Verse 19 says, “Whoever therefore shall annul one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever practices and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.” The commandments here refer to the law in verse 18. The kingdom people not only fulfill the law, but complement the law. Actually, they do not annul any commandments of the law, not even one of the least. Whether we shall be great or small in the kingdom of the heavens depends upon whether or not we keep even the least of the commandments of the law. In this verse Christ stressed the fact that if we do not keep all of the least of the commandments of the law, but annul them and teach others to annul them, we shall become the least in the kingdom of the heavens. In other words, Christ seemed to be saying, “If you would be great in the kingdom of the heavens, you must have the highest standard of morality. If your standard of morality does not reach the standard of the new law, you will be the least in the kingdom of the heavens.” The morality of no other people is as high as that of the kingdom people. Never think that we care only for life and not for morality. Life must have its expression, and the highest life has the highest expression. Morality is simply the expression of life. Thus, if you have the highest life, you will certainly have the highest morality as the expression of this life. We need to pray, “Lord, grant me the highest expression of life. Grant me to have the highest level of morality. Lord, we are not only moral people, but kingdom people.”
Because the standard of the kingdom is higher than the standard of morality, we must do more than keep the standard of the old law. According to the standard of morality, we should not commit murder or adultery. If we abstain from murder and adultery, we are moral people. But such a standard is much lower than that of the kingdom. According to the standard of the kingdom of the heavens, we should not be angry with our brother or look at a woman to lust after her. This is not the standard of morality; it is the standard of the kingdom, which is much higher than that of morality. The standard of morality says, “Eye for eye, tooth for a tooth” (Exo. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21). But the standard of the kingdom tells us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and not to resist one who is evil (vv. 44, 39). If someone strikes us on our right cheek, we should turn to him the other also (v. 39). How much higher is this standard than the standard of morality!
The crucial point that Christ is stressing in these verses is that the kingdom people must have the highest standard of morality. If we see this matter, then we are able to understand 5:17-48. We have the highest law, the highest life, the highest standard. By the highest life we fulfill the highest law and have the highest standard.
In verse 20 the King said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” The surpassing righteousness is the condition of entering into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the millennium. By keeping the highest law to the highest standard we fulfill the condition for entering into the coming manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
Righteousness in verse 20 does not refer to the objective righteousness, which is the Christ we receive when we believe in Him that we may be justified before God (Phil. 3:9; 1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:26). It refers to the subjective righteousness, which is the indwelling Christ lived out of us as our righteousness that we may live in the reality of the kingdom today and enter into its manifestation in the future. This subjective righteousness is not obtained merely by fulfilling the old law, but by completing the old law through the fulfillment of the new law of the kingdom of the heavens, the law given by the new King here in this section of the Word. This righteousness of the kingdom people, according to the new law of the kingdom, surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees according to the old law. It is impossible for our natural life to gain this surpassing righteousness; it can be produced only by a higher life, the resurrection life of Christ. This righteousness, which is likened to the wedding garment (22:11-12), qualifies us to participate in the wedding of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-8) and inherit the kingdom of the heavens in its manifestation, that is, to enter into the kingdom of the heavens in the future.
To enter into the kingdom of God requires regeneration as a new beginning of our life (John 3:3, 5), but to enter into the kingdom of the heavens demands surpassing righteousness in our living after regeneration. To enter into the kingdom of the heavens means to live in its reality today and to participate in its manifestation in the future.