How can He say that?

Read Matthew 5:20

Take a moment and read Matthew 5:20. Do you now understand the question - how can Jesus say that? For centuries the standard was set and during that entire time Israel, people everywhere continually failed to meet the standard. Now Jesus is raising the bar, raising it to an even higher level saying "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

He could do this because He believed in His own life. The greatness of the demands in Matthew 5, 6 and 7 is only surpassed by the confidence Christ has in His life. And the life that is available within us is His life and that's enough to meet these demands because the resources He has given us. You see we have Christ and God does not command what He is unwilling or unable to perform. So what Jesus says and the life He lives changes the question from - How can He say that? to Why don't we live like we believe it?

Meditate on Jesus' words. God equips us to do what He's asked of us. Only when we lose sight of this and where our stregth and power come from are we unable to do God's work. Let's pray that His life, more than just His words, would live within us!