Word to the Wise
Friday, March 3, 2023 - 1st Week of Lent - Fri
[Ezek 18:21-28 and Matt 5:20-26]"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven." [Matthew]
The scribes and Pharisees get a lot of bad press in the gospels. They weren't bad as a class, but corruption had crept in and Jesus did not hesitate to call them out! The gospel passage today comes from chapter 5 - the Sermon on the Mount - in the Gospel According to Matthew. But to understand more fully what Jesus was reacting to, we have to fast forward to chapter 23. There we find a detailed indictment. "The scribes and Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice!"
The basic teaching here is that power can corrupt religious observance, and that corruption comes from within the power-holder. It is not simply a standard of conduct - although Jesus condemns some of their conduct - it is a standard of motivation and interior integrity! A follower of Jesus is called to a challenging standard of righteousness. Religious observance without religious integrity is empty, as the Old Testament prophets preached long before, Jesus calls us to integrity and challenges us to put skin on it. AMEN
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