Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Matthew

[Sarah Rose]

Is this saying we have to be more righteous than the Pharisees to get into Heaven?

[jimwalton]

It's tongue-in-cheek. Our own righteousness doesn't get us anywhere, and, more to the point, neither did theirs. What Jesus is saying is that true righteousness is a matter of a right relationship with God, not being a good person. Our relationship with God is in actions, word, and the heart, not just in good works (and in that sense must "exceed" that of the Pharisees). Religious activity for any reason than what your heart drives you to do it is empty and hollow. It is vanity. The problem with religious activity ("Pharisee righteousness") is that it gives a false sense of security that we are meeting the just demands of God’s ethical checklist. Obedience to Jesus is better understood as a solar system of the heart where religious activity is just one planet.