“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Wow! Jesus seems to be setting an impossibly high bar in Matthew 5:20. The Pharisees and scribes were the keepers of all of the spiritual ordinances and practices that defined what was required for a Jew to be in good standing with God. How do you get holier than the very people who were considered God’s exemplars of holiness?
Jesus goes on to explain. The law says do not murder. Good. But Jesus goes on to say that regarding someone with a murderous hatred is just as unholy. Moses gave the commandment, “Do not kill.” Jesus turns that up to 11: Do not hate and dehumanize another human being. “Anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Rather, Jesus goes on to say, take the time to iron out differences person to person. Even in worship, taking time to heal a rift between yourself and another person is better than presenting yourself before God bearing animus toward another person.
It’s another reminder of the circle of love that runs from God to us through others that God invites us to be a part of.