The English word “righteousness” traces its roots back to the Ancient Near East, where it originally referred to right comportment—behaviour and status aligned with an implied standard. This ancient understanding closely parallels our modern interpretation, where righteousness signifies morally correct behaviour or the sense of acting in a morally upright manner, with morality serving as the guiding standard.

While today’s understanding of righteousness centres on ethical conduct, the scriptures offer a deeper perspective. This theme resonates throughout Matthew’s narrative, most notably in The Sermon on the Mount —a series of messages taught by Jesus. In these teachings Jesus contrasts the scribes’ and Pharisees’ interpretation of the Torah while at the same time He unveils a profound standard for right relationships—a theme woven into the fabric of the Torah and the prophets from the beginning.

The Misunderstood Law

Righteousness is a cornerstone of the Kingdom of God, a truth powerfully revealed throughout the pages of scripture. At the very outset of His earthly ministry, Jesus set out to contrast His interpretation of the Old Testament teaching on righteousness with that of the scribes and Pharisees. In reality, Jesus did not offer a “new” interpretation of righteousness or of the Law; rather, He sought to reestablish the proper understanding of righteousness as taught in the Law and the Prophets. Thus, Jesus repeatedly used the formula, “You have heard it said…” [“This is what the scribes and Pharisees teach…”], “But I say to you…” [“But the Old Testament was meant to be understood this way…”].¹

The scribes and Pharisees saw themselves as the ultimate exemplars of righteousness, believing they embodied the highest standards of piety. They developed a tradition of strict interpretation of the Mosaic law, creating an extensive set of oral rules aimed at preserving religious identity and purity. However, these numerous detailed regulations burdened people and obscured the law’s true purpose. 

Rethinking Anger: Jesus’ Call to Value Every Life

When Jesus addresses the concept of righteousness, He begins by stating that His mission is not to abolish the law but to fulfil it. He then boldly declares, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” This profound statement sets the stage for a transformative exploration of true righteousness. What follows is a series of six examples contrasting Jesus’ teaching with the accepted understanding of the Old Testament law.²

Jesus’ first illustration pertained to an important commandment, “You shall not commit murder,” then He expands its meaning: anyone who is angry or insults their brother is also guilty. The Jewish teachers had taught that nothing except actual murder was forbidden by the sixth commandment, thus they explained away its spiritual meaning.³ But Jesus says the commandment extended not only to the act itself but also to the internal attitude behind the act. Murder is wrong, but the anger prompting the act is also as wrong as plunging in a knife. 

Furthermore, becoming angry and assuming a position of superiority over another by calling him a derogatory name demonstrates sinfulness of the heart. “Raca” is Aramaic for “empty-headed or worthless.”⁴ It’s a scornful word, and comes from pride. “Thou fool,” is a spiteful word, and comes from hatred. Malicious slanders and censures are poison that kills secretly and slowly.⁵

Beyond Oaths: Jesus’ Radical Call for Honesty and Integrity

In the Old Testament, oaths and vows were not only permitted but, in certain circumstances, commanded. But an oath was needed only if a person’s word alone was unreliable; it was an admission of failure in truthfulness, therefore an oath was a sacred promise where you swear by God that you will do what you say, ensuring trust and commitment—like promising to repay borrowed money by invoking God’s name.⁶

However, oaths could be manipulated. If someone swore by heaven rather than directly by God, they could claim they weren’t truly bound by the oath, thus deceiving others. This is because an oath which avoided the name of God directly was in fact not binding. Jesus condemns this deceit, urging instead that people avoid making oaths altogether. His message is clear: Let your yes be yes and your no be no; cultivate honesty and integrity in all your dealings. A true peacemaker begins with a radical commitment to truthfulness and uprightness, ensuring genuine and trustworthy relationships. This is righteousness.

In this example, Jesus moves past the complicated rules about different oaths and focuses on the ideal of simple truthfulness, making oaths and vows unnecessary. He insists that God’s original intention should take precedence over the law’s regulations, which were meant to control human sinfulness. Ethical standards should be based on God’s positive purpose, not just on the law’s allowances.⁷

True Righteousness

A clear underlying truth in Jesus’ teachings on righteousness is that God’s wisdom for relationships is embedded in the covenant laws given to ancient Israel. Jesus reveals that embracing divine wisdom is the path to true righteousness. The word of God is this divine wisdom, and when we meditate on it day and night and carefully follow its teachings, our way will be prosperous.⁸ 

Righteousness means living in a right relationship with both God and people. Jesus calls us to seek God and His righteousness, prioritizing God’s kingdom above all else.⁹ This means giving our first allegiance to God as king and living a life that reflects this commitment. Jesus taught that the strict legalism of the Pharisees and teachers of the law falls short in the kingdom of heaven. His message shows us how to embrace and live out the truths of righteousness in our modern world.

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1. The Righteousness of God, Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh ↩︎
2. France, R.T. (1994) “Matthew,” in Carson, D.A. et al. (eds.) New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, pp. 910–912.
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3. Henry, M. and Scott, T. (1997) Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, p. Mt 5:21 ↩︎
4. Keener, C.S. (2014) The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Second Edition. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, p. 57 ↩︎
5. Barbieri, L.A., Jr. (1985) “Matthew,” in Walvoord, J.F. and Zuck, R.B. (eds.) The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, p. 30 // Henry, M. and Scott, T. (1997) Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, p. Mt 5:21 ↩︎
6. Bible Project, The Sermon on The Mount
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7. France, R.T. (1994) “Matthew,” in Carson, D.A. et al. (eds.) New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, p. 912.
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8. Joshua 1:8 ↩︎
9. Matthew 6:33 ↩︎