Week 4
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”
Matthew 5:6
Preamble and context
It is impossible to read this beatitude without also considering the same one in Luke. Without pairing the two together we are in danger of applying this Beatitude only to ourselves and not realizing it also has a very clear application of how we are to ‘love our neighbor.’ It seems like there’s a clear drumbeat underneath all of the Beatitudes - these are ways in which we demonstrate our love both for God and those around us.
So what do we see in this beatitude? We are told that there will be a biblical flourishing of our soul, that is, we will become fully alive, when we hunger and thirst for being right with God. Thus, we can initially see the personal aspect of this beatitude - we must choose to run hard after God to allow him to do what he wants to do in us that we may be right before him. There is always a problem when we hear this kind of proposal - we think it’s something that we can and should do in our own strength, that is, as I choose to be ‘hungry’ and thirsty’ for God then he will reward me with being right before Him. However, this is not true. We must look to the work of the Reformers to understand this is impossible. We also need to lean on the work of Augustine to understand what this truly means but we also need to realize it will humble us to hear it: it is God who draws us, who gives us this appetite of hungering and thirsting after him. It is God himself who places in us a desire, a longing, to go hard after Him. He gives this to everyone - our part is to respond, to yield to this longing, and to pursue God. And as we do we are made right in Him.
This idea of ‘righteousness’ is something that is both something that is placed upon us but also grows within us as we seek and follow God. In coming to God in the first place, as we saw in the first beatitude, we are made right before him. In other words, we have the righteousness of Christ placed upon us. Clearly, this isn’t something we could earn or work for, it is God’s gracious and generous gift towards us: we are immediately ‘made right’ with God when we come to Jesus and surrender our life to Him. However, from this beatitude it’s clear that it goes beyond this. There is a sense of action, of movement on our part, to pursue and long for God.
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Here are some scriptures to consider:
Psalm 41:1-2
Psalm 63:1,5
John 4:14, 6:35, 38
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We now know this longing is placed within us by God for he wants us to pursue Him. However it is our choice as to whether we act on this but when we do and we seek him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength we are changed and transformed. And the outcome of this is the continual ‘right-living’’ we will have with God. Some have ascribed the word ‘sanctification’ to best describe the continual process of both standing rightly before God but also of becoming more like Jesus and reflecting Him more gloriously to the world around us. Thus, when we submit to the longing within us to run hard to and after God we find Him and we have the peace that we are known by Him and we are right by Him. And this continual process changes us and those around us see this more and more.
So it begs the question? How do people see that we are standing right with God? This comes to the second part of this beatitude: this longing for righteousness isn’t just for ourselves, in fact, the more we become right with God the more we long to see those who aren’t made right with God come into a similar position too. And the particular focus of this beatitude is upon those who have injustice thrust upon them. We will pursue injustice as we pursue God. We will run hard after those who need God’s justice in their lives as we continue to run hard after God.
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Consider these scriptures:
Isaiah 58:6-7
Isaiah 49:8-10
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Throughout the history of Christianity observers have made a clear point regarding this scripture: it clearly teaches us to go and feed the poor. The hunger here is not simply spiritual it is also very much physical. We most accurately reflect this beatitude when we are not only hungering after God in our heart but that we are making things right for those who are physically hungry.
Through church history the ‘form’ of this act of justice has been a myriad of expressions. There are those who have chosen to live very simple lives and to take the money that they aren’t living by and giving it to the poor and charities that feed the hungry. There are those who choose to fast at certain points and reflect the teaching of scripture to give either the food they would have eaten, or the monetary equivalent, to those who are hungry. There are also those who choose to volunteer, or even devote their life, to helping the hungry through working at food banks, or soup kitchens, or setting up non-profits to do this very thing.
And once more we must consider the reward or reversal within this Beatitude and that it is both. The reward for those who choose to live like this is, like those before, not something that will be fully seen in this world. There will be a sense of joy when those who are fed physically are grateful and thankful for what has been done. This will tie into the spiritual ‘fullness’ that someone will feel when they know they are doing the will and work of God by feeding the poor around them. However, as we’ve noted before, this, to a degree, will only be in part this side of eternity. Yet they will wait for that day to come.
However, this is not only a reward but also a reversal in action. The very act of outliving this beatitude will result in the reversal of poverty and injustice in the lives of those around us. Though it may be small it should not be scoffed at, these acts of reversing injustice will have a great impact in the lives of those touched by this.
Questions to discuss and consider
If someone asked you what ‘the gospel’ is, how would you answer them? How would you talk about being ‘hungry and thirsty for righteousness? How would you help someone understand that at the heart of the Gospel is the idea that new life, or salvation, isn’t something we can do for ourselves by our efforts or something we can earn but is the gift of a loving Father towards us?
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Tim Keller says the following:
“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
How would you describe this to someone who isn’t a Christian? Can you unpack this idea in two ways: what we cognitively understand by this phrase but also what it would look like in someone’s life?
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What do you understand about the Christian concept of ‘righteousness?’
Can you be righteous in your own strength?
When you reflect on your life, do you feel like you ‘hunger and thirst’ after God? If not, why do you think this is the case? What do you think this looks like?
What are ‘hungering and thirsting’ after?
What is the reward or reversal of living this beatitude?
What has the church through history understood by the practical implications of this beatitude?
What is the injustice that this beatitude looks to right, or correct?
Can you think of ways you can practically bring justice to those who are hungry?
Of the various ways you could bring justice to the hungry, which one (or ones) have you already practiced? Can you describe them?
Which of them would be harder for you to practice and why?
Spiritual Practice for the week
Sometimes, when we understand that we don’t live in a way that God calls us to live we can struggle with guilt or a feeling of inadequacy as a Christian. Yet, in these moments there is a simple prayer that can be lifted before God: “I want to want…” In this situation, you can pray, “I want to want to be hungry and thirsty for you God.” Every morning this week take a moment to pray this prayer.
Practical demonstration for the week
As a core group, discuss one clear way you could help fight the injustice of poverty around you and make a commitment to doing that before the end of the semester. Keep yourselves accountable to do this.