October 17th, 2025
We continue our mountain climb with Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, and today we find ourselves in Matthew 5:17–20.
Every day one of my children asks for something. And every day I usually respond, “Not unless you…”—fill in the blank. Not unless you clean the litter box. Not unless you do the dishes. It’s probably not the best parenting strategy, but it gets things done.
The danger is that we can read a passage like Matthew 5:17–20 in that same transactional way. We think Jesus is saying, “If you want a certain outcome, then you must do a certain thing.” But Jesus isn’t calling for a transaction into the kingdom of heaven—He’s calling for transformation by the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus is transitioning from the introduction of His sermon into the heart of it. He’s not abolishing the law or wiping away what once was—He’s fulfilling it. Everything the Old Testament pointed toward—God’s will, God’s hope, God’s future—is now finding its fullest meaning in Jesus Christ.
Disciples are called to a different kind and quality of righteousness, not an increased quantity. This isn’t transactional. It’s transformative.
If Jesus were calling us to do more and be better, He would simply be reaffirming the law. But He’s fulfilling it. He’s calling for a different quality of righteousness—one that abounds above.
When Jesus says, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees,” that word surpasses means “to abound above.” It’s not about doing more, but being transformed into something different. Jesus reframes righteousness—not as being right, but as being deemed right by God.
The Greek word dikaiosune literally means “being deemed right by the Lord after His examination.” It’s what God approves with His eyes. It’s not about our correctness or our understanding—it’s about God’s approval and our right relationship with Him.
Far too often, we think being righteous means being right. But being right is not the same as being righteous. Being right in relationship with the Father is what makes us righteous.
I coach volleyball, and in sports there’s an easy way to measure success: wins and losses. But that kind of scoreboard mentality often carries into our faith. We think righteousness is about having more points, being more right, proving others wrong. But that’s not what Jesus means.
Righteousness has very little to do with how right you are. The fruit of the Spirit doesn’t include “rightness.” Jesus has already won the game. He’s not calling us to perform better or score more points—He’s calling us to a righteousness based on relationship, not results.
The Apostle Paul understood this. In Philippians 3:7–9, he writes:
What changed for Paul wasn’t his performance—it was Jesus. It’s about grace, not effort. About relationship, not achievement.
Jesus’ call to righteousness is about becoming different people, not scoreboard winners. It’s not about being better—it’s about being whole.
Matthew 5:20 and 5:48 form bookends around this part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus begins by saying our righteousness must abound above that of the Pharisees, and later says, “Be perfect—whole—as your Heavenly Father is whole.” Living in right relationship with God changes who we are.
It’s not about being right. It’s about being whole.
When you’re on the side of the mountain with Jesus, you can’t simply set aside His words. You can’t pick and choose what you like. You can’t live halfway into the kingdom.
Unless we trade our old way of being right for Jesus’ way of being whole, the kingdom will stay out of reach.
The kingdom of heaven is here. Are we willing to be changed by the words of Jesus?
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them... For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Every day one of my children asks for something. And every day I usually respond, “Not unless you…”—fill in the blank. Not unless you clean the litter box. Not unless you do the dishes. It’s probably not the best parenting strategy, but it gets things done.
The danger is that we can read a passage like Matthew 5:17–20 in that same transactional way. We think Jesus is saying, “If you want a certain outcome, then you must do a certain thing.” But Jesus isn’t calling for a transaction into the kingdom of heaven—He’s calling for transformation by the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus is transitioning from the introduction of His sermon into the heart of it. He’s not abolishing the law or wiping away what once was—He’s fulfilling it. Everything the Old Testament pointed toward—God’s will, God’s hope, God’s future—is now finding its fullest meaning in Jesus Christ.
Disciples are called to a different kind and quality of righteousness, not an increased quantity. This isn’t transactional. It’s transformative.
If Jesus were calling us to do more and be better, He would simply be reaffirming the law. But He’s fulfilling it. He’s calling for a different quality of righteousness—one that abounds above.
When Jesus says, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees,” that word surpasses means “to abound above.” It’s not about doing more, but being transformed into something different. Jesus reframes righteousness—not as being right, but as being deemed right by God.
The Greek word dikaiosune literally means “being deemed right by the Lord after His examination.” It’s what God approves with His eyes. It’s not about our correctness or our understanding—it’s about God’s approval and our right relationship with Him.
Far too often, we think being righteous means being right. But being right is not the same as being righteous. Being right in relationship with the Father is what makes us righteous.
I coach volleyball, and in sports there’s an easy way to measure success: wins and losses. But that kind of scoreboard mentality often carries into our faith. We think righteousness is about having more points, being more right, proving others wrong. But that’s not what Jesus means.
Righteousness has very little to do with how right you are. The fruit of the Spirit doesn’t include “rightness.” Jesus has already won the game. He’s not calling us to perform better or score more points—He’s calling us to a righteousness based on relationship, not results.
The Apostle Paul understood this. In Philippians 3:7–9, he writes:
“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done... I no longer count my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.”
What changed for Paul wasn’t his performance—it was Jesus. It’s about grace, not effort. About relationship, not achievement.
Jesus’ call to righteousness is about becoming different people, not scoreboard winners. It’s not about being better—it’s about being whole.
Matthew 5:20 and 5:48 form bookends around this part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus begins by saying our righteousness must abound above that of the Pharisees, and later says, “Be perfect—whole—as your Heavenly Father is whole.” Living in right relationship with God changes who we are.
It’s not about being right. It’s about being whole.
When you’re on the side of the mountain with Jesus, you can’t simply set aside His words. You can’t pick and choose what you like. You can’t live halfway into the kingdom.
Unless we trade our old way of being right for Jesus’ way of being whole, the kingdom will stay out of reach.
The kingdom of heaven is here. Are we willing to be changed by the words of Jesus?
Posted in OTM
No Comments