I am a Jesus Pusher! “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). Jesus spent three years of ministry calling the scribes and Pharisees to an inward embracing of the reality of God. They so resisted His teaching that it ended in His crucifixion. A few days before this event, Jesus preached His final public message to a large crowd (Matthew 23). It consisted of a warning against the external emphasis of the scribes and Pharisees. He appealed to His disciples and the crowd not to be like them (Matthew 23:1). In describing this damning religious approach, He said, “For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25). He continued by explaining what He meant to have no misunderstanding. “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:28). The consequence of such a state became evident. “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33).
The Old Testament prophets often highlighted the shift from the external law to the internal reality of His presence. Jeremiah expressed the words of God in crying, “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:33). Ezekiel cried to his people with the words of God. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Although the scribes and Pharisees lived in the time of the Old Covenant, they lived in expectation of the fullness of the Spirit. Living in the external observance, they were to long for the coming of the Messiah and the transition of the internal reality. Yes, the righteousness of the Kingdom of Heaven would far exceed the righteousness of the Old Covenant! I am a Jesus Pusher!