Bible that our faith in the promise of God unto salvation given to all who believe is what makes us right with Him and thus in His kingdom. Of course, the ultimate gift of forgiveness and sonship with God comes through the cross of the Lord Jesus. So, it is through His perfection both displayed through His perfectly lived life and His perfect sacrifice on the cross that makes us righteous and acceptable before Him.
In v.20 of today's passage we read, "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
In that day, most considered the religious leaders of Israel to be the epitome of righteousness. But, that was the evaluation of men. The righteousness of the religious leaders seemed better than that of the average guy but it wasn't good enough when evaluated by God. Even though someone like the Apostle Paul who was a Pharisee was blameless before the law concerning righteousness, even he could not enter into the kingdom of heaven without placing His faith in the Lord Jesus. The reason is found in Habakkuk 2:4 which reads, "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith."
The word translated "just" means righteous. It is only those who live by faith in the God of the Bible who are pronounced by Him as righteous before Him. To trust in one’s own merit through obedience to the law is what the Scribes and Pharisees did and it was not enough according to the Lord Jesus. This religious view of the religious leaders revealed their faith was in themselves. Therefore, only by faith in the completed work of the Lord Jesus can a man possess the righteousness that exceeds the most meticulously faithful observer of the law, such as the religious leaders of Israel.
This is the reason the Apostle Paul penned in Galatians 6:14-15, "14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation."
