6th Sunday after Trinity + Matthew 5:20-26 + July 8, 2018
Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Most everyone today thinks they are righteous. They wouldn’t use that word. They would use the word ‘good.’ And externally, many people are ‘good’ to a certain degree. They don’t murder or steal. They don’t commit adultery or perjure themselves in court. They don’t complain out loud. On top of all that they don’t do, they’re nice folk who work hard and for the most part mind their own business, at least in comparison to others. This is what passes for “good” and “righteous” in our day. The same mentality passed for righteousness in Jesus’ day. The scribes and the Pharisees thought they were righteous as long as they kept God’s Law externally. They didn’t murder or steal. They didn’t commit adultery or perjure themselves. They didn’t complain out loud. They were pious folk who stood on the street corners praying. They tithed a tenth of all their possessions. They went to the Temple as often as they cou...