Works righteousness is a heavy burden.

The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not ractice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

Matthew 23:2-4

The leaders of the synagogue in Jesus’ day would actually sit at a special bench known as “Moses’ seat” when teaching on the Law during the assembly. It was considered the place of authority. But the problem was that the leaders had gone so far beyond what the God had meant in the Law when teaching the people. They turned God’s truth (which the people, according to Jesus, should pay close attention to as it is read) into an awful works-based salvation with their human interpretations and additions. The Pharisees added over 600 addendums to God’s Law. The scribes did the opposite, rejecting vast portions of the Old Testament. This was a heavy burden. This is what Jesus told his hearers to ignore. This is what the leaders themselves could not practice although they preached it.

Even though I have never sat in a synagogue sermon, I have imbibed much of this works-based righteousness. It stokes the fires of selfish pride in me, I must confess. A part of me enjoys being “holier-than-thou” when comparing myself with others. I say this in shame, but I think I am not the only one. Just like both liberals (scribes) and conservatives (Pharisees) were caught up in works righteousness false teaching in Jesus’ day, so this dark deception is still very much all around us.

I constantly repent of judgmentalism. I can look down on people because I think I have “kept the rules” better. But I also know people who live by a different set of derived rules who do the very same thing against me. And our society is quickly turning against Christian faith because we don’t play by their rules when it comes to sexuality and the exclusivity of the Christian gospel. Antagonism against the gospel gets wrapped up in “tolerance” messaging and judgmentalism turns against us. Yet this is just another kind of warped works righteousness.

All works-based righteousness results in judgmentalism and, whether it be liberal or conservative in its origin or outlook, is evil. All of it. It is what divides us even now. It destroys human lives. It makes life hard for all of us. It distorts the saving gospel. We must look only to Jesus! He had it right when He warned us against it. Only Jesus can save us. Only His righteousness offered to broken sinners who turn to Him by faith and reject their own hell-bound works-based efforts will change us. Only when Jesus changes us and gives us His holiness can the world truly change.