This is a loaded question for anyone. In Romans 3:10, Paul teaches us that no one is righteous, not one! Yet, in Matthew 5:20, Jesus teaches that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. So how do we reconcile these two verses? In Romans, Paul speaks of righteousness that comes from something intrinsically our own. He is seeking to reason with the Jews who were practicing keeping the law as a means of justification. They were of the opinion that they were better than the Gentiles, which is anyone not of Jewish heritage. He begins to show them that they had also failed to keep the law. He wanted them to understand that only having the righteousness of Jesus would qualify them to enter into the presence of God.
Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
So, if we have no righteousness on our own, what was Jesus talking about when he said, “except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees”? If you follow the life of your average Pharisee, you will find that they prayed a lot. They outwardly observed all of the ceremonial and traditional laws. They were diligent about keeping the letter of the law, but they were lacking the most important part. It may have seemed they were doing what Jesus required, fasting, praying, being self-controlled, fearing God, and being pure, but it was all external. Jesus wanted them, and us, to see that what you do on the outside doesn’t matter if the inside isn’t pure. If the internal is not driving the external, it’s nothing more than a religious exercise.
Jesus rebukes the Pharisees several times throughout His earthly ministry. In Matthew chapter 23, He pronounces 8 “woes” on them for their external religion. It was self-serving and the opposite of what Jesus taught by example. He was humble, and they were proud. He served all, but they expected to be served. He dealt with others according to their hearts; they sought only outward appearance. An outward appearance they deemed necessary to be right with God, but it was not one God commanded. In Matthew 23:13-33, there are many harsh words from Jesus to them. All of Jesus’ “woes” are warnings of what will happen if they continue on this path. He calls them fools and says they are teaching false doctrine. They are also guilty of causing others to go to Hell. “They shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.” The scribes and Pharisees did all they could to keep people from believing in Jesus. They were Jesus’ chief enemies.
Matthew 23:13 “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”
Jesus calls them hypocrites. In biblical times, a hypocrite was a stage actor. They played the role of another, pretending to be someone they were not.
It is a serious thing to misrepresent God. Only through the righteousness of Jesus can anyone stand right before God. His shed blood covering our sins is what God sees when we come to Him after salvation. In this manner, we exceed the righteousness of all others. Jesus is our righteousness. Matthew 5:20 would have been difficult words from Jesus for them to understand. The scribes were the most prominent teachers of the law, and the Pharisees were the celebrated professors of the law. The common Jew did not expect or even try to be on the same level spiritually as these two groups of people.
Matthew 5:20 “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.”
In Luke 18:10, Jesus gives us a good example of two men who both went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee the other a publican, which is a tax collector. A tax collector collected taxes for the government but extorted more from people than they owed, pocketing the excess. They were hated by others and looked upon as a thief. The Pharisee stands and prays, reciting all his goodness to God. He wants to be heard and is immensely proud. The publican stands apart from the others and does not feel worthy to lift his eyes to heaven. Instead of reciting his honorable deeds, he begs God for mercy. He admits he is a sinner. Jesus confirms the publican was justified because of his humility and honesty about himself before a holy God. This man understood that he had no righteousness of his own.
Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you; this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalted himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.”
What are you depending on for your righteousness? Are you a publican or a Pharisee? No one who knows anything about salvation would claim the attitude of a Pharisee, yet our actions speak louder than our words. Think about your personal life with God and with your fellow man. Are you teachable, or are you too proud to listen and change? Do you see yourself as better than others because you have things, you were brought up in a Christian home, and you have an education and a respectable job? When it comes to being righteous, there is only one way, and in God’s eyes, we are all equal. So, how’s your righteousness?
