What is Sefl-Righteousness?

Mt. 5:20

"For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

What exactly was the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees? I know it was self-righteousness, but how did it manifest itself? Mt. 23 makes it pretty clear. Jesus begins be giving a few general statements before He lists the woes.

• They asked the people to practice what they themselves did not do. 
• They preached without personally practicing what they said.
• They tied up heavy burdens, hard to bear and laid them on people's shoulders, burdens they were not willing to lift at all.
• They do all their deeds to be seen of others.
• They loved the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplace, and being called Rabbi.

Then Jesus went on to give some woe's to these self-righteous men. These woes were distinct warnings to them about their lives.

• Woe to them for shutting the kingdom of heaven in the faces of people without them entering into the kingdom either...How devastating that they would keep people from the truth!
• Woe to them for traveling great distances to make a proselyte, but then making them children of hell ... Their beliefs had no saving element to them, and all they brought into their way of thinking ended up as they were.
• Woe to them for being blind guides and misinterpreting the spirit of the law for the letter of the law and their traditions..Such legalism and it's still thriving to this day!
• Woe to them for tithing but neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, faithfulness. They were straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel...Could people today be thinking that the acts of religion take the place of the heart of Christianity?
• Woe to them for cleaning the outside of the cup and plate with the inside full of greed and self-indulgence...These masks people still wear!
• Woe to them for being whitewashed tombs, appearing beautiful but full of dead men's bones. They were outwardly righteous but inwardly full of hypocrisy and lawlessness...Strong words!
• Woe to them for saying that would not have done what their fathers did to the prophets, but yet they are doing the same thing now and on them will come all the blood of the righteous and the innocent...A classic action--seeing the same sin in others that was in themselves!

Definitely strong words that I need to apply to myself. What is my heart like? Am I covering up the truth about myself to that I look a certain way?

Father,

Send Your Holy Spirit to root out and self-righteousness rooted in my heart. Make me transparent for You.

In Jesus name,

Amen