Spiritually Desperate

 

And he [Jesus] opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:2-6 ESV).

 

When Jesus uses the image of hunger and thirst, He is speaking more of desperation. We must think in terms that are somewhat unfamiliar to us. I’m sure we have all been at the place where we may have thought “I could eat something” hungry, but really, actually in need of something to eat is not something in our modern experience.  Maybe it happened while you were on a long trip. Or maybe you had just finished a long workday. Maybe you had no money left for food. Whatever the case, you know there is a big difference between wanting some food and really needing it because you are hungry. The latter is desperation.

 

Jesus says we are blessed when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, when our longing for God’s will is more than just an interest… it’s a consuming desire. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness means we are desperate to see sin uprooted, and we are longing for justice to prevail. It means we don’t excuse our wrongdoing or try to shrug off the world’s problems, but instead we give all we have to make the world more like the kingdom of God.

 

Then, says Jesus, we can look forward to being filled, because God will be faithful in making things right. He might not give us the house of our dreams or a big promotion, but he will bring justice and righteousness to every inch of his creation. If that’s what we truly care about, we can’t help being satisfied as we partner with God in his work in this world.