The Meaning Of Righteousness? Part 2
Last week we listened as Jesus spoke to us about basis and foundation of absolute truth, absolute right and wrong. And as you may recall Jesus made it clear that until heaven and earth pass away, Gods Word remains authoritative and in fact absolute truth and the basis for absolute right and wrong.
The Righteousness God Requires Must Come From The Heart
Today the Lord continues to speak about the Law of God as He teaches that righteousness is a matter of the heart.
Matthew 5:20 through 48
20For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 21You have heard that the ancients were told, YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER and Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, You goodfornothing, shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, You fool,shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
To Jesus legalistic, works oriented hearers, this was a radical teaching. If the meticulously religious and seemingly moral Pharisees could not get to heaven then who could?
He has essentially made it clear that true righteousness exceeds anything that a person might have or accomplish in himself.
When we take this teaching with other teaching through out the New Testament it is clear that the purpose of Gods Law was not to show what to do in order to make oneself acceptable, but as Jesus has already pointed out in the the first beatitude, the first step toward the kingdom of God is poverty of spirit. That is, recognizing ones total wretchedness and inadequacy before God.
Remember That God Considers The Attitude Behind The Act
From the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus focuses on the internal. He is concerned with what men are like in their hearts and minds. The right external behavior only counts when it corresponds to right internal attitudes and motives.
The Bible clearly teaches the principle that God looks to the heart.
Genesis 6:5
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
1 Kings 8:39
then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men
1 Chronicles 28:9
As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.
Psalm 51:6
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
Proverbs 16:2
All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,But the LORD weighs the motives.
Jeremiah 17:10
I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways,According to the results of his deeds.
Time and again during Jesus ministry on the earth his opponents would be grumbling about what he was doing and Jesus address them about it because he knew what was in their hearts
Luke 9:46 through 48
An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. 47But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side, 48and said to them, Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.
John 2:24 through 25
But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
1 Corinthians 4:45
For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of mens hearts; and then each mans praise will come to him from God.
Hebrews 4:13
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
God looks at what is in the heart.
God is not interested in outward behavior that does not correspond with what is in the heart and mind of man.
Only God can judge because only God can see the heart.
Then Jesus gives 6 illustrations of righteousness from the heart.
The first illustration deals with the sin of murder.
Do you realize that the first crime that man committed was murder?
Ever since the first family, murder has been part of the human experience.
Today there are over 25,000 known murders committed every year in the United States alone. That is something like 70 a day.
You have heard that the ancients were told. Jesus is refering to the traditions and teaching of the Judaism which had replaced the authority of the Scriptures. He is refering to the traditional interpretations of the scriptures. Specifically the ten commandments.
The commandment first recorded in Exodus
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder.
It is important to note that this is not a prohibition to every form of killing a human being. The term used has to do with criminal killing.
In the scripture capital punishment, just warfare, selfdefense and even accidental homicide are excluded from the killing that is prohibited.
The commandment is against the intentional killing of another human being for purely personal reasons, whatever those reasons might be.
Now, just like the people who first heard this teaching by Jesus, most of us are convinced that we are totally innocent of this particular evil.
Of all the commandments, murder was THE ONE that the Pharisees and Scribes KNEW without a doubt they had not broken.
But Jesus attacks this kind of selfconfidence by essentially saying that no one is truly innocent of murder because the first step to murder is anger. Jesus reveals the intent of Gods Law and Gods standard of righteousness by making it clear that even if you have not committed the physical act of murder, if you have had anger in your heart, you are not innocent.
Jesus shatters the complacent selfrighteousness by saying that a person is guilty of murder even if he is angry with, hates, curses, or maligns another person.
It is possible for a person who has never been involved in so much as a fist fight to have more of a murderous spirit that a serial killer.
Jesus declares that a person guilty of anger is guilty of murder and deserves a murderers punishment.
Its possible for a model lawabiding citizen to be as guilty of murder as anyone on death row.
Anger is murder tantamount to murder.
1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer
In verse 22 Jesus gives three illustrations or examples of the divine definition of murder.
1. Anger
Now we know that Jesus is not talking about every form of anger. Once in righteous anger He cleansed the Temple of people who defiled it. Matthew 21:12
But Jesus is not talking about anger over God being dishonored.
What he is talking about is selfish anger at someone because they did something we didnt like, or they did something that irritates us, or displeases us.
The word translated anger has to do with brooding, simmering anger that is nurtured and not allowed to die.
Holding a grudge and becoming bitter and refusing to forgive.
Its the kind of anger that hangs on to resentment and does not want to be reconciled.
Jesus said that kind of anger is that same as murder.
2. Slander
who ever shall say to his brother, Raca.
It was derogatory term common to that day for which there is not an exact English equivalent.
It was a malicious term of derision and slander.
Suffice to say it was a word of arrogant contempt.
3. Condemning Someones Character
and whoever says, You fool.
The word means stupid or dull but it was used to refer to a person who was obstinate and godless
Its like accusing someone of not only being stupid but also being godless.
