Isaiah 58: 1–12; Psalm 112; I Corinthians 2: 1–16; Matthew
5: 13–20
This is a homily by
Fr. Gene Tucker, that was given at St. John’s in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on
Sunday, February 5, 2017.
“TRUE
AND EXCEEDING RIGHTEOUSNESS”
(Homily texts: Isaiah
58: 1–12 & Matthew 5: 13–20)
“For
I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the
Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus’
words, which are drawn from His Sermon on the Mount, seem to create a high
barrier to entry into the kingdom.
I
don’t know about you, but – at first glance – I know that there’s no way I
could measure up to the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees. Perhaps
you might think that you’re in the same boat.
But
to understand whether or not the standard set by the scribes and the Pharisees
is such a high standard, we might examine the sort of righteousness these two
important groups established during the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry. And,
while we’re at it, we ought to remind ourselves just who these two groups were.
We
begin by looking at these two groups’ identities:
The scribes were educated lay people. They
could read and write, and so - since they were one of the few members of
society 2,000 years ago who had those abilities - they served a legal function
in administering the affairs of the people. In addition, they knew the texts
and the requirements of the Law of Moses.
The
Pharisees were also a lay group. They were concerned with preserving Jewish
identity in the face of the Roman occupation. Much of their work was devoted to
encouraging (and demanding) faithful adherence to the minutest aspects of the
Law. Unlike the Sadducees (who were priests), the Pharisees accepted the
authority of the writings of the Old Testament prophets.
It’s
fair to say that both groups were among Jesus’ chief adversaries, ones who were
often the targets of Jesus’ sharpest rebukes.
Now,
let’s turn to some of the major concerns of these groups. In particular, let’s
look at three incidents in which the Pharisees raised objections to something
Jesus had done:
- Eating with defiled hands: In Mark 7: 4, we read about the encounter between the Pharisees and Jesus’ disciples. They ask the disciples why they eat without washing their hands beforehand. Mark goes on to chronicle some of the Pharisees’ elaborate rituals for washing pots and other utensils and the washing of food.).
- Picking grain on the Sabbath: The Pharisees object to Jesus and His disciples for plucking and eating heads of grain on the Sabbath. (See Mark 2: 23, 24.)
- Healing on the Sabbath: In the Fourth Gospel, John provides a detailed account of a man who had been born blind. Jesus heals the man on the Sabbath, incurring the wrath of the Pharisees. (John 9: 1–41) The Pharisees maintain that Jesus could not be from God, because He “does not observe the Sabbath.”
From
these three incidents, we could rightly come to the conclusion that the Pharisees
and their allies were focusing their attention on nit-picky things, on the
minutest details of the Law. But another and more serious aspect of their
beliefs and their actions arises in connection with the healing of the man born
blind: It is the attitude that someone who was ill was in such a condition as a
direct result of some serious sin. Moreover, the Pharisees (along with many
others in that society) also believed that a person who was rich was especially
blessed by God for their righteousness, while a poor
person was outside of God’s blessing due to some serious spiritual condition.
It is
difficult for us to identify with the focal points of the Pharisees, for we
aren’t concerned with issues such as keeping the Sabbath, plucking grain on the
Sabbath, or doing good (like healing) on the Sabbath. But imagine if we focused
on some of the very minor points of keeping our worship traditions, things
like: 1. Does a person genuflect (a deep bow on one knee) by going down on the
right knee or the left knee (I actually had a person who was known to me ask me
if I had knee problems, because I genuflected by dropping my left knee), or 2.
Does a person do a proper solemn bow (a deep bow at the waist), differentiating
a solemn bow from a simple bow (a bow from the neck)?
From
these two examples, we can see that it’s possible for those who are members of
a church that maintains a liturgical tradition to focus in on the minutest
details of our worship practices. If we do that, then we are doing the same
sorts of things the Pharisees did.
So
what’s the problem with the Pharisees’ righteousness? It was pretty strict
stuff, wasn’t it?
The
problem is that the Pharisees and their allies tried to keep the rules, but
forgot that the rules are of lesser importance than the people the rules are
supposed to benefit. Jesus’ summary of the relationship is found in Mark 2: 27:
“The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.”
In
their zeal to keep the Law, the Pharisees forgot to love. They forgot the
admonitions of the prophets like Isaiah, whose words we read this morning: “Is
this not the fast that I choose: To loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the
thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is
it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the homeless poor into
your house, when you see the naked, to cover them, and not hide yourself from
your own kin?”
If we
examine closely the list Isaiah provides us, we see that the tasks he
enumerates are all everyday, common actions that demonstrate that we are
connected one to another. Indeed, much of the focus of the Law of Moses has to
do with the ways in which people relate to one another, and in the ways in
which we care for and uphold one another. The Law was seen as a walk of life,[1] one that
involved not only faithful observance of the rituals the Law required, but also
in the care given to the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger.
If we
remember our obligation to care for those in need, then indeed, our
righteousness will exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Seen from this
perspective, the task is easy. Our focus must be on the righteousness that
keeps God’s love for us as the motivating force which prompts us to share that
love with others, and particularly with those whose lot in life is difficult.
AMEN.
