Better than Pharisees Part 2

After Matthew 5:17-26 

How can you be better

than Pharisees, those

paragons of virtue who do

everything expected and

are master virtue signalers? 

I’ll explain. First, don’t be

Angry. Ever. For any reason.

Even if you’re justified,

Especially if you’re justified.

Second, don’t call anyone

a fool, even if that’s 

exactly what they are.

You can’t even call

them a fool in your head.

Resolve all bad feelings

against you, even if they’re

unwarranted. Reconcile 

with your accusers, even

if they’re wrong or false.

 

Who can do this, you say?

Who is humanly capable

of doing these things?

Right question. 

Right answer:

No one. That’s the point.

We can’t escape who 

we are. We can’t escape

our humanity. That’s why

there’s a law, a whole set

of laws, in detail because

the lawgiver knows how

we twist and turn and

try to find refuge from

our own behavior.

 

We can’t escape our fate

on our own. Only one

can do that, and do that

for us. The law is 

an impossible standard

because we’re human

and the lawgiver is not.

We can never measure up.

Our hope is in the impossible,

and the impossible has only

happened once.

 

Photograph by Chris Brignola via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Better than Pharisees Part 1

After Matthew 5:17-26 

We know the law exists

for a reason, or perhaps

two or three, like to provide

guardrails, or enshrine

proper behavior by setting

penalties for the improper,

or regulating behavior

by encouraging one thing

and discouraging another.

Law is how we function,

emphasis on “we.” So

it is a surprise to listen

in expectation of how

the law will be replaced,

and, instead, be told

the expected revolution 

won’t overthrow the law

but in fact fulfill it, that

not a single command

or provision of the law

will disappear until what

is ordained is accomplished.

You have to be better than

Pharisees! Even Pharisees

have to be better than Pharisees!

And you say, how does

that make any sense, and

what’s the point of trying

to obey something no one

can obey? The answer is,

exactly.

 

Photograph by Bill Oxford via Unsplash. Used with permission.