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Jesus’ Radical Ethics in Matthew 5: A Call to Inner Change and Authentic Living

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Table Of Contents
  1. Jesus’ Radical Ethics in Matthew 5: A Call to Inner Change and Authentic Living
  2. Introduction
  3. Dikaiosyne
  4. Defining Righteousness
  5. Righteousness of the Pharisees
  6. Righteousness of the Kingdom: Implications for Theology
  7. Conclusion

Snapshot

Ethics, especially in the church, is often a mirror of the shallow righteousness of the Pharisees. Often the church is prioritizing outward behavior over inner transformation. This post explores Jesus’ radical Kingdom Ethics in the SErmon on the Mount. Jesus reveals how true rightousness (dikaiosyne) is rooted in relationship with God and not merely external obedience. As Christians examine the Beatitudes and the six antithesis in Matthew 5, we are challenged to rethink church leadership as we move away from charisma and productivity towards leaders shaped by the inner life of the Kingdom of God. 

Introduction

Modern approaches to ethics are shallow, like that of the Pharisees, as they fail to account for the depth of God’s Ethical standards. Not only are modern approaches to ethics shallow, but churches have allowed themselves to fall into the temptation of overlooking ethical dilemmas in favor of influential, charismatic, and productive leaders. In Matthew chapter five, Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of God and Kingdom Ethics. God’s Kingdom is ruling in the present but has not come in its entirety. Christian leaders are at the forefront of the Kingdom of God as they are ushering people into the Kingdom of God as well as being vessels that help make the Kingdom known. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the Kingdom of God and how it goes beyond external purity and is instead about true internal righteousness. Churches must change how they view church leadership, as the Kingdom of God is not filled with those who are productive, charismatic, or influential, but instead, is about inner transformation.

A child engaging with wooden educational toys, counting blocks indoors.

Dikaiosyne

In the fourth beatitude, Jesus says that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. Righteousness is a difficult Biblical concept that many have written on. Not only have many written on it, but it is important for the sermon on the Mount as Jesus says that one cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless their righteous goes beyond the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus addressed who is part of the Kingdom of God and then goes into the Antithesis to talk about the righteousness of the Kingdom. In the Antithesis, Jesus does not deal with moral evil and goodness by some theoretical stance. Instead, Jesus jumps into human existence of raging anger, contempt, hatred, verbal manipulation, obsessive lust, divorce, revenge, slapping, coercing, suing, cursing, and begging.[1] As Jesus deals with the depth of real human existence, he makes it known that he came to fulfill the law and addresses the misunderstandings of the Kingdom of God’s righteousness.

Defining Righteousness

Righteousness has many different aspects that effect its definition. The Anchor Yale Bible dictionary dedicates over fifty pages to explaining righteousness. Righteousness is not an ethical norm but is “out and out a term denoting a relationship.”[2] When one thinks of righteousness, they think of an ethical norm that one must abide by in order to be considered righteous but dikaiosune, righteousness, is about relationships. Every relationship has claims on conduct in which satisfaction of those claims need to exist so that the relationship can persist.[3] To understand the relationship aspect of righteousness, we will briefly look at three ways the term righteousness is often used in Scripture.

         Firstly, righteousness in Scripture often refers to the amazing and mighty acts God has done in history to save others. In Micah 6:3-5, Micah describes the past acts of God to save the people of Israel and he calls for the people to remember how God had rescued them. They are rescued so they might know the righteousness of God, or the saving act of God.[4] Righteousness, in this first aspect, is about God’s great saving acts to deliver Israel in which Israel receives a new status.

          Secondly, righteousness has to do with being declared right. It is important to notice that it is “being declared right” and not something a person has on his own.[5] This means that it is a relationship status in which God pronounces a verdict of being right. This terminology alludes to a judicial system in which God not only saves his people, but also vindicates people. This makes the second aspect relationship oriented as the conduct needed for proper relationship is made right.[6]

           Thirdly, righteousness is a human response to the gift of God that a person is declared right. God has given a gracious gift to humans by declaring them right, a person must respond to this gift. There is a large overlap between righteousness and justice, but it is not about simply giving a person what he deserves. Righteousness and justice include showing mercy and compassion to the “outcast, the oppressed, the weak, the orphan and the widow.”[7] Righteousness has a response necessary for a person to bring them into a right relationship with God.

           Notice that in all three aspects of righteousness, relationship is central. There is more to righteousness, but it is important to recognize the centrality of relationships. This runs in contrast to the way the Pharisees understood righteousness and how they interpreted the Law. Many Christian leaders fall into the same trap as they focus “results” and not on true righteousness. Jesus corrects the Pharisees’ view through the Antithesis. To understand the way the Pharisees understood the law and righteousness, it is important to look at the six antithesis and recognize the way Jesus is correcting the views of his day.

Orthodox Jewish man in deep thought sitting by a floor lamp in a dimly lit room.

Righteousness of the Pharisees

The Pharisees are a religious group during the time of Jesus. They had religious authority and influence on the common person. The Pharisees are often seen as legalistic as they focused on actions and rituals. Jesus says that a person’s righteousness must go beyond the Pharisees in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Pharisees were committed to the legal requirements of the law but failed to enter into the deeper commitment to God’s will.[8] The Pharisees created “minute regulations [that] made ritual distinction too difficult and morality too easy.”[9] They had a deep commitment to the moral law as they domesticated the radical demand to holiness that the Old Testament prophets gave.[10] The problem with the Pharisees is ultimately that they watered down Old Testament Laws to fit their times instead of seeing the deeper meaning of the Law. God’s righteousness is not merely external obedience but includes radical purity of the heart. Jesus contrasts the righteousness of the Pharisees with that of the Kingdom of God through the six antitheses.

            Jesus says, “you have heard it said to those of old, ‘you shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”[11] Jesus is quoting the Old Testaments command to not murder but then he goes on to explain what the law points to. God’s standard is not merely external action but one of internal obedience as well. Murdering your brother in your heart is also a violation of God’s law.[12] Jesus is teaching Kingdom Ethics and explains what the law points to. Jesus does this through each of the six antitheses in which he shows that Kingdom ethics is more than ritual obedience that domesticates the laws of God. God’s laws are such a high standard that all have broken the laws and therefore need to focus on relational aspects of holiness instead of merely external obedience that neglect the inner man. Churches often focus on ritual obedience, such as attendance, small group numbers, and amount of people serving which if one is not careful, becomes external obedience with a neglect to the inner man.

Righteousness of the Kingdom: Implications for Theology

Considering righteousness is rooted in relationship, Christians must focus on holiness being rooted in a relationship with God. It is not merely external obedience but a heart that follows the laws of God. Jesus, through the antithesis, explains how goodness in the heart is part of the kingdom of God and it is contrasted with the Pharisees misunderstanding of the dikaiosune of merely doing the “right thing.”[13] Christians need to radically rethink the Kingdom of God as the church is part of this kingdom. Christians are capable of transformation as conversion entails a reorientation towards the Kingdom of God.[14] As part of the Kingdom of God, the church should reflect the kingdom ethics presented in the sermon on the Mount. Instead of merely external obedience, the church should help bring about inner purity as one enters true righteousness through proper relationship. Christians need to emphasize the beatitudes and recognize that the Kingdom of God is filled with the meek, those hungry and thirsty for righteousness, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the peacemakers, and those persecuted for righteousness’s sake. Instead of focusing on charismatic personalities to lead and direct the church, Christians should look to the Beatitudes and the Antithesis as its qualities for leadership as they Christian leaders are helping to lead God’s people in His kingdom ethics.

Conclusion

God desires Christians to partner with him in extending his kingdom into the world. Humanity is designed to rule with God as the Kingdom of God is ushered into the world. The Beatitudes teach who is part of the Kingdom of God and reflect Kingdom Ethics as the Righteousness of the Kingdom goes beyond merely doing right. Kingdom righteousness is one of internal purity and from this internal purity, one performs the right action. Sometimes, Christians that are part of the Kingdom teach what one should do but they neglect the internal state of a person. Church leadership cannot help lead people to the Kingdom of God if they themselves do not understand it or focus on it. Too often church leadership neglects the inner man and focuses on results which leads to moral failure, scandals, and deep hidden sin which is contrary to the Kingdom of God and Kingdom Ethics. It is time for the church to stop looking at results, numbers, and charismatic leaders and instead look for leaders that embody the Kingdom of God Ethics. To avoid deterring others from the Kingdom of God, it is time for churches to humbly submit themselves to Kingdom Ethics as they have a righteousness that goes beyond the Scribes and Pharisees which is rooted in relationship with Christ.

What Now?

  • Analyze Church Leadership through a different perspective. 
    Stop prioritizing charisma, productivity, or popularity in your church leaders. Instead, focus on whether the person reflects the inner righteousness of the kingdom of God. Is the leader meek, merciful, a maker of peace, and hungry for righteousness.  
  • Pursue Relational Righteousness
    Righteousness is not done on an island. It is not a checklist but is rather about right relationship with God and others. Let your posture be that of the beatitudes. 
  • Refuse to Settle for External Obedience
    Stop measuring you spiritual health by external performance. Reflect on transforming your heart. Let the Holy Spirit reveal areas you need to work on. Sit in reflection on the inner person. 
  • Confront the Christian community with humility. 
    Speak with grace and truth when your community is tempted to overlook sin or elevate success over holiness, especially in the church! Help others see that real Kingdom leadership is formed in the heart, not the spotlight.True kingdom leadership is not how many people attend your church, but how you shepherd the church and the inner life. 
  • Lead Through and with the Beatitudes
    If you are in leadership, or even a Christian, model your life after the Beatitudes. When people see your leadership, they should not see someone fighting for control, rather someone who models the beatitudes in their life. Lead people not just to the Kingdom, but in the Kingdom.

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Bibliography

Bailey, Kenneth E. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008.

Bultmann, Rudolf. Theology of the New Testament. New York: Scribner, 1955.

Carson, D. A. Matthew Mark, Luke: Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.

France, R. T. Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary: Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1985.

Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 1-13: Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word Incorporated, 1993.

Klooster, Anton Ten. “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand (Mt 3:1 and 4:17):Conversion in the Gospel and the Christian Life.” Journal of Moral Theology, 2021: 51-66.

Von Rad, Gerhard. Old Testament Theology. New York: Harper & Row, 1962.

Willard, Dallas. The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our Hidden Life in God. San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishers, 1997.

Footnotes

  1. Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our Hidden Life in God. (San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishers, 1997) 129
  2. Gerhard Von Rad, Old Testament Theology (New York: Harper & Row, 1962) 371
  3. Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008) 77-78
  4. Ibid., 78
  5. Rudolf Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament (New York: Scribner, 1955) 272-73
  6. Bailey, Through Middle Eastern Eyes, 78-79
  7. Bailey, Through Middle Eastern Eyes, 79
  8. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary: Tyndale New Testament Commentaries.(Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1985) 122
  9. D. A. Carson, Matthew Mark, Luke: Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984) 33
  10. Ibid., 33-35
  11. Matthew 5:21-22
  12. Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1-13: Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word Incorporated, 1993) 116
  13. Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, 146
  14. Anton Ten. Klooster, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand (Mt 3:1 and 4:17): Conversion in the Gospel and the Christian Life.” (Journal of Moral Theology, 2021) 65