We have covered the first 19 verses from Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7). We have learned a lot and we’ve taken a couple of ‘rabbi’ trails along the way. This morning we will need to take our spelunking equipment because we will begin a deep journey into the depths of His Mountain, the Kingdom.

Reality tells us that we will not be able to explore every detail of His Kingdom. It also tells us that this side of Glory we can only understand a small degree of His Kingdom. However, we’re going to still explore the depths of this mountain the best we can. Bring His light, flares, water, repelling rope, protective hat and a sense for new adventure.

Yeshua makes a startling statement to His listeners in Matthew 5:20. “For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of heaven.”

During Yeshua’s day the Pharisees were the standard of righteousness. Who could hold a light to these guys? Everyone knew the answer…no one. However, instead of frustrating His audience, He was, as always, making them think this through.

Within this statement we have Yeshua talking to them personally. We have Him making a condition concerning righteousness, yet without definition. The bar is set at the standard of the Pharisees. Entrance into the Kingdom of heaven is the reward for those whose righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees.

Let’s begin with the goal of Yeshua’s statement, the Kingdom of heaven. What is it? From the first mention of a kingdom (Gen. 10:10) to the last (Rev. 17:17), we deal with one topic: ruling and reigning over something. The Hebrew word for Kingdom is mamlakah. The Greek equivalent is basileia. As we take our first steps into this dark cave, we need to shine His light in front of us to see where the cave will lead. Our first truth revealed by His light is that Yeshua is speaking about the requirements to rule and reign. He is not referencing how you become a believer, part of His family.

We also see that the Kingdom of Heaven is only a part of heaven; it’s not heaven itself. This thought can get you feeling a little claustrophobic, because each reference to the Kingdom of Heaven has conditions that need to be met by the individual seeking entrance.

In Yeshua’s sermon He tells us the condition that needs to be met in order to enter this position of ruling and reigning: Our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. This can be more claustrophobic than it seems. Yeshua said, ‘strait is the gate and narrow (thlibo, claustrophobic, narrow passage, tight, constricting, troublesome, afflicting, stressful) is the way that leads to life and few there are that find it’ (Matt. 7:14).

Will you be one of the few? What it is impossible with men is possible with Yahweh Elohim (Matt. 17:20; 19:26; Luke 1:37; Heb. 6:18; 11:6)!

Let’s mark our cave right here and come back for some more exploration tomorrow!

Shalom,

Alan