Saturday, December 28, 2013

More righteous than these

The SALT group at the Odon Church of the Nazarene has been going through the Sermon on the Mount on Sunday mornings. The past two weeks have been about being salt and light in the world. We're now ready for Matthew 5:17-20.  It will be our topic of discussion for Sunday morning, December 29th.

From the NIV:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

What radical stuff this is! How could anyone possibly be more righteous than the Pharisees and teachers of the law? They were the most righteous people around! If you weren't already aware of that fact, all you had to do was ask them. They spent more energy studying and observing the law handed down from Moses than anyone. As I once heard a pastor tell a new convert who was asking too many questions, "The difference between us is that I have been schooled in these matters and you have not." Matter settled. The authority on Scripture had spoken.

And yet ... Jesus said we needed to do better. How is this possible?

In his exposition on Matthew for The Interpreter's Bible, George A. Buttrick suggests four dimensions of deficiency to the righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes.

1. "Their righteousness was not long enough. It had no reach... They drew their robes tightly around them to avoid contamination."

2. "Their righteousness was not broad enough. Too often their religion narrowed itself down to prohibitions."

3. "Their righteousness was not deep enough... They had no deep-probing eyes of love" -- to detect pure motives behind a person's actions that might not meet the letter of the law.

4. "Their righteousness was not high enough. It was satisfied; it had no 'beyond' to beckon it, no risks, no aspiration, no abandon of worship. It was a low-vaulted and formal righteousness."

All of those four deficiencies have substance to them, but I am particularly drawn to the last. I have seen multiple examples of people lowering the bar for righteousness so that their current condition meets the goal. "Well, of course, we can't be expected to be gentle and kind when we're having a bad day! It's simply human to snap at people under such conditions." Rather than lowering the standards to fit where I am, I am much more excited to think about the possibilities of where I can be in days to come. Of course, this requires trust in God's grace to accept me where I am until I can more up higher, but, fortunately, grace is freely offered during these, our growing years.

What do you think? Which, if any, of the four "not enough" statements most speaks to you?

Other thoughts on the passage?

Feel free to comment here or on Facebook (if you came here from there) or at the Odon Church of the Nazarene, 633 East Elnora Street in Odon, Indiana, at 9:30 on Sunday morning.