6th Sunday after Epiphany - Year A (Matthew 5:21-37)

Having just said a few verses earlier (in last Sunday’s pericope) that he had not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it, today’s verses provide an explanation of Jesus’ understanding of what this fulfillment of the law will require. For the ordinary Christian reading this Gospel text, this portion of the Sermon on the Mount seems to be somewhat short on good news. It appears that even the rigorous interpretation of the law held by the scribes and Pharisees is insufficient as this must be “exceeded”. These teaching are hard sayings. Is the Christian required to do something impossible in order to be saved? This was, of course, the question that so plagued Martin Luther. The key to seeing this passage as good news lies in paying closer attention to the words of Jesus from last week’s text. Jesus says “I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” It is Jesus, and not you and me, who must fulfill the law.
But, you might argue, Jesus goes on to say that your (meaning our, the hearer’s/reader’s) righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. I don’t think it a copout to suggest that this righteousness is achieved precisely through the prompt admission of our inability to meet these requirements and our utter dependence on God’s mercy. As portrayed in the Gospels, the Pharisees are individuals convinced of their own righteousness. The bottom line is that both the ordinary Christian and the Pharisee fail to observe the law in its fullness. The difference comes from the way in which this failure is acknowledged and the honest assessment of one’s ability to succeed.