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). In our passage, Jesus strongly calls everyone to a new level of righteousness, because there is a new sourcing. Jesus sets the standard above the highest they could imagine for their day, the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. He said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds (perisseuo) . . .” (Matthew 5:20). “Exceeds” is the main verb; it expresses the idea of abundance, to be in excess, or to exceed in number of measure. However, there is a Greek adverb, “pleion,” not translated into English translations. It modifies the verb “exceeds” and is a superlative. A superlative expresses the highest or a high degree of quality. It means “many, much, or utmost,” increasing the emphasis of the verb “exceeds.”
This standard would seem impossible unless everyone fully understood “The Formation of the Kingdom.” The Beatitudes express God’s nature flowing through the new creation of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are revealed in our helplessness now experiencing the flow of His Spirit. In embracing oneness with Him, we become the Kingdom of God. The scribes and Pharisees sourced their righteousness from their helplessness, and they experienced nothing but failure and defeat. No comparison is between the self-sourcing of the Old Covenant and the Spirit-sourcing of the New Covenant. The merger between God and man produces a life that “exceeds” in righteousness, the righteousness of God! Jesus wants to live in and through me! I am a Jesus Pusher!!