This past weekend at Village Church in our series on Matthew we came to this amazing statement by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20). It is jarring and challenging to us and it should be. Here is why.

I worked as a Young Adult Pastor for a few years before planting Village Church. During that time, I had hundreds of conversations with Young Adults, many of whom were sincerely trying to follow Jesus, and others who were doing their best to live a life of holiness-at-the-bare-minimum. They would constantly ask me questions that revealed their heart: How far can I go? Is oral sex okay before we are married, or what about anal – does that count? Can I drink three beers or four at a party? If i see it as art is it okay to watch this or that?

These questions are almost at the opposite end of the spectrum that Jesus lays out here. He says our lives should not be about bare minimums but about extravagant holiness. Our holiness has to go beyond the most righteous people of the day. Earlier Jesus said those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness” are in the kingdom. Jesus uses the accusative tense, which means the person is seeking not just some righteousness, but all righteousness.

“All the righteousness there is to get, I want that!”

How is one more righteous than the Pharisees? God not only has your external works as with them, but your internal life as well. Your heart. Your life when no one is looking. Who you are in the dark.