THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
19 July Anno + Domini 2009
"Does Your Righteousness Exceed That of the Scribes and Pharisees?â€
Matthew 5:17-26
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
"Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.†That's quite a statement, isn't it? Whose righteousness could possibly exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees? Certainly not mine. What about yours? Before you answer, you need to think about that for a minute. I mean, the scribes and Pharisees were in the righteousness business. They were all about being righteous. Being righteous consumed their very lives. They prayed every day, multiple times. They never missed synagogue or temple, unless an unavoidable tragedy occurred that prevented their attendance. They studied the Word of God zealously and took their religion extremely seriously. They set apart one day each week, the Sabbath Day, to do nothing (and when I say nothing, I mean nothing) but rest and meditate upon the Lord and His Word. They took God's Law seriously and strived with all their might to fulfill it. You would be hard pressed to find any other group in the history of mankind that practiced righteousness and took their religion as seriously as the scribes and Pharisees.
How do you measure up? How consumed are you with practicing righteousness and living out your religion? How zealous are you for the Word of the Lord? How seriously do you take His Law? How hard do you try to keep it? Can you imagine a scribe or a Pharisee missing synagogue or Temple because they had something else they wanted to do? Maybe they wanted to go golfing, or sleep-in, or they had some yard work, or some laundry, to do, so they stayed away - not likely.
"Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.†That's meant to scare us, and it had better scare us, for, truth be told, there is not a single one of us here today who wants to compare their righteousness with that of the scribes and Pharisees. Likewise, the statement by our Lord that He has not come to abolish the Law and that not an iota, not a dot, will pass away from the Law until all is accomplished, ought to cut us to the heart as well. The Law of God remains in full force. And, it leaves us no escape. For the Law of God never says, "Do your best,†but always, "Be perfect, or else!†The Law of God demands perfect obedience; there are no points for trying. Either you keep it or you don't. And, if you don't, you're in trouble, for heaven is locked for those who fail at keeping the Law. No one will ever enter heaven unless their righteousness is perfect. That's what Jesus means when He says that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. As hard as they tried, their righteousness was not perfect. Their efforts were not even close to being enough to earn entrance into heaven. And, if their efforts weren't enough, what of ours?
And, just in case anyone isn't tracking what Jesus is saying, He provides an illustration to leave no doubt as to what He means. "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder . . . But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.†In other words, if you hear Jesus saying that your righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees and that the Law must be kept perfectly, and you conclude, "Okey-dokey, everything's fine with me,†you ain't getting it!
But, if you are getting it; if you are listening to what Jesus is saying to you; if you understand what He means, then there will be but one possible response from you, namely to fall on your knees in utter anguish, crying out, "Lord, have mercy upon me!â€
That, dear friends, is the aim of the Law; that is the response Jesus is looking for here, for the Law He preaches - His Law - is meant to show us our sins and lead us to repentance. The Law is preached to break down the walls of self-righteousness we create for ourselves; to penetrate through the thinking that while we may not be perfect, we're at least better than most. To all those who think they're getting it done, the Law says, "No, you're not. You can't. Your every thought and action is tainted with sin.†And to the scribes and Pharisees, and all who follow in their footsteps, who think that they have fulfilled the letter of the Law by not committing the physical acts of murder, adultery, and so on, the Law says, "So what? The anger and lust in your hearts condemns you.â€
Repent! Let the Law of God have its way with you. It is meant to kill you. Let it. Surrender yourself to it. Be honest and admit your inability to keep it. Respond in the proper way to it, which is to throw yourself down before the Lord and beg for mercy. For the Good News of the Gospel which follows on the heels of the Law means nothing to those who have not been broken and slain by that Law. But, for those who have been broken and slain by the Law; to those who honestly admit their shortcomings and sins, recognizing that their righteousness doesn't even come close to exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees; to those whose consciences are terrified and whose hearts are contrite, that is, sorrowful, over their sins; to those who know that there is no escape, the Good News of the Gospel is the sweetest message ever heard.
And, that sweet message is that there is One whose righteousness does exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, and His Name is Jesus Christ. He has fulfilled the Law in His perfect, sinless life. But, more than that, hear this: He has done so for you. He came for this purpose, to live the life you can't live; to be the perfect, obedient Servant of God you fail to be; to perfectly fulfill every iota, every dot, of His perfect Law in your place. His righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, for He is the Righteous One, and His righteousness is perfect, without a single flaw or blemish. And, He took His perfect life to the cross, that He might trade His perfection with your imperfection. He went to the cross to trade His sinlessness with your sinfulness. He went to the cross as a perfect Lamb to pay the price for every single one of your sins. He became least in the kingdom of God, so that you might become the greatest. He died so that you might live. He suffered so that you might be set free from suffering. He endured Hell so that you would never have to do so.
Believe in Him, dear friends in Christ. Trust in Him. Cling to Him. For He is your salvation. He is your answer. He is your escape. He is the perfection you need. He is the righteousness you lack. He is the holiness necessary to enter God's presence. Through faith in Him, you are clothed in His perfect righteousness and holiness. And, it seems almost too good to be true, doesn't it? But, it's true nonetheless. It's why He came to live among us - to reconcile us with the Father, to be the answer for our sins, to be the righteousness and holiness we need - we have to have - in order to enter heaven.
So it is that the statement, "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter heaven,†loses its scariness and sting for those of you who trust in the One who made this statement, for in Him, with Him, and through Him, His righteousness becomes yours. The scribes and Pharisees, and all who follow in their footsteps, who trust in their own efforts at procuring self-righteousness, no matter how zealous they may be, no matter how hard they may try, no matter how close they may come to keeping the Law, have no access to heaven, for they can never do enough, can never be perfect enough, can never satisfy the perfect demands of the perfect Law. They need the righteousness they don't possess, the perfection they can't attain, the holiness that is alien to their sinful nature, and all of that comes in one way, and one way only, through faith in the Holy and Righteous Son of God, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.
Okay, so now what? The Law has killed us and the Gospel has made us alive. Now what? What do you mean, now what? Rejoice and live, that's what! Give thanks to God for so great a gift and live out your faith in the world, that's what! This is what St. Paul is getting at in the epistle lesson. He's warning us not to take the Gift of salvation for granted. "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!†You, dear friends, are baptized children of God, who have been rescued from sin, death, and the devil. Live like it. Be good. Love one another. Treat others as you would have others treat you. Forgive as you have been forgiven. Give as you have been freely given. When you have issues with someone, go and seek reconciliation. This is the Christian life. This is what Christians do. Not to earn their salvation. Not to perfect their own self-righteousness. Not to gain points with God. But, rather, because this is who they are. Motivated by the Gospel, you live for God and for one another. And, when you fail - and you will - you repent and turn to God for mercy through Jesus Christ. This is the Christian life - as the Blessed Reformer, Dr. Martin Luther said, the Christian life is a life of daily repentance and faith; a life of striving to live for God and neighbor; a life of battling sin, not indulging it; a life that knows that no matter how hard you try, you can't make it, but that Jesus Christ, your Savior, has made it for you. In other words, it's a life that does not take the Good News of the sweetest message of the Gospel - the sweetest message ever heard by human ears - for granted, but lives in it, by it, is surrounded with it, and allows it to flow through it to others.
And here, in the Lord's Holy House, is where He strengthens and preserves you for Christian living, empowering you by the Gospel delivered in Word and Sacrament to go forth in peace, free and forgiven, not to continue to indulge your sins, but to live as His servants, His ambassadors, His messengers in this dead and dying world. He fills you with Himself in the Holy Supper, that His very Body and Blood may course through your veins, and His love may flow forth from your lives. Come, then, dear friends, to His Table where your sins are forgiven and where you are strengthened to live out your lives in faith toward God and in fervent love toward neighbor. Do not leave here unchanged, but filled with the Gospel to live. In Jesus' Holy and Precious Name. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.