Better than Us
Jesus is always pushing his disciples to be better, do more, go the extra mile.
Jesus said, “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” - Matthew 5:20–26
Who among us wants to be judged by others for what we do or who we choose to be?
At first glance, one might see Jesus setting a high bar for his disciples. If you are even angry with someone, you will be judged for it. Who doesn't get angry?
Could you imagine being judged for every insult or barb?
I believe Jesus is fully aware of our limitations. He knows we are not perfect, but he wants us to think about what it takes to be without blemish when we come to God to offer ourselves and our gifts.
We need to be better than us.
That may be the simple message we need to carry every day. Strive to be better. Not better than everyone else, though we may be tempted to compare ourselves. But be better than we are now, no matter how good we think we are.
It is like the man who has to give a talk and as he walks up to the podium, he remembers a key point in his speech that he forgot, so he stops and scribbles it in.
That is what Jesus wants us to do. Stop and write down what we forgot. Work out the little things that are holding us back. Be fully reconciled with everyone we can think of, including ourselves.
One of the hardest things we do is forgive ourselves for past sins. We cannot come to the altar loaded down with guilt. We must do all we can to shed it and let it go. One way to do that is to make peace.
So, he tells us to be righteous, more righteous than the scribes. That may not be saying much, since he calls them hypocrites.
Be more righteous than we were. That may be easier to understand.
More to come...