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.
Jesus. Matthew 5:20. Hi, it’s Nathan, and this is Day 16 of 30 Days on the Mount of Blessing. The esteemed men of religion carried on lives of apparently great devotion—yet it was nothing more than a shell. They boasted great faithfulness, yet accommodated their own self-interest in their pursuit of religion. I’m afraid they’d be in good company were they our contemporaries. Religious folks today often excuse their own immoral behavior while simultaneously calling out others for behavior they find outrageous. This double-talk received pointed criticism from Jesus. As human beings—especially if we profess to be following Jesus—we must insist that our personal lives are in obvious harmony with Jesus’ teachings. We must also work to hold accountable those institutions professing to be grounded in the teachings of Jesus.
