John Calvin Commentary Matthew 5:20

"For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven." — Matthew 5:20 (ASV)

Unless your righteousness shall be more abundant. He takes a passing notice of the Scribes, who were laboring to tarnish the doctrine of the Gospel, as if it were the ruin of the Law. True, He does not reason on this subject, but only points out briefly that zeal for the law has very little influence over their minds. “They pretend that their hostility to me arises from their strong desire that the law should not be violated. But their life makes it evident how coldly they observe the law—even more, how unconcerned they are about mocking God,³⁹² while they boast before men of an assumed and hypocritical righteousness.” This is the view that most commentators give of the passage.

But it is worth asking whether He does not rather blame the corrupted manner of teaching which the Pharisees and Scribes followed in instructing the people. By confining the law of God to outward duties only, they trained their disciples, like apes, to hypocrisy.³⁹³ They lived, I readily admit, as badly as they taught, and even worse; and therefore, along with their corrupted doctrine, I willingly include their hypocritical parade of false righteousness. The principal charge brought by Christ against their doctrine can be easily learned from what follows in the discourse, where He removes from the law their false and wicked interpretations and restores it to its purity. In short, the objection which, as we have already said, was unjustly brought against Him by the Scribes, is powerfully thrown back on themselves.

We must bear in mind, as we have mentioned elsewhere, that the Pharisees are added to the Scribes to elaborate on what He had said, for that sect had, above all others, obtained a reputation for sanctity. It is a mistake, however, to suppose that they were called Pharisees on account of division,³⁹⁴ because they separated themselves from the ordinary class and claimed a rank peculiar to themselves. They were called פרושים, that is, Expounders,³⁹⁵ because they were not satisfied with the bare letter but boasted of possessing a key to open up hidden meanings. From this arose an immense mass of errors, when they assumed magisterial authority and ventured, according to their wicked fancy and their equally wicked pride, to thrust forward their own inventions in place of Scripture.

³⁹² “Comme ils se moquent de Dieu sans en faire conscience.” — “How they mock God, without making conscience of it.”.” — “How they mock God, without making conscience of it.”

³⁹³ “Ils accoustumoyent leurs disc p es k ne hypocrisle, et en faisoyent des singes.” — “They accustomed their disciples to a hypocrisy, and made apes of them.”.” — “They accustomed their disciples to a hypocrisy, and made apes of them.”

³⁹⁴ “De division, ou separation;” — “of division, or separation.”;” — “of division, or separation.”

³⁹⁵ Among a host of opinions as to the origin of the name Among a host of opinions as to the origin of the name Pharisees, there is room to doubt if Calvin has hit upon the true etymology. There are two roots: there is room to doubt if Calvin has hit upon the true etymology. There are two roots: פרׂש (paras,) to spread out, with with Sin for the final letter, — and for the final letter, — and פרׁש (parash,). to explain, to separate, with with Schin. Both have been pressed into the service. The former is chiefly quoted in support of an allusion to our Lord's description of them, that Both have been pressed into the service. The former is chiefly quoted in support of an allusion to our Lord's description of them, that they make broad their phylacteries, ((Matthew 23:5.) But the latter root has been more fertile in suggestions. .) But the latter root has been more fertile in suggestions. John Alberti, no mean authority, in his no mean authority, in his Glossarium Grcecurn, (under (under Luke 11:38,) defines Φαρισαῖος, to be διακεχωρισμένος, ,) defines Φαρισαῖος, to be διακεχωρισμένος, separated, and quotes the Septuagint as employing that participle (and quotes the Septuagint as employing that participle (Ezekiel 34:12) for, ) for, נפרׁשות the principhal participle of the principhal participle of פרׁש, , (parash.) From From Hesychius he gives synonyms of like import, — Φαρισαῖος, ἀφωρισμένος, μεμερισμένος, καθαρός As to the last of those terms, καθαρός, the learned he gives synonyms of like import, — Φαρισαῖος, ἀφωρισμένος, μεμερισμένος, καθαρός As to the last of those terms, καθαρός, the learned Vitringa, to whom to whom Alberti also refers, has copiously illustrated its meaning in a passage, which has been often quoted as embodying the proud challenge of the Pharisee, also refers, has copiously illustrated its meaning in a passage, which has been often quoted as embodying the proud challenge of the Pharisee, Stand by: for I am holier than thou, ((Isaiah 65:5) —— Suidas unhesitatingly defends the same idea of unhesitatingly defends the same idea of separation. His definition is as follows: Φαρισαῖοι οἱ ἑρμηνευόμενοι ἀφωρισμένοι, παρὰ τὸ μερίζειν καὶ ἀφορίζειν ἑαυτοὺς τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, εἴς τε τὸ καθαρώτατον τοῦ βίου, καὶ ἀκριβέστατον, καὶ εἰς τὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐντάλματαHis definition is as follows: Φαρισαῖοι οἱ ἑρμηνευόμενοι ἀφωρισμένοι, παρὰ τὸ μερίζειν καὶ ἀφορίζειν ἑαυτοὺς τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, εἴς τε τὸ καθαρώτατον τοῦ βίου, καὶ ἀκριβέστατον, καὶ εἰς τὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐντάλματα. “Pharisees, —— which means means separated, on account of their on account of their dividing and and separating themselves from all others, to the greatest purity and strictness of life, and to the prescriptions of the law.” — Calvin's derivation is from the same root, and is certainly ingenious. That sect, we know, boasted of a rigid adherence to the law, though it may be questioned whether profound skill in themselves from all others, to the greatest purity and strictness of life, and to the prescriptions of the law.” — Calvin's derivation is from the same root, and is certainly ingenious. That sect, we know, boasted of a rigid adherence to the law, though it may be questioned whether profound skill in exposition was claimed by all its members. Many of them might think that this belonged to the Scribes as a professional matter. — was claimed by all its members. Many of them might think that this belonged to the Scribes as a professional matter. — Ed.