|
Matthew 5:20
The Pharisees' righteousness was all outward. The Pharisees would stand and pray in the open, give their alms in the open, and do all kinds of things so that people could see them. Jesus asserts that our righteousness has to be more than what they did. He is thinking along the lines of actual, practical righteousness. We must go beyond the Pharisees' acts of righteousness, and mostly, He speaks about doing acts of righteousness in secret, not in public but in private. But they are still acts of righteousness, personal conduct that reflects what God does. So, the righteousness He speaks of here is righteousness of behavior, of conduct. Jesus wants the conduct of His disciples to be far better than that of the Pharisees.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Those Who Hunger and Thirst
|
