Righteousness

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.

Mathew 5:6 (NIV)

Three men found themselves in the wilderness without food and water. One man felt very little hunger and thirst and was deluded into thinking that he could somehow eradicate his hunger and thirst himself. The other two felt genuine hunger and thirst and went in search of food and water. After searching for some time, a mirage appeared on the horizon. By the time they reached where the mirage was, their hunger and thirst was intense. One of the men bent down, scooped up the sand, and drank it, thinking it was water. He picked up stones and began to chew them, thinking they were food. The other man felt disappointment at the mirage but continued searching as his hunger and thirst increased. Eventually, when his needs became almost unbearable, he came to some trees along a stream. He bent down onto his knees and lapped up the water, which satiated his thirst. He ate the fruit from the tree and felt some satisfaction for his hunger. Although he felt some sense of satisfaction, he stayed so that he could continue to eat the true food and water.

Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

I have very little experience with true hunger and thirst because, even at my lowest times, I have always had plenty. I eat three meals per day every day and, when I work, I also have a morning and afternoon snack. Not only are my needs met, but the majority of my wants are also met. Consequently, the type of hunger spoken of in this Beatitude is somewhat foreign to me. It would be so easy for me to be like the first man in the example.

The other two recognize their hunger and thirst for righteousness and go in search of it. The one who stops, either finds something other than righteousness to distract from his hunger and thirst or thinks that he can find righteousness within himself. He deceives himself.

The third recognizes that the things of this world cannot satisfy his hunger and thirst for righteousness. He is also poor in spirit and mourns over his spiritual poverty (Matthew 5:3-4). He relinquishes his self-will and becomes meek (Matthew 5:5). Because he recognizes the rocks and sand are not food and water, he continues to search until he discovers the righteousness of God. Once he tastes the living water and the food of eternal life, it becomes his primary desire. Many of us may still leave the river from time to time as we are deceived into thinking the things of the world will meet our needs or we become self-righteous. We are deceived into eating the rocks and drinking the sand again but we recognize quite quickly and that it is not true food and water so we come back to the brook. We recognize it is not through any merit of our own that we continue to come back but that it is only through the Grace of God.