Except Your Righteousness Shall Exceed

“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” There was not, nor has there ever been a group of people who were so scrupulously exact in obeying the Law and every rule and regulation imposed by Rabinnic tradition than the scribes and Pharisees at the time of Jesus’s ministry. But Jesus did not say that we must exceed the scribes and Pharisees in our exactitude and obedience, but rather that we must exceed their righteousness. If we have any hopes of entering into the Kingdom of Heaven, then we must grow beyond a dependence on the careful observation of rigidly bound rules and regulations. We must embrace our own agency and have the faith to trust and rely on the guidance of the Spirit, even if sometimes the Spirit directs us to choose righteousness over exact obedience. Saul thought it was better to follow the law of Moses and sacrifice the animals he seized, rather than obey the words of the living prophet. David considered it more righteous to save his starving men by feeding them the forbidden shewbread, rather than allow the law to tie up his righteous impulse. Time and time again Jesus was confronted with the choice of either obeying the letter of the law, or exercising His power to bring healing and light and love to those who were suffering. Rahab allowed her righteousness to exceed her obedience when she hid the two spies. Esther allowed her righteousness to exceed her obedience when she defied the orders of the king in order to save her people. God does not want His children shackling themselves in red tape as an excuse to pass by on the other side and refuse to help those who are struggling. Of course He wants us to be obedient, but always we must above all else obey the First and Second Great Commandments - to Love God and to Love our neighbor. God doesn’t need nor want mindless automatons that blindly and unthinkingly and unfeelingly follow His every order. He wants our righteousness to exceed blind obedience. It is sometimes hard to listen to the Spirit when we are prompted to follow the commandments, but it is even harder to listen to the Spirit when it seems from our limited, mortal perspective that the Spirit is urging us to disregard the Commandments in favor of a higher purpose. I know that if we trust in the Lord with all our heart, He will lead and guide us into making sure that our righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees until at last we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.