The Burden of the Righteousness

The king's translators 'helped' Matthew's gospel with a word or two. In Matthew 5, for instance, the translators add two words to a thing Matthew says Jesus said: turning the meaning of that which Matthew says Jesus said upside- down.

Matthew 5:20 (with the translators' help) has Jesus saying: "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." The addition of "the righteousness" doesn't make the statement Matthew here attributes to Jesus sensible. It's a sensible statement without "the righteousness" added. The only 'help' "the righteousness" lends the original text is to turn it on it's head. The apostles are unreliable enough without such help.

What Matthew actually said Jesus said, according to the text (not according to the translators), is: "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven [Matthew 5:20]." The irony of the translators adding "the righteousness" to this quote is that, without "the righteousness" added to it, this quote happens to be the only 'proof' I know of, extant anywhere in scripture, that another quote Matthew credits Jesus with uttering could have been uttered by Jesus.

Later in his gospel, and presumably later in Jesus' ministry, Matthew says Jesus said: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers [Matthew 23:2b - 4]." This statement, beyond being indefensible generally by the spirit and deed of Jesus' ministry, is also unsupported by the gospels when "the righteousness" is added to Matthew 5:20; and is itself a direct contradiction to another statement attributed to Jesus by Matthew.

After all, Matthew also says Jesus said, "29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light [Matthew 11:29 & 30]." How could Jesus' yoke and burden be "easy" and "light," when part of his yoke is the "heavy" and "grievous" burden of observing and doing whatsoever the scribes and Pharisees bid? Does "the righteousness" added to Matthew 5:20 make Matthew more credible? or Jesus a greater liar? or both?