Hungry and thirsty for righteousness

In Matthew 5:6, in his famous “sermon on the mount,” Jesus made the following statement:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

As I read this statement, several things stand out to me. The first is, why did Jesus mention hungering and thirsting for righteousness in particular, but not anything else? I think Jesus mentioned righteousness in particular because it is the very foundation upon which our relationship with God stands. Righteousness refers to being in “right-standing” with God, and in order for sinful mankind to have a relationship with a holy God he must be righteous. Jesus knew that if a person did not hunger and thirst to be right with God, all their other efforts to know him would be in vain.

The simple fact is, if we are living in a state of unrighteousness we cannot know God intimately. 1^st John 1:4 tells us that “God is light and in him is no darkness at all.” And In 2 Corinthians 6:14 Paul asked the question, “What fellowship has light with darkness?” If we desire to know God, we must know him on his terms – and knowing him on his terms means we must be in right standing with him. Therefore the only way we can be satisfied in our relationship with God is by becoming righteous before him.

Another thing that stands out to me in this statement is that Jesus said it was those who hunger and thirst for righteousness who would be satisfied. This may seem insignificant at first, but think for a moment about the difference between hunger and thirst. By God’s design, our bodies can go far longer without food than without water. In fact, science tells us that our bodies are made up of over 70% water. Consequently, thirst is often a far more powerful desire than hunger, and is felt differently.

If Jesus had simply said those who hungered for righteousness would be satisfied, it would not have conveyed the same passion – the same intense longing felt by someone who is truly thirsty. Water is simply more essential to our being, and I believe this is what Jesus was trying to say – that it is those who crave righteousness as something essential, something that they cannot do without, that would be satisfied.

Consider yourself today. Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Do you view it as something that you cannot do without for a single moment? If so, congratulations, you are blessed! But more than that, you have Jesus’ guarantee that you will be satisfied! But if you think you need to somehow “get right with God,” don’t bother! God has already made you right with him, if you will only believe it! 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that God made Jesus “to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Simply put your faith in Jesus as “The lord our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6) and your hunger and thirst will be satisfied! (Also see “Salvation: the work of righteousness”)