Jesus says unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The Pharisees weren't hypocrites — they were the most serious, devoted religious people of their day. So what hope do any of us have? That's the question at the heart of this sermon.
Matthew 5:17–20 is the hinge of the entire Sermon on the Mount. Jesus isn't raising the bar — he's showing us the bar is already out of reach, and that's the whole point. Because what he offers isn't a better version of religion. It's something else entirely, and it's the Good News.
