I am a Jesus pusher!!! Jesus clearly contrasts righteousness in the New Covenant with that of the Old Covenant. “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). It is also a bit disturbing to notice the word “exceeds” as used by Jesus. The Greek word (perisseuo) translated exceeds comes from the root Greek word “perissos.” It means “abundant.” Jesus said that our righteousness in the New Covenant will “super abound” the righteousness of the Old Covenant. Immediately you ask, “How can this be possible?” How can anyone do more than the Pharisees did? How can we tithe more carefully than they did? How can we super abundantly keep the ceremonies of the temple more than they? It sounds like a ridiculous statement.
Jesus does not refer to the quantity of righteous deeds; He refers to the quality of righteousness! The quality of righteousness in the New Covenant is “super abundant” above anything the Pharisees and scribes could imagine. The reason is because of the source of the righteousness. The scribes and Pharisees attempted to align their lives with the claim God has upon man through the Law. This attempt was definitely self-sourced. It had to do with outward expression and adherence rather than inward relationship and attitude. Pride was at the core of each activity. The Spirit of Jesus sourcing the believer produces a quality of the life of Christ in all the outward expressions. I am a Jesus pusher!!