“The beatitudes:
Revealing Christian character and development”
Part 4: Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
(Matthew 5:1-12)
By now the progressive nature of the beatitudes should be apparent. ‘Poor in spirit’ leads us to ‘mourn’ and that leads us to be ‘meek’. At this point, we surrender ourselves to the love and authority of Jesus Christ. As surrendered people, we develop an intense desire to become more like Christ or ‘righteous’.
This brings us to the fourth beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Before continuing, we must first define righteousness. Then we must discern what it means to thirst and hunger for it. The Greek word that is translated as ‘righteousness’ is dikaiosu,nh (dikaiosune). This word can have the following meanings: 1) what God requires 2) what is right 4) uprightness 5) justice 6) righting wrong 7) God putting people in a right relationship with Himself 8) religious duties or acts of charity. So, a righteous person is someone who wants to be an upright, good person who always does what’s right, seeks justice and maintains a right relationship with God. In other words, a righteous person is someone who wants to be like Christ. The more we surrender to Jesus, the more we hunger and thirst for this righteousness.
As people become hungry or thirsty, they begin to dream of nothing else but food and water. I remember in Army Ranger School we were given just enough food for 1 meal a day. Our caloric expenditure far exceeded our caloric intake. That nauseating hungry feeling became a constant companion. We were expected, however, to ignore that feeling and carry on with the mission. When we stopped to establish a patrol base, we were supposed to dig foxholes and establish security before eating. (Enemy soldiers are not considerate enough to allow people to eat before attacking.) I hate to admit this, but there were times when I just couldn’t ignore that nauseating hungry feeling. When we stopped to establish a patrol base, I snuck some food before digging a fox hole. Satisfying my hunger became my only concern.
As followers of Christ, this is the type of hunger and thirst we should have for righteousness. Our number one priority in life should be righteousness. Everything else should be second. Remember, being righteous includes having a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus. This relationship is our most valuable possession. From it we receive a joy and peace that is beyond understanding. We also receive purpose for our lives. Do you want your life to mean something? Then pursue righteousness.
Does your lifestyle demonstrate your hunger and thirst for righteousness? What priority do you give prayer, Bible study, fasting, worship and tithing? If you should look at your personal planner, what would it tell you?
As followers of Christ, we must diligently seek righteousness. Jesus promises that if we do that, we will become righteous. The Holy Spirit will make us more righteous. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” The more righteous we become, the more ‘pure in heart’ we will become and that will bring us closer to God. We’ll learn more about that in the next article on the beatitudes. |
