Oct 18 – Righteousness Greater Than That of the Scribes and Pharisees!

“Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord speaks about righteousness several times. The righteousness of God’s children must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.

There was a kind of righteousness that the Pharisees practised. They fasted twice a week. They gave tithes from all that they possessed. When a Pharisee described his religious practices in prayer, he thanked God that he was not like other sinners, and declared that he fasted twice a week and gave tithes of all his possessions (Luke 18:11–12)

The Lord therefore teaches us that our righteousness must be greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees. If they fasted twice a week, should we be unwilling to fast? If they faithfully gave their tithes, should we neglect to give?

There are many sincere and upright people in our nation who desire to live honest and exemplary lives. There are also sages, ascetics, holy men and others who earnestly seek to reach God and devote themselves to spiritual disciplines. Should not the life of a Christian be even more exemplary than theirs? Therefore, surrender yourself to the Lord to live a truly righteous life.

A Christian once proudly said, “I never accept bribes.” A Brahmin woman who heard him say this responded, “I do not accept bribes either. At New Year, a contractor who had dealings with our office came and distributed new diaries to everyone. I considered even that to be a form of bribery, so I refused to accept one. But I saw you accepting it. Where, then, is your righteousness?” The Christian could not answer that question.

Children of God, our righteousness must not merely be something we profess with our lips. It must be seen in the integrity of our daily lives.

A servant of God once shared: “I used to sleep until early morning. But around five o’clock, I would hear the call to prayer coming from the mosque. It deeply convicted my heart. Now I rise and pray even before they begin their prayers. I desire to make sure that my righteousness is greater.”

Muslims have the practice of praying five times a day. David, desiring that his devotion to God should exceed that of others, declared that he hated falsehood, loved God’s Word, and praised the Lord seven times a day because of His righteous judgments (Psalm 119:163–164). What a challenge this is to us!

Verse for further meditation: “Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.” (Job 27:5)