Too many people evaluate themselves and each other based on their performance of a list of dos and don'ts. For these folks, a moral code is the only way to properly assess behavior - to judge whether they are good or bad. In other words, they would be lost without some well-defined standard with which to compare themselves and others. These folks must rely on their five senses (sight, taste, touch, smell and hearing) to process the way they and others perform in public. Unfortunately, they often do not trust their own consciences, feelings, or the leadership of God's Holy Spirit in evaluating their behavior. Of course, on some level, most of us understand that such evaluations can be very superficial and subjective; but many of us are simply too dependent on these standards and our own physical senses to imagine a better system of judging between good and bad!
In the Hebrew Bible, the Children of Israel were given a well-defined system of dos and don'ts that we call Torah. Withing that body of writings, there are literally hundreds of individual commands and instructions related to moral conduct, worship rituals, civil laws, health guidelines, etc. Indeed, there are specific commandments to regulate virtually every area of the life circumstances of those ancient peoples (clothing, food, agriculture, commerce, marriage, etc.). For many of the folks we are talking about, there is no higher law than those contained in the Ten Commandments. For them, they constitute a universal moral code which can be applied to all people in all times - NOT just the ancient people of Israel! The problems with this reasoning, however, became very apparent over time; and, by the time that Christ walked this earth, the complete collapse of that system was at hand.
In those days, the members of the Jewish sect of the Pharisees were considered by most to be the ultimate proponents of the Hebrew written code known as Torah. Indeed, they were fastidious about their observance of circumcision of males, dietary laws, Sabbaths, fasting and prayer, sacrifices and other Temple rituals and traditions. In short, these folks held up the Torah as the ultimate standard of moral behavior - of what constituted "righteousness" in God's sight. Jesus of Nazareth, however, insisted that they really were NOT in a position to judge what was good and what was bad! In fact, Christ clearly condemned the way that they used the written code of Torah!
Jesus told the crowds that followed him that "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." He went on to tell them that it wasn't enough to simply refrain from murdering another human being, but that they shouldn't even allow anger and bitterness to take root in their hearts toward each other! He said that it wasn't enough to refrain from having sexual intercourse with someone who wasn't your spouse. Jesus told them that they shouldn't even allow themselves to harbor lustful thoughts in their minds about someone who wasn't their spouse! Moreover, Christ taught them that they should even love their enemies and treat them with kindness and respect!
Indeed, Christ went on to attack the very concept of judging public behavior as good or righteous! He said: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." He went on to say: "when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." In similar fashion, Jesus told them to disguise the fact that they were fasting - that the behavior should be directed at God, and NOT for public consumption! He also condemned their legalistic way of observing the Sabbath and suggested that it had been created to be enjoyed!
Jesus was so very clear about the legalism of the Pharisees that it is hard to understand how anyone could embrace their way of discerning what/who was good and what/who was bad! He said: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean." In the same vein, he went on to say: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." For Christ, scrupulously following a list of dos and don'ts simply wasn't enough. He insisted that the robotic performance of a program was NOT what God was looking for in his people!
On the contrary, Christ believed that TRUE goodness would result from judging all behaviors by the standard of LOVE: LOVE for God and each other! God wants folks who will not murder, because they recognize that that is inconsistent with love - NOT because there is a commandment written down forbidding it! Christ wants people to be faithful and honest with each other, because that reflects an attitude of love - of not wanting to hurt another's feelings or disrespect them in any way. In other words, Christ taught that real moral discernment MUST come from the heart of each and every one of us! Hence, reliance on a written code will only get you a distorted perception of what/who is good and what/who is bad! Christ and God look at what is in your heart. They don't rely on physical behaviors observed by physical senses! So, the question is: Are you relying on LOVE? OR Are you relying on a list of do's and don'ts?
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