NOTES for Mat 5:20-26

Jesus calls the disciples to the highest measure of righteousness, which must surpass the virtue even of the scribes and Pharisees, who were marked by great piety. And He says directly that without this it is impossible to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Reading the explanations that follow, one cannot help being struck by how difficult and uncompromising the path is that the Lord offers us. Anger is equated with murder, abusive speech is equal to a mortal sin; finally, losing peace with one's neighbor means losing connection with God. Accepting this system of coordinates, you immediately understand how great God's mercy is, covering our daily "murders," "betrayals," and "rejection of the Lord." You understand that not our merits, but He alone, can bring us into His Kingdom.