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). The strong words used in this conclusion are “you” and “yours” (Matthew 5:20). The opening statement of our passage focuses on the crowd to whom He is speaking, “For I say to you (humin).” That places the passage’s meaning in that day’s cultural setting. We must carefully investigate and understand the Scriptures and righteousness considering the context of Jesus’ day. However, He is even more forceful in linking them directly to the righteousness required by saying, “your righteousness.” No hint of “imputed righteousness” is in His statement. Jesus speaks directly to the individual; He refers to the righteousness they possess. Additional ceremonies or activities are not required to produce a shell or image of righteousness. Finally, Jesus uses “you” as the subject contained in the main verb, enter (eiserchomai), at the end of the verse as a warning and encouragement placed on each person listening to His message. Each one must have a personal righteousness to enter the relationship known as the “Kingdom of Heaven.” This approach promotes questions about “how.” “What should I do?” “How can I improve?” But Jesus has already dismissed all those questions as unimportant and irrelevant. We discover our helplessness in “The Formation of the Kingdom” (Matthew 5:3-12). Any attempt to self-source righteousness places us equal to the scribes and Pharisees whose righteousness is beneath the requirement. Jesus proposes personal righteousness, the fulfillment of the Scriptures in our lives.