What God Really Wants ~ reflex on Mt. 5:20-26

Jesus often calls his listeners to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, the ones who kept the Law perfectly and put themselves in high places of judgment over others. We are mostly familiar with Jesus’ warnings against the false holiness of those who elevate themselves and insulate themselves from the demands of true charity, hiding behind the Law.

But today we hear him quoting the Law and then saying that it does not go far enough. In a whole series of teachings, Jesus says, “You have heard it said to your ancestors…. But I say to you….” He interprets the Law in a deeper way, putting himself above it. This is serious business. The Jews identify themselves above all as God’s Chosen People, and the Law of Moses (God’s own message to Israel) is their identification card! Jesus claims to bring this Law to fulfillment, asserts himself as higher than the Law, and begins to explain the deeper meaning of the Law. The only way to interpret this is that Jesus is claiming to have God’s own authority.

How does Jesus’ interpretation of the Law differ? He is explaining the Law – which could easily be viewed from a superficial and external perspective – from the true desire of God’s own Heart for ours. Our external behavior should not simply obey the “letter of the law,” but should follow God’s will for us out of love. In other words, our external behavior should mirror our interior thoughts and desires, which should be aligned with God’s thoughts and desires.

“You shall not kill” does not only rule out murder, but encompasses our entire being and the deepest recesses of our heart. So claiming, “Well, I haven’t killed anyone,” isn’t enough to satisfy God’s deeper desire for us. We are not obeying God’s deeper commandment if we are seething with anger or calling someone names or (probably most serious of all) refusing to forgive them. We are called to conform our thoughts and sentiments to those of God Himself, and love those who act against us or hurt us in some way.

This is what Jesus means when he refers to surpassing the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, those who patted themselves on the back for their external adherence to the Law. True obedience, the adherence that pleases the Heart of the Father, comes from our loving trust in His Providence and does not stop with exterior conformity only. God cares about what happens in our mind and heart. We are called to more than the letter of the Law; we are called to be His true children, who obey fully out of love.