Righteousness (5:20) and τελειος (5:48) as
the Contents of μετανοια
The theme of righteousness in the sermon gives
the contents of the opening commandment of turning (μετανοεω) (4:17). First, the focal point of the body
of the sermon (5:17-20), which commands higher righteousness (5:6, 10, 20; 6:1,
33), a major theme in the sermon, denotes the contents of μετανοια. . . . the definition of μετανοια is to turn form sin to righteousness. As
Ulrich Luz notes, the repentance is “the entry gate” to the greater
righteousness of the sermon. (Luz, Matthew 1-7, 298) And as Robert H. Gundry
argues, the worthy fruit of μετανοια is genuine righteousness. (Gundry, Matthew, 46-47) In other
words, it shows μετανοια as to turn to
have greater righteousness. In addition, since Matthew 5:17-20 shows that the
demand for μετανοια is a demand both
for righteousness and for higher righteousness, the fulfilment of all the law
and the prophets through higher righteousness for entering the kingdom of
heaven also denotes the demand for μετανοια and corresponding reward and judgment (4:17). Finally, Matthew 5:17-20
in the opening focal point of the body of the sermon indicates that the body of
the sermon provides the contents of μετανοια.
Closely related idea to righteousness is “doing
good” and “doing the will of the Father” in the sermon. They also give the
contents of μετανοια in its proximity
and conceptual connection to 4:17’s μετανοια commandment. For example, Matthew 5:16 commands to do good works
referred to as “good fruits” and “worthy fruits of μετανοια” in 3:8, 10. These repeated and conceptually parallel
terms and images indicate that good works in the sermon are the contents of
good fruits worthy of μετανοια. Specifically, “good
works” in 5:16 refer to the nine characters of the Beatitudes and indicate the
contents and outward expression of μετανοια.
Also, in
the final remark of the sermon (7:21) about entering the kingdom of heaven
(6:10; 7:21), “doing the will of Father in heaven” is the same concept of good
works and shows the contents and so the outward expression of the commandment of
turning (μετανοεω). Luke 5:17-20, 7:21 mirrors the opening commandment
of turning (μετανοεω) (4:17). Verses 5:17-20 and 7:21 are two
different conceptual expressions of the one meaning of μετανοια (4:17). “Doing
the will of God,” worthy fruit of μετανοια (3:8), good fruits
(3:10), good deeds (5:16), and Matthean righteousness (5:17-20) are not
different concepts. The opening and the ending of the body of the sermon include
languages such as “the law and the prophets” (5:17; 7:12), “righteousness”
(5:20), “doing the will of father in heaven” (7:21), and “entering into the
kingdom of heaven” (5:20; 7:21), which all conceptually convey 4:17’s
commandment of μετανοια.
Another
important idea of the sermon is τελειος (5:48). It means “singleness”
or “singular devotion” or “personal wholeness,” and this concept deals with the
problem of one’s being before addressing one’s doing. For example, Jesus in the
Antitheses rebukes the Israelites as double-minded, which means they externally
followed God but internally did not (James 4:8), and calls them to turn to
singleness of heart and life (τελειος), a change of both
heart and deeds. As noted above μετανοια means turning one’s
heart as well as one’s deeds from bad to good. This definition corresponds with
the commandment of τελειος (5:48), a word that rebukes the wicked heart and
deeds of the people of Israel and demands a single or whole Godward heart with corresponding
deeds. (ChoongJae Lee, Metánoia (Repentance): A Major Theme of the Gospel of
Matthew [Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf and Stock, 2020], 130-31)
