A few weeks ago, we offered a summary of Jesus' teaching on his primary theme: the Kingdom of God.

Today, I'd like to consider that remarkable passage in Jesus' Sermon that explicitly tells us about the requirements to enter that Kingdom (Matthew 5:20):

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

In Jesus' day, the "Pharisees and the teachers of the law" literally defined righteousness for the people. Apparently, their attempt didn't cut it. Jesus' vision of righteousness takes it to a whole new level: "be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Wow. What an enormous chasm exists between this standard that Jesus sets for us and our actual behavior! It is a wonder that Jesus spent so much time with humanity at all: teaching, encouraging, and nudging us toward the truth in spite of our inability to measure up. That chasm might start to explain why it was necessary for Jesus to die...

But Jesus also mentions our entrance into the Kingdom of God elsewhere, giving us a clue how we can overcome such an enormous handicap. First, he makes it explicit that we're not mistaken: the challenge is great (Mark 10:24):

Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!

And then there are these remarkable sayings:

Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 18:3

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” - Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. - John 3:5

In each of these cases, the image for us is one of starting over: birth in the Spirit, and becoming like children.

Entering...

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